A come from behind win helped seal the deal for the AAA-hockey team North Dakota Broncos last weekend.

At the Mountain Dew Blast Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn., the Broncos won the championship round in a 3-2 come-from-behind victory against the Northwest Metro Twin Cities Renegades Gold.

Broncos coach Jay McClintock said that of the games played on the tournament, the Renegades Gold was the toughest. The Broncos played them earlier in the tournament and won.

“When we played them in our game number 3, they had already played 3 games and won by a shutout each time, so they were un-defeated and un-scored upon up until that point. We beat them 7-4 that game,” McClintock said.

The championship game proved to be a challenge as well, with the Broncos facing a fresher Renegades Gold team after playing a game earlier in the day. McClintock said there was “no love lost” between the teams, as 15 penalties resulted in the game.

“They were more ready for us in the Championship game, which was a fast, back and forth and physically intense game,” McClintock said.

Early in the tournament, the Broncos defeated the Sioux Falls Solar Bears, 6-1, and the Nebraska Trailblazers in a 5-0 shutout. Before the championship round, the Broncos came from behind to beat the Twin City Vulcans, 6-3.

Earlier this year, the Broncos played in the AAA Opener in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Mountain Dew Blast tournament had more teams from the Twin Cities area, and more teams altogether with two pools. The Broncos competed in the pool with five other highly-ranked teams.

In AAA hockey, the Broncos play in the Year 2000 division, or players who were born in the year 2000. This go-around the team had three players from Montana; two from Moorhead, Minn.; two from Minot; Bottineau players Nic Costa, Evan Nelson and Riley Olson; and Rugby players Alex Hoffert, Nate Haman, Jace Scherr and goaltender Micah Hershey.

Currently standing with a 9-0-1 record, the Broncos’ next action is at a tournament in Blaine, Minn., June 24-26.

– Tribune Staff Report