By Allison Werbowetsky /

The Swift Current Broncos finally broke their road losing streak after a 6-2 win in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice on Nov. 21.
Justin Dowling and Cody Eakin scored a pair each for the Broncos while Taylor Vause chipped in with a single and newcomer Stepan Novotny scored his first marker with his new team.
The team had been winless in 10 games away from its own barn, and frustrations were beginning to mount.
However the victory means Swift Current now stands at 1-8-0-2 on the road and 13-11-0-2 for the year.
Earlier that same week, the Broncos acquired 19-year-old Novotny, the Kelowna Rockets leading scorer.
The 6-2, 194-pound star forward from the Czech Republic had 14 goals with Kelowna this season and 19 in his first regular season with the Rockets last year.
His impressive statistics have Broncos head coach Mark Lamb expecting a lot out of him.
“I expect a lot,” Lamb said. “You know, you give up a good player and you want full value back. He’s going to be a top-six player.
“He’s going to be one of our top scorers.”
In return, the Broncos had to give up 19-year-old Geordie Wudrick. The 6-3, 208-lb. left-winger was the second-overall draft pick in the 2005 bantam draft, and started out as a Bronco in 2006.
He gave the team 35 goals in the regular season last year, 20 the year before and eight this season before the trade.
Wudrick was drafted with the expectations to be a high scorer for the Broncos, however he was coming up short to start the season this year.
“The change of scenery for him, hopefully it does good because he’s got to get his career on track. It wasn’t like he was a bad player here, he was a really good player and was a really good Swift Current Bronco for a long time,” Lamb commented.
“But it was more than that,” he continued. “There was some stuff built-up from last year. I think he was kind of looking for another start and I think the new start was me. He was really happy when I came in and I think he thought it would be a little bit different, a little
bit better.”
However, the deal was not an easy one for Lamb to make, and talks between Kelowna and Swift Current had been going on for a long time before the final decision was made. It will likely turn out to be the right one for all players and teams involved, he said.
“There were a lot of reasons for this trade and I think it’s going to be a good trade for both teams. For us, he’s a right-handed shot who’s got good speed and is a goal scorer that I think will fit in great with either Dowling or Eakin,” Lamb said.
Also included in the trade for the Broncos was 16-year-old promising rookie defenceman, Tanner Clark, a third-round pick in the 2008 Bantam Draft.