Good afternoon. After finally snapping a long losing streak on Sunday, the Bruins are in Melville tonight for an important road game. The Mils are two points behind the Bruins for second place in the south, but with four games in hand. Yorkton also has four games in hand, so a win here is crucial for Estevan if they want to regain a firm grip on second place.
On the injury front, the word yesterday was that Connor Milligan likely won't play tonight, but will be evaluated at the end of the week as to whether he can return on the road trip this weekend.
Tyler Poskus is expected to be a game-time decision.
If the Bruins don't have enough healthy defencemen, I'm not sure if they'll bring up an AP or possibly have Brykaliuk or Schellenberg move back.
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Starting tomorrow, a big change is coming to Bruins Banter. The blog will be hosted on the Mercury's website. The change is happening overnight and coming here will redirect you to the new location. Or, you can find it by going to Opinion -> Bruins Banter.
There will probably be some tinkering as I figure out how everything will look and where things will fit. All the things embedded on here, such as post-game interviews, will work the same way on the new site.
Unless I can figure out a quick way to transfer all of the posts on here over to the new location, I'll have to find a place to archive them. I'll let everyone know when I get it figured out. Should be able to put a link to the archives somewhere on the new page.
The Estevan Bruins are finally back in the win column after earning a 4-3 victory over the Yorkton Terriers on the road Sunday.
Cole Olson scored on the power play with 16 seconds left in regulation to secure the win.
The Bruins had led 3-1 midway through the third period before allowing a pair of Yorkton goals in a span of four minutes.
Dylan Smith, Derek Whitehill and Tanner Froese had the other goals for Estevan (17-15-0-1), which moved into sole possession of second place in the Sherwood Conference and avoided a three-way tie for third with Yorkton and Melville.
Ryon Sookro, Brenden Poncelet and Nathan Murray scored for the Terriers (15-13-0-1).
The Bruins had a big chance tonight to get back in the win column at home against a slumping team and a couple of former teammates. They got off to a bad start and then failed to take control of a tied game in the third period.
Nipawin scored four times in the third period to pick up a 7-4 win, only their second in their last nine games.
Darius Cole, Stuart Holland and Brady Zerr each scored twice for the Hawks, who controlled the majority of the game with good puck possession in the Bruins zone, even if the shot totals don't show it.
Nipawin scored twice in the first six minutes of the game, including a stellar rush by Keenan Martens that ended with a goal Derek Tendler probably wanted back.
The Bruins cut that lead in half on a Calder Neufeld goal before the end of the first period.
They would take their first lead of the game late in the second on back-to-back goals by Dylan Smith and Michael Hengen, but then a crucial swing happened.
Only 12 seconds after Hengen's breakaway goal off a setup by Tyler Kauk, Holland scored to tie it up again before the intermission. A Hawks team that likely would have been deflated by giving up two late goals suddenly had some extra jump.
Cole scored early in the third to give Nipawin the lead and they never looked back.
I gave Cole the first star on the CK750 broadcast with Branden Crowe. He had one of the best penalty killing shifts I've ever seen in the second period, keeping the puck in the Bruins' end for a good 30 seconds, setting up Zerr for what would have been a goal if not for a huge save by Tendler, and then drawing a penalty.
As for the AP players, Ryan Curzon did some good things out there and you could tell he's got some Jr. A experience. Scott Morrison made a couple of mistakes that I noticed, but he probably did as well as you could expect from an 18-year-old in his first SJHL game.
Having trouble getting the interview with Keith posted, but here are a few of the things he had to say:
On giving up the goal to Holland late in the second:
"You've heard me say it before. Our reaction right after a goal has to be better. We've talked about that. It's disappointing. We only have two games at home in December and you'd like to put on a pretty good show for the fans. We gave them something to get excited about, but we certainly didn't follow through on that. We're in a pretty fragile state of mind right now and we're just trying to build on the positive things that we see."
On the team's mental state right now:
"We're lacking in confidence a little bit at times and I think a lot of times, especially in this little streak here, we'll do something good and then all of a sudden we're looking around waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think once we get that confidence back, we're going to be okay. I think we're reading a little too much of the news and a little too much being on the internet. It starts to become a self-fulfilling prophecy that way. There's no doubt we can get back to believing in one another. There's a lot of talent in there. It's a fine line between going out there and playing with a lot of confidence and what you saw tonight."
On Curzon and Morrison:
"Both of them skate very well, both of them kept the game simple. Curzon has quite a bit of experience and I like his attitude. He brought a little bit of jump to the room and the bench and he wasn't scared to get in there and mix it up with the guys. They're going to come along with us again tomorrow (to Yorkton)."
Three players will be facing the team they were recently traded away from tonight. For Ryan Ostertag, who was traded to Nipawin on Thursday, it will be particularly strange as he's making his Hawks debut at Spectra Place. Former Bruin Jesse Bernard and current Bruin Tyler Paslawski, who were traded for each other, are also playing their old teammates for the first time. Former Hawk Tyler Poskus is out with a concussion.
On the injury front, the Bruins will get Matt Brykaliuk back, but that's it. There was a chance of Connor Milligan returning, but he had a bit of a headache after practice yesterday so he's being held out.
Rather than move someone like Brykaliuk or Dylan Schellenberg to the blueline, the Bruins have called up two defencemen from the Assiniboia Rebels of the PJHL. They are 1991 Ryan Curzon, an Estevan native, and 1993 Scott Morrison.
Estevan Bruins (16-14-0-1, 3rd in Sherwood)
The Bruins are in a freefall, having lost six games in a row, including three straight on the road this week. That slump has coincided with hot play from the Weyburn Red Wings and Yorkton Terriers, meaning the Bruins are 10 points out of first place and only two up on Yorkton, with the Dogs having four games in hand. This is one of only two home games in December for the Bruins, so it's crucial that they take advantage of it against a Nipawin team that is also slumping.
The injuries to Jelinski, Milligan, Baldwin and Poskus, along with the trades on Thursday, have depleted a lot of the Bruins' depth. They need some of their younger kids to take advantage of the extra ice time and show what they can do. Up front, the Neufeld-Whitehill-Paslawski line has played a few games together now and a breakout game from them would be huge. On the back end, Perrault, Kauk, Yano and Bosch will be leaned on heavily to hold off the speedy Hawks.
Nipawin Hawks (14-12-2, 5th in Bauer)
After a surprising red-hot start to the year, the Hawks have staggered to fifth in the Bauer Conference with a 2-7-1 record in their last 10 games. They have tinkered with their roster quite a bit in the hopes of getting back into the top three in the Bauer.
Rookie Tad Kozun and former Bruin Justin Waskewitch are leading the way on the scoresheet so far, but the Hawks have lots of secondary scoring from the likes of Brady Zerr, Eric Peterson, Adam Reichert and Stuart Holland. The Hawks also have a pretty solid, if young, defensive corps and Davis Jones has been a workhorse in goal since the trade of Stephen Klein.
Jesse Bernard is still looking for his first point of the year and you know he'd love to snap out of it against the team that traded him.
Ryan Ostertag has been shipped to the Nipawin Hawks in exchange for 1995 F Wyatt Johnson and futures.
Ostertag, 19, has nine goals and 17 points through 29 games this year, already surpassing his total of 15 points from his rookie season. The Regina native will join Jesse Bernard in Nipawin.
Johnson is with the Saskatoon Blazers and has two goals and 10 points through 20 games.
Here's some of what Keith Cassidy had to say about the deal:
"We're pretty happy with our forward group. Ryan certainly does bring a dynamic presence to the game and has the ability to be a tremendous hockey player, but for the direction we're going and the game he brings, a change of scenery would be good for him in terms of getting back on his game, I think.
"When everybody gets back and healthy, there's going to be a good battle for ice time. That was part of the thought. Look at a guy like Tanner Froese, who can arguably play up in the lineup from where he's at right now."
The Bruins also have Matt Brykaliuk back in the lineup this weekend and possibly Connor Milligan as well. Keith said that if no one returns to the lineup on the blueline, players like Brykaliuk and Dylan Schellenberg (who has quite a bit of experience on the back end) could find themselves playing D on a temporary basis.
Earlier this afternoon, Jeff Bartel was dealt to the Swan Valley Stampeders and Lyndon Soper was shipped to the Humboldt Broncos, both for futures.
UPDATE: The Broncos have now flipped Soper to the Neepawa Natives.
The moves get the Bruins down to 22 cards, including 14 forwards, six defencemen and two goalies.
Good afternoon. The Bruins are in North Battleford tonight to try to get back into the win column. The Stars haven't slowed down at all, having won their last seven games, so it will be a very tall order.
North Battleford writer Phil Heilman is running a live chat for the game; you can find it right here.
Last night's 3-2 shootout loss in Kindersley had to be disappointing, especially since the Klippers held Jordon Hoffman and Taylor Duzan out of the lineup (Hoffman was traded to Weyburn today and Duzan likely isn't far behind).
Taylor Reich and Calder Neufeld had the Estevan goals, both on the power play, with Dylan Smith and Austin Yano getting the apples on both. D. Jay McGrath and Bradley Buckingham scored for the Klippers.
In the shootout, Cole Olson had the Bruins' only goal while Brennen Bosovich and Colby Daniels scored for the Klips.
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Speaking of the Hoffman trade, the trade front is starting to heat up around the league. The Klippers have started shipping out their 20-year-olds, beginning with the trade of Jesse Mysiorek to Flin Flon on Friday for 1992 F Jesse Mychan (currently with Everett) and 1995 F Connor Gay.
Today, Kindersley shipped Hoffman and '93 D Aaron Letourneau to Weyburn for '93 F Trent Hermary, '94 D Michael Statchuk and '94 D Kody Thue. I like Hermary, but it sounds like Statchuk will probably go out to Salmon Arm, so my first reaction is to call this a win for the Red Wings.
I dealt with Hoffman and Mysiorek a lot the last two years covering the Klippers, and they are both great kids who were a pleasure to get to know. I know both loved being a Klipper and the trades have to be tough - especially Hoffman, who is a local product from Major - but it's a reality of junior hockey. Both are easy to coach and they play a grinding game built for the playoffs, so their new teams should be happy with them.
Another move came last week when Nipawin traded 1993 F Wilson Dumais to La Ronge for futures. He spent last year and part of 2009-10 with the Prince George Cougars, but he hadn't done much in eight games since being reassigned to the Hawks.
I'm sure we'll see a few more moves before Thursday as the arms race gets going. The Bruins are still looking for another veteran d-man.
Almost 1,500 people packed Spectra Place tonight to see one of the SJHL's best rivalries renewed.
And they got a terrific hockey game.
And then it got ruined.
Let's just say Sheldon Dean is not a popular man in Estevan right now.
After an excellent first two periods that was full of big hits and intensity, Dean became the story in the third period, calling six penalties on the Bruins compared to one for the Wings.
But it wasn't the margin that had people upset. It was some of the calls themselves.
Most notably, with the Wings already on the power play thanks to what looked like a phantom kneeing call on Tyler Kauk, Thomas Carleton delivered a hit to the head of new Bruins defenceman Tyler Poskus. When Dominic Perrault came over to exchange pleasantries, he was called for roughing and the hit itself was not called.
Poskus has a concussion and, according to Keith Cassidy, didn't remember he'd been traded to the Bruins after the game.
There was also the roughing call on Steven Glass after he got bowled over and the phantom cross-checking call on Calder Neufeld that led to the Wings' second goal.
It's too bad because it really was a great game. Both teams brought everything they had and the Bruins responded well to the loss last night.
Weyburn was probably the slightly better team for most of the first period, but the Bruins rattled off two goals 44 seconds apart late in the period to take a 2-0 lead after one.
At 18:49, Cole Olson hit Dylan Smith with a perfect pass for a backdoor goal. On the next shift, Michael Hengen's attempted saucer pass from deep on the left wall deflected off Ben Johnstone's stick and past Brett Teskey.
The Wings got back in it with five minutes left in the second on a goal by Sam Williams. Carleton - who did actually have a heck of a game for the second straight night - was in on the goal.
Weyburn tied it 11 minutes into the third when Coltyn Sanderson fired the puck out front from the corner and it hit something - apparently Keegan Bruce, since he was credited with the goal - and went in the net.
Three and a half minutes later, with the Bruins killing a lengthy 5-on-3 (their second of the period) thanks to the Perrault retaliation call, Sanderson deflected a point shot past Glass for the eventual game-winner.
The loss is a costly one for the Bruins, who now sit seven points behind the Wings (and one behind Melville, who lost back-to-back to Yorkton). And don't look now, but the Terriers are one point back with a game in hand.
Here are post-game interviews with Keith Cassidy and Steven Glass. In his short time here, I have never seen Keith lose his cool and tonight it looked like his head was about to explode. He walked the tightrope but came out with some strong words.
The Weyburn Red Wings came to play tonight and it just wasn't the Bruins' night.
Although the effort was there, and the Bruins did a good job of finishing their checks, they struggled in a lot of aspects of the game and an entertaining third-period comeback wasn't enough to avoid a 4-2 loss.
It was a night where the Bruins had an awful time trying to move the puck in all areas of the ice, whether it was breaking out of their zone or on the power play. They just seemed to be out of sync. There were a lot of mistakes made.
Give them credit for coming out strong in the third period though. A crisp pass by Ryan Ostertag to Michael Hengen (one of the only ones all night) resulted in Hengen's shot being bobbled by Mitch Kilgore, popping out of his glove and being knocked in by Ostertag.
But the Wings replied on a Thomas Carleton goal just 39 seconds later to retain their three-goal lead. But that didn't faze the Bruins, and they got another goal from Dylan Smith on a feed from Taylor Reich in the goalmouth.
Speaking of which, Reich spent a good chunk of the game with Smith and Olson, with Neufeld alongside Paslawski and Johnstone/Froese. Keith said that's the way it will stay for at least a while as they try to get two consistent scoring lines going.
Paslawski was a physical presence out there and had some chances, although like Keith said in the interview below, he could have used his shot more.
Dylan Schellenberg did all the little things right in his debut. There were no scraps, but he made his presence felt and was effective.
One of the highlights of the game was a big hip check by Austin Yano in the second period. I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't Kauk. Looks like he's picked something up from his D partner.
The Bruins are once again down to two goalies after dealing Brandon Stone to the Kindersley Klippers today.
The 18-year-old got into six games with the Bruins after being re-assigned from Moose Jaw in October. He had a 4-1 record with a 3.46 GAA and .892 save percentage.
On the injury front, no players will return to the lineup tonight but Keith Cassidy did confirm that Tyler Paslawski and Dylan Schellenberg will both make their Bruin debuts.
Good morning. We are gearing up for what should be two great games between the Bruins and Red Wings this weekend, first tonight in Weyburn and then tomorrow in Estevan.
There seems to be an extra level of hype around these two games after the Bruins made two deals to add a lot of grit to their roster.
On that note, there should be more Bruins news to pass on later today. I'll also get an injury update later. Stay tuned.
Tyler Paslawski isn't a guy who'll drop the gloves often, but he brings a power forward kind of game and will be counted on to win the physical battles that Keith Cassidy has talked about his team not having the fire to win as of late. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in his first game.
Dylan Schellenberg, meanwhile, is an enforcer who will no doubt be looking to make his mark tonight as he gets an early taste of the Estevan-Weyburn rivalry. According to a comment on dropyourgloves.com, he "throws like a jackhammer" and one of his first questions when he arrived here was how many fights are allowed in a season before suspensions kick in.
But these are more than token rivalry games with some new faces. The Wings and Bruins, along with Melville, are in a tight battle for first place in the Sherwood right now. A pair of wins would vault the Bruins past Weyburn and possibly Melville, depending on how their series with Yorkton goes.
Estevan Bruins (16-10, 3rd in Sherwood)
The Bruins have been getting a good deal of secondary scoring lately. The Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag line has been very good and will be expected to keep chipping in this weekend. And the Reich-Whitehill-Dochylo checking unit has been terrific considering the absence of Josh Jelinski. I can't say how impressed I've been with Reich - he truly is playing like a veteran and he's been easily the best rookie forward this year, not to take anything away from the other guys. Keith's description of him earlier this year as a "utility infielder" was on the money - not so much in terms of talent, but the fact that he's reliable in any role you put him in.
On the back end, Connor Milligan was hoping to return to the lineup this weekend and if he does, that will be a MASSIVE shot in the arm. He's been tremendous since being acquired from Camrose and you can see the Bruins have clearly missed his veteran presence. There's also a new face in Tyler Poskus. Not sure if he'll be in the lineup tonight.
Weyburn Red Wings (17-9-0-1, 1st in Sherwood)
The Wings, I don't have to tell you, are on fire. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't see them contending for first place at any point this season. But between the dominant top line of Jesse Ross, Coltyn Sanderson and Keegan Bruce, and the stalwart goaltending of Mitch Kilgore, they have put together a remarkable stretch of play over the last few weeks. They've also got the likes of Dylan Coupal and reigning SJHL D-man of the week Jens Johnson on the back end, along with the duo of Carter Struthers and Tyler Borstmayer.
Although Weyburn has gotten production out of newcomers Miguel Pereira, Jack Kennelly and Trent Hermary, they do need more secondary scoring if you ask me. They were in on the Paslawski sweepstakes and I wouldn't be surprised if they add a top six forward before Dec. 1.
I'm planning on heading up for the game tonight, so check back for a post-game recap.
I caught up with new Bruin Tyler Paslawski this afternoon. Here's what he had to say about coming to Estevan.
Reaction to the trade?
I was pretty surprised. I didn’t quite know where I was going to go, but it worked out pretty good. Estevan is a good place and their coach sounds like a good guy. I played with a couple of them in midget (Calder Neufeld and Ryan Ostertag).
On why he requested a trade from the Hawks:
I wasn’t happy with (Doug Johnson's) coaching. I wasn’t getting as much ice time as I’d like to have. I felt like I was being underplayed.
Happy that it's Estevan?
(Spectra Place) is a great facility. I’m pretty excited. (Also has family in Weyburn.)
On what he can bring to the Bruins:
I’m a physical guy, pretty good shot, looking to create a lot of offence, create room for my players. I expect to get a lot done, put up some numbers and hopefully win a championship. That’s the goal.
On Tyler Poskus:
He’s a really smart guy. Once he gets a little older and gets more experience in the league ... (going from) midget AA to the SJ is a pretty big step. He moves the puck really well, hard passer, so he’s a good guy.
The Bruins have shaken things up a little with a five-player trade with the Nipawin Hawks today.
Joining the Bruins are 19-year-old right winger Tyler Paslawski and 18-year-old defenceman Tyler Poskus.
Heading to Nipawin are 18-year-old centre Jesse Bernard as well as prospect forwards Garrett Lockeridge and Brendan Hopkins, both '94 players.
Paslawski's size appeals to the Bruins and they hope he can fill a power forward role. He will start on a line with Derek Whitehill and Taylor Reich.
If you read the SJHL Preview released by the Mercury this year, I pegged Paslawski as one of 10 breakout players in the SJHL and I still believe he'll have a big year.
Paslawski's stats:
I don't know as much about Poskus, but he's a rookie defenceman who's gotten into 12 games with the Hawks. Keith Cassidy said he's heard him described as a guy who would run through a wall to make a play.
The main player going the other way is Jesse Bernard. There was a lot of hype when he signed with the Bruins because he led the Manitoba AAA league in scoring last year. However, he's struggled in the early going with the Bruins, with no points through 20 games. I've seen some improvement in his game (in fact, Keith and I discussed him in our post-game interview which you can listen to in the post below this) but he has a long way to go.
Lockeridge is a '94 forward playing for the Regina Pat Canadians. His stats:
Hopkins is a '94 forward with the Saskatoon Blazers. He was at a WHL camp this year and really looked good in the Bruins' camp. Probably could have played here this year. His stats:
At the end of the day, the Bruins felt they could make this deal because of a very strong group of '93 forwards that has represented itself well, and several other '94 players who could easily come in next year and contribute.
UPDATE: Here's what Keith Cassidy had to say about the trade.
Good afternoon. Before getting into last night's game, it appears the Bruins have a multi-player trade in the works. I don't know yet what the team is giving up. More later when the trade is official.
The Battlefords North Stars showed last night why they are the top team in the SJHL, controlling the majority of the play and largely shutting down a Bruins' offence that ranks first in the league.
Both teams probably could have scored more, but great goaltending from Steven Glass and Connor Creech held it to a 4-1 final, including an empty-netter.
The Stars opened the scoring less than four minutes in when Blake Tatchell fed Braeden Johnson for a tap-in on a 2-on-1. Tanner Quinn made it 2-0 midway through the second on a centering pass from Ryne Keller.
The Bruins got on the board early in the third when Tyler Kauk's wrister got through traffic and past Creech.
Just as the Bruins were close to tying it up, the Neufeld/Olson/Smith line failed to get the puck out and it cost them as Brett Miller roofed a shot over Glass to make it 3-1. Quinn would add an empty-netter.
Steven Glass was phenomenal for the Bruins, making some saves he had no business making. The Stars easily could have had a couple more goals. At the other end, there were a few more chances the Bruins should have finished on. The one that really comes to mind is when Neufeld had pretty much the whole net to shoot at late in the second and Creech somehow kept it out.
On the injury front, Matt Brykaliuk is day-to-day and Connor Milligan says he's targeting next weekend for a tentative return. It's a little less clear when Josh Jelinski and Eric Baldwin might be back.
The Bruins doubled up the Kindersley Klippers 6-3 tonight in one of the most entertaining, freewheeling games I've seen in a while at Spectra Place.
It might not have been the most technically sound game, but it had end-to-end rushes, pretty passing plays, big hits and big saves.
It was a game that I thought was closer than the score would indicate. The Klippers had some prolonged stretches where they really pressured in the Bruins' end but they weren't able to finish plays off the way the Bruins did.
The Klippers drew first blood when the puck hit a skate in front and bounced to Jesse Mysiorek for his 12th of the year, but the Bruins rebounded with three goals in the first period and they kept pressing from there.
This was one of the better games this year for the Neufeld-Olson-Smith line, with Smith netting a hat trick. Neufeld and Smith also had multi-point nights. Neufeld is normally more of a goal scorer, but he set up Smith with a couple of beauties tonight for tap-ins.
The Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag was very good again and Hengen got his second goal in as many contests, which has to give him some added confidence in his game.
Some of the other Bruins who really looked good were Taylor Reich, Matt Dochylo and Jeff Bartel.
And then there was Brandon Stone. He made a few absolutely spectacular saves, especially with the glove. A couple of them were highlight of the night variety. It's gotta be tough on these guys when they go a week or more without a start, but he made the most of his turn in the cage tonight.
Brandon Halbgewachs, a 17-year-old forward from the Regina Pat Canadians, was called up as an AP and he didn't look out of place. He was one of the more impressive youngsters in camp and he played a solid grinding game tonight with a few hits.
All in all, a very good showing for the Bruins to open up Parents Weekend and tomorrow will be a big test against the SJHL-leading Battlefords North Stars. Steven Glass will start tomorrow night.
Three days after a 7-2 win over the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, the Bruins are back on home ice tonight for their first meeting with the Kindersley Klippers this season.
The Bruins will again be without several key players tonight. Connor Milligan and Josh Jelinski continue to skate but are still out. Eric Baldwin's injury from the hit he took from Marc-Andre Carre last weekend will continue to keep him out. Also, Matt Brykaliuk has an upper-body injury that also kept him out of Tuesday's game against the Hounds.
There may be a callup coming later in the day.
You look at the standings and you'd think this is an easy two points for the Bruins, but you can't safely predict any game in the SJHL this year, really. Case in point: the game against Melfort earlier this month where the Bruins almost blew it.
I spent the last three years covering the Klippers, but this is a much different team than the ones I knew. This will be my third look at them this year along with their two games at Showcase.
Estevan Bruins (15-9, 2nd in Sherwood)
The Bruins have cooled off a bit after their hot start, but to be fair, they've managed to win two of their last four games while dealing with some significant injuries. Having Yano back is a huge boost to their offensive attack as he can either start the rush with a great first pass or carry it up himself. He had three points in his first game back.
Some of the Bruins' secondary scorers are starting to heat up. The most obvious is Ryan Ostertag, who was one of their best players against La Ronge, scored a beauty of a goal and followed that up with two goals and an assist against the Hounds. If he can find a little more consistency in his game, he can be a dangerous threat. Also, third-year forward Michael Hengen scored his first goal of the year Tuesday. It was his first goal since Feb. 13, 2010, since he missed almost all of last year with a knee injury.
That line of Ostertag, Hengen and Johnstone was the Bruins' best against La Ronge and all three players figured in the scoring on Tuesday. The Bruins need them to keep it up.
Kindersley Klippers (6-14-2-1, 6th in Sherwood)
It's been a rough start for the Klippers after losing a lot of talent from last year either through graduation or trades, including a few that didn't bring anything back. The good news for them is they're only three points from getting out of the Sherwood basement. This game is the first in a six-game road trip for them, so they'll be motivated to start the trip on a good note, especially since they've lost five straight games, and eight of their last nine.
The line of Taylor Duzan, Jordon Hoffman and Jesse Mysiorek leads the way for the Klippers, although Duzan has spent some time injured and is off to, by his standards, an average start. Wheaton King and D. Jay McGrath are other players to watch for up front.
David Haaf and recent acquisition Troy Gedny are heavily relied upon on the back end, while Justin McDonald and Fraser Abdallah have split starts in goal.
With some strong veterans and a few talented rookies, it's a team that could probably be getting better results than they've shown, but that hasn't been the case so far.
I'll be doing colour for tonight's game alongside Klippers play-by-play man Brenden Ullrich.
Here's an update on the Bruins' injury situation entering tonight's game at Notre Dame.
Austin Yano is back in the lineup after recovering from his groin injury, giving the Bruins six healthy defencemen. The D pairings will likely look like this:
Kauk-Yano
Perrault-Soper
Bartel-Boesch
Matt Dochylo is over the flu and will also return to the lineup. That's a huge boost for a Bruins team that is still missing their captain.
Eric Baldwin is out with an upper-body injury suffered Saturday that could keep him out for the weekend as well. The Bruins have called up Stoughton forward Dayton Picard from the Moose Jaw Generals to take his place.
The 17-year-old centre is third on the Generals in scoring with nine goals and 18 points through 15 games. He'll most likely be on next year's team so it's a good chance for the Bruins to see him in game action.
Also, Josh Jelinski and Connor Milligan skated today but there is no timetable set for their return.
Check out tomorrow's Mercury for lots of Bruins news - there are stories on the loss to La Ronge, the team's AGM last week and a feature on the stellar play of Tyler Kauk and Austin Yano in the early going.
When the La Ronge Ice Wolves took a 4-0 lead early in the third period tonight, just about everyone figured the game was over. Kudos to the Bruins for scoring a couple and dominating a good stretch of the third period, but in the end their efforts fell short in a 4-2 final.
This was an inconsistent game from the Bruins. There were times when they buzzed around the Wolves' net and couldn't finish, and there were other times when the Wolves were clearly the better team. About half a dozen guys were really impressive, and some others didn't bring anywhere close to their A game.
La Ronge had all kinds of chances in the first period, but they were stonewalled by Derek Tendler and the teams went to their rooms scoreless. But the tide would turn for the Wolves in the second.
Less than two minutes in, on a power play, Marc-Andre Carre took a pass in the slot and buried it blocker side to break the ice.
Speaking of Carre, I forgot how much fun he is to watch. He was dominant in every aspect of the game. Along with his goal and assist (and another 1-on-2 rush where he fooled everyone and rang a shot off the post), he dished out a few big hits and he was excellent defensively. You could tell he's spent some time in the pros. Carre adds an entire other dimension to that team.
Just before the three-minute mark, Tendler got caught going the wrong way but still managed to lunge back and rob Brett McNevin with the paddle. Then Smerek took the rebound and scored on a wraparound.
With 8:20 left in the period, there was a delay of about 20 minutes due to an ice issue around the Wolves' net. It took a while to find a CO2 extinguisher to fix the problem. The delay was so long that both teams took a quick warmup when the ice was ready to go.
Not long after the game resumed, a Dom Perrault point shot was tipped by Calder Neufeld past Alex Rajotte but was called back on a high stick.
Shortly after that, the Bruins got a bad break when Skyler Hladun's shot (which was going wide) hit Ben Johnstone in the midsection and ricocheted back toward Tendler. He made the reflex save but the rebound was right there for Nathan Boyer to put in.
It was a tough momentum swing, going from 2-1 to 3-0, not to mention Johnstone, who was one of the best Bruin forwards all night. He threw some big hits.
I really wasn't impressed by the Bruins' play late in the second and early in the third, and less than a minute after they frittered away a power play, Zac Ashdown cleaned up a rebound off a Carre shot to make it 4-0.
The Bruins' comeback began at 7:38 on a fluke goal when Rajotte swatted at a puck in mid-air and accidentally knocked it into his net. Neufeld got credit for the power play goal. It came at a good time for the Bruins after the first 1:30 of that man advantage had been absolutely terrible.
Ryan Ostertag made it 4-2 less than two minutes later on one of the nicest goals you'll see all year. He flew down the left side, on his off wing, and unleashed a ridiculously quick shot that found a tiny hole in the top right corner, pretty much the only space Rajotte left open.
The Bruins pressed for the rest of the period but couldn't beat Rajotte again.
Both goalies were outstanding tonight. The next player who stood out for the Bruins was Tyler Kauk. With Yano and Milligan out of the lineup, he was relied upon even more than usual - I'd wager he was close to 30 minutes - and carried himself like a vet. He also showed a little extra confidence with the puck, carrying it deep a couple of times when it seemed no one else could break across the line.
Ostertag had several good chances and really used his speed to generate odd-man breaks. There's no telling what kind of numbers he could put up if he looked like that every night.
With Jelinski and Dochylo out of the lineup, the checking unit was comprised of Reich, Whitehill and Baldwin and I felt they did a good job of grinding it out against the Carre line. Reich was especially solid and played with a lot of fire.
Meanwhile, the Neufeld-Olson-Smith line created some chances but also failed to finish and were guilty of dragging their feet far too often. That has to change.
Yorkton Harvest defenceman Blake McMillen was AP'd for the game and, although there were a couple of mistakes, he didn't hurt the Bruins, which is about all you can ask for in that situation. He played mostly with Perrault.
The Bruins will swing back into action tonight after a week off by welcoming the La Ronge Ice Wolves for the third meeting of the two teams this season.
The Bruins and Ice Wolves split a pair of games in La Ronge last month but it's the Wolves' first visit to Spectra Place other than the two games they played during the SJHL Showcase.
Estevan is coming off a not-so-great weekend and this is an important game for them to get back into the win column, especially with Weyburn having pulled even for top spot in the Sherwood.
Estevan Bruins (14-8)
The week off came at a good time for the Bruins, who are suddenly a little banged up. Four players will be out of the lineup tonight. Josh Jelinski, Austin Yano and Connor Milligan are still out with injuries they suffered last week, and Matt Dochylo is out with the flu. Yorkton Harvest defenceman and Carnduff native Blake McMillen will be in the lineup as an AP. The absence of Yano and Milligan also means that Lyndon Soper will draw in for only his fifth game of the season.
Missing both Jelinski and Dochylo is a huge blow for the Bruins. Both guys are gritty vets who set the tone every night and their work ethic is sorely missed. Yano and Milligan obviously leave two major holes on the back end. It's a chance for several rookie players to step up and take on more responsibility.
La Ronge Ice Wolves (12-11-0-2)
The big story in La Ronge is the return of Marc-Andre Carre. Last year's co-scoring leader and league MVP has been cut from the CHL's Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees and he made his return to the Ice Wolves last night, chipping in an assist in a 5-4 shootout loss to Weyburn. Although Carre won't have the likes of Travis Eggum, Doug Lindensmith or Logan Herauf on his wings, he will certainly be a focal point for the Bruins and should open up some space for a few other Wolves who can put the puck in the net.
The other story in La Ronge in the past week is the likely retirement of defenceman David Greyeyes. The 20-year-old had a bright career ahead of him before suffering a serious concussion in camp with Prince George in 2009. He then sat out two full seasons before joining the Ice Wolves this year. Greyeyes, who had five points in eight games this season, reportedly took a hit to the head last weekend from Wings forward Jack Kennelly and, according to Wolves voice Daniel Fink, will probably be forced to retire. It's a sad story but thankfully he's putting the rest of his life ahead of hockey.
I'll be doing colour tonight on the La Ronge broadcast. If you can't make it to the game, you can tune in online at mbcradio.com.
We have snow on the ground and with that, the SJHL trade market is beginning to heat up. There seems to be no shortage of league news from the past week to break down.
Melville shook things up on Friday with a pair of trades. Zach Rakochy and Mark Owen were shipped to the Steinbach Pistons for 18-year-old forward Russell Trudeau, who produced at nearly a point-per-game pace last year. Trudeau got off to a quick start with two points in his first SJHL game against the Bruins on Saturday.
The Mils then sent Roger Tagoona to the North Stars for 20-year-old goalie Blake Voth. Voth backstopped the Vernon Vipers for the past two years and was shopped around by the Stars after returning from a USHL tryout. Despite dealing Rakochy, the Mils' tandem of Voth and Alex Wakaluk is a formidable one, assuming Voth lives up to expectations.
Also on Friday, Flin Flon sent defenceman Gabe Minville to Portage for 19-year-old forward Andrew Allan.
Since then, one marquee player has returned to the SJHL and a second one is likely on the way. Defenceman Woody Klassen has returned to the Battlefords after a stint with the ECHL's Greenville Road Warriors. The 20-year-old made his debut last night against Flin Flon. Klassen is a premier point-producing blueliner who immediately makes the first-place Stars even more scary. There's no question they are a legitimate Credit Union Cup threat. It's good to see after they fell well short of expectations last year.
Meanwhile, Ice Wolves play-by-play man Daniel Fink is reporting that star centre Marc-Andre Carre has been waived by the CHL's Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, and has since cleared waivers. It's very likely that he will now return to La Ronge to finish his last year of junior hockey.
The Wolves seem to be hitting their stride after a slow start and adding Carre, who tied for the league scoring lead last year, should make them a solid bet for a top-three finish in the north, at the least. Carre had one assist in five games of pro hockey.
Finally, Kindersley has shipped checking forward Ryan Elliot to Swan Valley for 18-year-old forward Beau Stewart, formerly of the Bombers. Elliot was brought in by the Klippers last December while I was covering the team and carved out a niche as an extremely hard-working energy guy who could chip in timely goals. It sounds like he's struggled to start this year though.
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You can read my story on the Bruins' weekend split against the Mustangs and Millionaires, along with injury updates, here.
Also, the Bruins are holding their AGM tonight at the Days Inn, so check out next week's paper for a look at their financial picture from last season.
Edit - Also, congrats to Dylan Smith on being named the SJHL player of the week. Smitty put up five goals and four assists in three games, including a hat trick on Friday and a four-point night Saturday.
Greasy is the word I'd use to describe tonight's 6-5 win over Melfort. There was another word that Keith used but I don't think it's suited for this blog.
It certainly was not an impressive performance, but in the end Dylan Smith's hat trick empty net goal stood up as the winner.
Give the Mustangs credit - not many people would have given the last-place club a chance tonight, but even after Smith's empty-netter made it 6-4 with 62 seconds to play, Melfort kept fighting and made it a one-goal game again when Carter Berg scored with 36 seconds left.
The Bruins found themselves down 3-1 midway through the game despite outshooting the 'Stangs by a wide margin. Two of those goals were ones I'm sure Brandon Stone would like to have back.
Melfort opened the scoring 33 seconds into regulation when Avery Van Blaricom followed the puck into the corner and the Bruins left Curtis Fontaine all alone in front. Van Blaricom managed to get the puck out to him and he lifted it over Stone's glove.
The Bruins tied it up at 8:33 on a great shift by Ben Johnstone that would end with him setting up a Calder Neufeld goal.
But the Mustangs pulled ahead again eight minutes later on some poor defensive coverage by Estevan that allowed Anthony Pickering to walk in for a quality chance. His wrister glanced off Stone (either his shoulder or blocker) and fluttered up and into the net.
Useless fact: all three goals in the first period came x minutes and 33 seconds into the game (0:33, 8:33, 16:33).
Pearce Gourley made it 3-1 nearly 12 minutes into the second on a five-hole shot that Stone got a piece of, but it trickled in.
The Bruins responded with two goals in 61 seconds late in the period. It began with a shorthanded rush that saw Cole Olson feed Taylor Reich for a goal at 17:23. Then Smith got his stick on a Dom Perrault point shot to tie it up going to the intermission.
Brendan Tash would put the Mustangs back on top at 1:08 of the third with a shorty of his own, but again the Bruins replied with a pair of quick goals.
The Neufeld-Olson-Smith line was reunited in the third period and it paid off. Smith's second of the night came on the power play at the seven-minute mark when he finished off a cross-ice feed from Olson on the doorstep.
Then, 47 seconds later, Matt Brykaliuk gave the Bruins their first lead of the night on a bad-angle shot that somehow got between Jesse Ehnisz and the post.
The Bruins were missing a pair of key guys tonight. Josh Jelinski won't play tomorrow in Melville and it's not clear yet if he'll be ready to return to the lineup next weekend against La Ronge. Austin Yano suffered a groin injury in practice this morning and also won't play tomorrow, but he's expected to start skating again on Monday.
Script writer 1: So we've got this kid returning to his hometown with his new team in his rookie season. How should he do?
Script writer 2: Hat trick?
Script writer 1: Nah, too cheesy.
Script writer 2: Yeah I guess you're right.
You couldn't write the script for Ben Johnstone's homecoming in Carlyle last night. The rookie forward scored a hat trick, doubling his season goal total, to lead the Bruins to an 8-3 walloping of the Notre Dame Hounds in a neutral-site game at the Carlyle Sports Arena.
Here's what Ben had to say after a too good to be true performance in front of his family and friends.
Good afternoon. The Bruins are preparing for a neutral-site home game tonight against the Notre Dame Hounds in Carlyle. Game time is 7:30 at Carlyle Sports Arena.
I'm heading up for the game, so check my twitter feed for updates and come back to the blog for a post-game recap.
It's the Bruins' first game since last Wednesday's 9-0 loss to the Terriers. That game is in the distant past now for the players, especially after their weekend trip to Grand Forks to check out the Fighting Sioux playing St. Cloud State.
Keith Cassidy called the trip "an eye-opener" for the players. Apparently there's nothing like watching a game at the Ralph, something I haven't experienced but hope to this winter.
Moving on to tonight's game, one of the focuses will obviously be on Ben Johnstone, who's from Carlyle. The rookie forward had a slow start to the year offensively but he's been heating up the last couple of weeks. It would be great to see him score one in his hometown.
In terms of roster notes, Dom Perrault will be back in the lineup and I believe Michael Hengen will be as well. Derek Tendler hasn't started since Oct. 21 in La Ronge and my guess is we'll see him tonight. That said, I don't have any info as to who will start.
If the Bruins' schedule wasn't already a little quirky, after two games this weekend they'll have ANOTHER full week off. Seriously?
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If you haven't yet read Mike Stackhouse's blog post with comments from two former Neepawa Natives, please do. It contains a lot of disturbing information about the way Bryant Perrier treats his players.
The failure of the Natives' executive to dismiss Perrier is unacceptable and smacks of incredible arrogance. This is more fuel for the fire.
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You've no doubt heard about Raffi Torres and the uproar over his Jay-Z Halloween costume. I think the backlash is ridiculous. Here's why.
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The Canada West and Canada East rosters were named this week for the World Junior A Challenge. Canada West has 14 players from the BCHL, with Humboldt's Riley Kieser being the only SJHL player picked. Canada East has 17 players from the OJHL.
These two teams are supposed to represent 10 leagues. Five of those leagues don't have a single player on the roster. Another league, the SJ, only has one player. What a joke.
How about we send Team BCHL and Team OJHL next year?
Here's the story in today's Mercury about the Bruins' blowout win and blowout loss last week. Check back later today for a preview of tonight's game against the Hounds in Carlyle.
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The Estevan Bruins learned why it's better to give than to receive last week.
A remarkable shift in less than 24 hours saw the Bruins go from flattening the Notre Dame Hounds 9-2 on Tuesday to getting slaughtered 9-0 by the Yorkton Terriers the next night.
The Jekyll and Hyde routine moved Estevan to 12-7 on the year, two points ahead of Weyburn in the battle for first place in the Sherwood Conference.
"You have a game like (Tuesday's win) and you're feeling really good about yourself and you feel like you can do nothing wrong, and you forget what you did to earn that," said Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy, who added that the difference between the two games "isn't personnel, it's the way we showed up mentally."
The only change to the lineup Wednesday was the absence of defenceman Dominic Perrault, who was attending to a personal matter. Jeff Bartel took his place.
After the loss to Yorkton, the Bruins got a week off leading into tonight's game against the Hounds in Carlyle. They used the time off to take a weekend trip to Grand Forks and watch the University of North Dakota take on St. Cloud State twice.
The Yorkton game began badly for the Bruins when a Terriers shot went off a skate and rolled slowly past goalie Steven Glass, barely crossing the goal line after hitting the post. Curtis Oliver got credit and would score another one 18 seconds later.
"We've gotta be mentally tough enough to battle through that and not let it affect us," Cassidy said. "Even from that point, I think we still had a reasonable effort. Our execution from that point on was pretty terrible."
Justin Lamontagne would give the Terriers a three-goal lead before the end of the period.
The visitors continued to bring the pain, scoring four times in the second with markers from Brady Norrish, Keven Cann, Riley Paterson and Zak Majkowski to open up a 7-0 cushion after 40 minutes.
Ryon Sookro and Lamontagne, with his second of the night, rounded out the scoring in the third.
Cassidy didn't make any excuses for the poor showing.
"I'm through with saying these guys are a young team. I'm through with saying it's five games in six nights. It doesn't matter when we play, we gotta show up and play."
Tuesday's win was a much happier affair for the Spectra Place faithful, with the game summary following much the same path.
One night after scoring nine goals on the Hounds, the Bruins gave up the same number in a 9-0 blowout loss at the hands of the Yorkton Terriers.
While the Terriers did get some bounces and scored probably three goals that would almost never go in, this was an ugly outing for the Bruins virtually start to finish. They ran around in their own end, consistently got beaten by Terrier forwards, couldn't break out properly, couldn't gain the Yorkton blueline, couldn't hit the corners of the net.
It was a game where you could tell after the first period it was going to be an absolute stinker. At least that's what was going through my mind.
I guess the bright side is judging by tonight's game, the Bruins might have a bunch of world-class archers on their hands. Like Derek Tendler was saying in the press box, pretty much every shot was right at the target, i.e. crest.
Also, it looked like Taylor Reich may have scored one in the third period, but no cigar. That kind of night.
It was also a rough outing for Steven Glass, who had a couple of goals I'm sure he would have liked back in his second start in as many nights. He got the hook in favour of Brandon Stone after the fifth goal.
It's not a good way to go into a week off, especially with the team's trip to Grand Forks (UND) coming up this weekend. Then again, it's a game they have to put behind them and the trip should help with that.
Tonight's lineup was identical to last night's except for Dom Perrault, who was attending to a personal matter. Jeff Bartel drew in on the back end.
Once again, the Estevan Bruins have demonstrated that they have no issues with scoring goals.
For the fifth time this year - all of them at Spectra Place - the Bruins scored six goals or more in a 9-2 pounding of the Notre Dame Hounds. It was also their second nine-spot against the Hounds this year.
Calder Neufeld scored his second hat trick in three games, with all three goals coming in a 14-minute span between the second and third period.
Austin Yano was also a standout, with three assists and a shorthanded goal with nine seconds left that came off a rebound of a Ben Johnstone breakaway.
Matt Dochylo, Derek Whitehill, Cole Olson, Eric Baldwin and Taylor Reich had the other markers.
This one didn't look like it had the makings of a blowout in the first period. The Bruins didn't look good in the first 10 minutes and surrendered the opening goal to Ben Morgan. But they turned it around and got goals from Dochylo, Whitehill and Olson before the end of the period.
Then they scored twice in a 2:13 span in the first half of the second period and the rout was on. The Bruins would pump seven past Ty Reichenbach before he got the hook in favour of Matt Smidt.
Despite having more than a healthy cushion to work with, Steven Glass didn't lose focus in the third period and made some huge stops to keep the Hounds to two goals (including one that I'm not at all convinced went in).
I thought Matt Dochylo was a guy who really set the tone tonight. His goal came the same way most of his do - by grinding it out and, in this case, knocking in a rebound. I also thought Connor Milligan was a rock, logging a ton of minutes to go with his two apples.
Cole Olson was with Reich and Froese and impressed me again. He might be near the top of the SJHL scoring race but he also brings a consistent work ethic and has been one of if not the best defensive forward on the team this year in my mind.
Neufeld now stands at 18 goals, five ahead of Dylan Smith and Jesse Ross. Neufeld, Olson and Smith have accounted for 36 of the team's 76 goals this year, or 47 per cent.
Michael Hengen sat out the game with a minor tweak to his knee and, as Keith explains below, he only sat out because it's relatively early in the season and they have the luxury of having 12 other capable forwards.
Matt Brykaliuk also left the game in the second period after taking what looked like a hit from behind. Baldwin moved up to the wing after that.
Here's some post-game for you. Also, we've begun taping the post-game interviews, so check the Mercury's website sometime tomorrow to see Keith's face for radio on film! Haha.
The first big road trip of the year for the Bruins didn't start well, but they rebounded in a big way.
The Bruins edged the Melfort Mustangs 3-2 tonight to win their second game in three nights on the road. Dylan Smith, Ryan Ostertag and Calder Neufeld had the goals, with Neufeld's power play marker in the second period standing up as the winner.
Connor Bradshaw scored twice in the first period for the Mustangs.
Brandon Stone picked up his second win in as many nights for the Bruins after a phenomenal performance Saturday that saw him stop 47 of 48 shots in a 4-1 win over La Ronge. The Wolves fired 19 shots at Stone in the third period and he stopped them all. You have to think his play on the road trip has clouded the Bruins' goalie situation even further.
After Skyler Hladun gave the Wolves the lead just 13 seconds into the second period, Calder Neufeld stepped up with a natural hat trick in his second game back from a groin injury. He scored early in the period and twice more late to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead after two. Ostertag would add an insurance goal six minutes into the third.
Derek Tendler got the start in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Ice Wolves, which saw La Ronge outshoot Estevan 50-39. Getting two wins on the trip is huge, but giving up 98 shots in two nights against the Wolves has to be a concern for the coaching staff.
La Ronge took a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by Pavlo Zerebecky and Aaron Enns. Matt Brykaliuk (who's suddenly knocking them in almost at will) traded goals with Tyson Valette in the second, and Pat Tran added a late empty-netter.
The Bruins (11-6) are still in first place in the Sherwood but they have to keep an eye on Weyburn now. The Wings are four points back with two games in hand after winning their last four games.
(Listen to this... talking about games in hand in October... I need help)
The Bruins only get one day off as they host the Hounds on Tuesday and the Terriers on Wednesday.
Here's a story in today's Mercury detailing a new western championship in the works as well as a potential breakaway from the RBC Cup.
It has long been rumoured that the SJHL would be part of a new venture taking the four western Junior A hockey leagues out of the RBC Cup and into a new western championship.
The Mercury has obtained a document outlining the strategic plan for such a move, to begin in time for the 2012-13 season.
Phone calls to SJHL president Bill Chow were not returned.
The proposed new format would see the four leagues – the BCHL, AJHL, SJHL and MJHL – governed under the terms of the Junior A Supplement and would allow them to begin their regular season later in September, ending in March.
According to the document, a major reason for the change is to get away from Hockey Canada’s overbearing rules for hosting tournaments, which restrict profit for the host community by forcing them to change most or all of their advertising to Hockey Canada sponsors.
The document cites “Hockey Canada exclusivities” and “administrative fees for event management” among the reasons for taking this initiative.
It also stipulates that the leagues would maintain their membership in the CJAHL as well as the World Junior A Challenge and annual prospects game.
It also says that the four western leagues “shall remain open to the principle of a national championship if the dates and format can be worked out.”
The schedule proposed in the strategic plan would see the western championship played during the first week in May, with an equal rotation among the four leagues.
The proposed format would also do away with the current regional championships, the ANAVET Cup for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and the Doyle Cup for Alberta and B.C.
A section of the plan titled “threats” lists possible resistance from Hockey Canada and its sponsors, particularly RBC, and push back from the eastern leagues, as items to consider.
A running theme throughout the strategic plan is putting teams on strong economic standing, with part of the mission statement aimed at “creating economic wealth and team stability.”
The proposal includes a plan to hold the inaugural western championship in May 2013 and, within the next two or three years, finalize the rotation for the first four years, through 2016, with the event being hosted by each of the four leagues in that time.
The Estevan Bruins continue to have the Melville Millionaires' number this year.
The Bruins rallied from a 1-0 deficit after two periods to beat the Mils for the fourth time in as many tries this season with a 4-1 victory.
Allen Kilback had the Mils' goal late in the second period.
Austin Yano tied it early in the third on a brilliant end-to-end rush - I was thinking he and Perrault should have switched numbers for that one - and Taylor Reich gave the Bruins the lead when he tipped a puck out front and then turned around to tap it past Alex Wakaluk. It was another strong game for Reich, mostly on the top unit with Smith and Olson in the absence of Calder Neufeld (groin).
With less than two minutes left, Josh Jelinski managed to get the puck past Wakaluk despite being dogged by a Melville player all the way to the net. Reich scored an empty-netter not long after that.
On the injury front, Eric Baldwin missed the game, not due to the hit from behind on Sunday but with a hip ailment. Michael Hengen also left the game in the second period and Keith said it sounds like a knee injury, or at least something to do with his leg.
I thought it was a solid effort from the Bruins. It seemed that they just couldn't finish in the first two periods, despite the chances they were getting. There were a lot of shots that missed the net. But it all came together in the third.
Next up is a looooong 3-in-3 trip to La Ronge and Melfort this weekend.
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Finally have some time and energy to throw out some thoughts on the Showcase. The entire weekend was a blast from start to finish, inside and outside the rink. As I've said before, it's a pretty cool atmosphere having hockey being played from morning till night, and with people from all over the province in the rink.
I don't have a firm number on the total number of scouts that showed up, but the consensus seems to be between 30 and 40. You can find a list of the registered scouts in the post below this one. I had a chat with a couple of the NHL guys and the overriding sentiment was that they come to the showcase because they don't want to be the one sitting at the draft table when someone else drafts a kid they didn't go to look at.
I honestly thought Saturday provided the most entertaining hockey, even though the Bruins didn't play. The final three games of the day, La Ronge vs. Nipawin, Humboldt vs. Melville and Flin Flon vs. Kindersley might have been the three best games of the weekend.
The Bruins won both of their games and many of their players made the most of the chance to play in front of the scouts. Upwards of a dozen players got interest from scouts at one level or another. Two guys I really felt made an impression were Steven Glass and Matt Brykaliuk. Glass started both games and handled himself like a seasoned vet. Brykaliuk had a breakout game Friday, showing off his skill and giving signs that he's making the adjustment to SJHL hockey.
Part of the showcase is the social aspect and I ran into a lot of familiar faces, including some old friends and players from Kindersley, which was nice. Speaking of which, I couldn't believe how many fans were there from Flin Flon and Nipawin. It almost sounded like the Whitney when the Bombers scored.
And honestly, every person I talked to raved about Spectra Place. People ran out of things to say. Safe to say it certainly made an impression.
It was a blast, but I'm glad it's over. I almost fell asleep a few times during Sunday's games.
Did you make it out? Any thoughts? Leave a comment.
I'm hoping to finally get a full showcase recap on the blog tonight, but for now, here's a full list of the teams that were represented by scouts this weekend.
NHL: LA Kings, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals
NCAA: North Dakota, Union, Manhattanville, Michigan Tech, Minnesota-Duluth, Norwich
WHL: Tri-City, Medicine Hat, Swift Current, Vancouver
CIS: York University
Other: Dakota College (Bottineau), Keyano College (Fort Mac), Royal Military College (Kingston), Hockey Ministries
It was a big day on the news front for the Bruins as they named their next captain and also showed off the new dressing room.
Josh Jelinski will wear the C, with Dom Perrault, Matt Dochylo and Derek Whitehill getting the As.
I like the decision to pick Jelinski. He's shown a lot of leadership during the early part of the season and a lot of that is his on-ice play. He's a hard worker and has fired up his teammates with his physical play on a few occasions.
The fact that he's wearing the C as a 19-year-old is an extra honour but he'll have support from three 20-year-olds also wearing letters.
As for the dressing room, wow. I had seen it about a month ago when it was far from done, and I was blown away then, but to see the finished product is something else. This was a labour of love for Gerry Aspen and you can tell with all the little personal touches like spotlights above the stalls, pucks beside the nameplates, carved Bruins logos in every drawer below the stalls.
The players got their first look at it and they were blown away.
Here are a few photos of the room.
Derek Whitehill, Steven Glass, Eric Baldwin
Ryan Ostertag, Calder Neufeld, Jeff Bartel
Members of the Bruins Alumni, which donated $40,000 toward the room and put in a lot of hours the last few weeks.
Here's the preview of this weekend's SJHL Showcase running in today's Mercury:
SJHL Showcase to invade Spectra Place
In two days, one of the marquee events on the SJHL calendar will kick off in Estevan.
The SJHL Showcase will bring all 12 member clubs to Spectra Place to play two games apiece in three days.
Local fans will get a steady dose of hockey, beginning Friday at 11 a.m. with Weyburn facing La Ronge, and ending Sunday at 7:30 p.m. when Flin Flon takes on Notre Dame.
Bruins president Jeff Pierson said he's excited for everything that the Showcase brings, including a chance to show off Spectra Place.
"We're showcasing one of the best Junior A hockey rinks in the country. That exposes our city more than our hockey club. Everyone who will hear and see about this, it's just super-exciting," said Pierson.
"I just really hope the people of Estevan and surrounding area come out and support this. This is step one in both the Bruins club and the city looking to attract bigger hockey events to Spectra Place. That part of it is pretty simple: good volunteers and good fan support will look very good on a resume for the World Junior A Challenge or even the RBC Cup."
The purpose of the annual event, aside from providing a financial boost for the host centre, is to showcase SJHL players for scouts ranging from the college level to the NHL.
Pierson said he's been in contact with three NHL scouts who are coming and there could be more.
The Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild and NHL Central Scouting will all have representatives at Spectra Place.
It had to happen eventually, and tonight it did. After reeling off five straight wins in Spectra Place, the Bruins suffered their first loss at home tonight in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Yorkton Terriers.
After talking about the Terriers' good job in finding Junior B gems in my game preview earlier today, Yorkton got all four goals from Jr. B grads: Jeremy Johnson (2), Jamie Vlanich and Zak Majkowski.
Ben Johnstone had the Bruins' lone goal, scoring in his second straight game. It was a beauty as he took a slick pass from Michael Hengen while driving to the net, slipped to his forehand and went roof daddy over Kale Thomson's glove. He might have been the Bruins' best forward tonight.
While the Bruins outshot the Dogs 38-34, I agreed with Keith's assessment in the post-game interview, which is that their forwards didn't do enough dirty work in digging for pucks and creating scoring chances. Instead, they often sat back waiting to set up the perfect play, and as we all know, that doesn't work out too often.
There were some shifts especially in the third where some Bruins just floated around out there, waiting for the play to come to them. That's not the way to try to build on a late second period goal.
Both Connor Milligan and Brandon Stone made their Bruin debuts tonight. I thought Milligan was for the most part very good, showing the ability to make a good first pass and maintaining pretty good positioning. What impressed me most was that in his first game, he wasn't afraid to take charge out there and communicate with the guys around him. You need those leaders out on the ice, especially with such a young blueline and a guy starting his first SJHL game.
As for Stone, there were a lot of positives to take out of his game. The only goal I could really fault him on was Johnson's first one in the second period when he lunged out of the crease after a loose puck and missed it, which left Johnson the open net.
Majkowski's goal, I think you can lay equally on Stone and the defence. He didn't look ready for the original shot and made the blocker save, but the rebound stayed out front. I thought the D should have been able to clear it, but it stayed right there for Majkowski to tap in.
I thought Stone showed quick lateral movement, a clean butterfly style and he did a good job of handling the puck. He also didn't seem to get rattled when the puck was bouncing around in front.
The Bruins are in Yorkton tomorrow before coming back home for the showcase.
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I decided to try something different tonight. I've seen this done a couple of times with European NHL goalie prospects where bloggers try to give North American fans a sense of how the goalie looks. With it being Brandon Stone's first game as a Bruin, I shot some video of him and put it together into a compilation.
Rest assured this will not be a regular feature haha.
Here you go. Look for the big glove save at the end.
Good afternoon. It's another Bruins game day as the team opens up a home-and-home against the Yorkton Terriers tonight at Spectra Place.
The Bruins will do it without left winger Austin Daae, who has joined the WHL's Prince George Cougars. I'm not sure how the Cougars got his rights from the Blades, but he's headed to BC for a second crack at the Dub.
Daae, an Estevan native, posted six points in five games with the Bruins, all assists, with four of them coming on Friday in Weyburn.
Here's a look at tonight's game.
Estevan Bruins (6-3)
The Bruins are coming off a split with the Wings. It will be interesting to see what happens with the big line of Neufeld-Olson-Smith over the next little while. Neufeld was replaced with Daae during the third period on Friday and the result was four goals. Then on Saturday, the Bruins relied on secondary scoring for the win with three rookies lighting the lamp. The trio has obviously set the league on fire so far, but it's also no secret that the coaching staff is looking for a better effort from them in terms of their own end.
I would expect we see a line of Froese-Whitehill-Jelinski tonight with the departure of Daae. This is a unit that can be intimidating along the boards but also has the potential to put up a lot of points. We'll also have to see if the line of Hengen-Johnstone-Ostertag sticks together tonight. After the game Benny had on Saturday, it's my opinion that he can't be sitting out anymore.
On the back end, there's a good chance Connor Milligan makes his Bruin debut. He's been impressive in practice and the team hopes he can make an impact as a top four guy. It also sounds like new goalie Brandon Stone could get his first start tonight. I'll be keeping an eye on those two for sure.
Yorkton Terriers (4-6)
The Terriers have lost three straight games, including back-to-back defeats to Melville on the weekend, and they'll be looking to turn things around tonight. It appears goalie Warren Shymko is about ready to return from injury, although I'm not sure if he'll be in tonight.
One of Yorkton's problems has been the absence of top returning scorer Brent Struble, who has yet to play due to injury. Newcomers Ryon Sookro and Jamie Vlanich have picked up the slack so far, with help from Jeremy Johnson. If that's not an advertisement for Junior B hockey, I don't know what is. Zak Majkowski, Brenden Poncelet and Kyle McLeod will be other forwards to watch tonight.
Devon McMullen and Sam Rockwell lead the way on a blueline that is, if possible, even younger than that of the Bruins. If the tale of the tape tells us anything, it's that we could be in for a shootout tonight.
