Bruins-Ice Wolves preview

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.