Bruins vs Hounds Preview

The Bruins will face the Notre Dame Hounds for the second time this season tonight at Spectra Place.

The Bruins have made a trade that should be announced later today, I know one Bruin player will be heading out of province, but until an official release is handed out I won't announce who it is.

I think the entire Bruins team will be ready for tonight's game as they look for redemption this week after a poor showing in Wilcox on Saturday. The Bruins had very little intensity that night and I'm sure they won't make the same mistake again.

The Bruins top line of Calder Neufeld-Dylan Smith-Cole Olson have been lighting up the scoreboard since training camp and will look to continue that pace tonight. These three have great chemistry, and all three players are capable of putting the puck in the net and setting each other up for great chances. If Notre Dame is to beat the Bruins tonight, they need to shut down the top line.

In order for the Bruins to pick up the win they need to cut down on their defensive mistakes. Early on this season the Bruins have been coughing up the puck too many times in their zone and hanging out Derek Tendler to dry. If the Bruins can cut down on the turnovers in their own zone they stand a good chance to win.

Make sure you head to the game early as former Bruins Coach and former two sport star Gerry James will be on hand at the game. James is on tour right now promoting his new book Kid Dynamite, James will be able to sign his book for you tonight.

Opening faceoff is 7:30.

Days Off

Demolition of the old Humboldt Hospital


The Estevan Bruins were back on the ice today after having the day off yesterday. The Bruins head into the weekend 2-2, and will have a pair of divisional matchups over the next couple of days as they host Notre Dame tomorrow night and then travel to Melville to square off with the Mils in the first game ever at the Horizon Credit Union Centre.

I know the entire Bruins team will be looking forward to the match up with the Hounds since the Bruins believed their effort on Saturday in Notre Dame was below par. I'm expecting the Bruins will come out with plenty of energy at Spectra Place as they look for redemption.

Expect the roster to be trimmed down in the coming days, Head Coach Keith Cassidy said a decision was expected sometime this weekend and a move could be made before the Bruins face the Hounds tomorrow night.

If you live in the Estevan area make sure you tune into Locker Talk at 6:30 tonight or 12:00 on Saturday afternoon. My guest this week is Bruins forward Matt Dochylo, we talk about the ups and downs early in the season with the Bruins. We spent some talking about the Showcase coming to Estevan in a couple of weeks, and we discussed the potential plans for the 20 year old when his Junior A career season wraps up after this season.

Tomorrow's game might be the only Bruin home game I miss all season, I'm back home for the weekend. One of my best friends is getting married in Saskatoon on Saturday, so I decided to use up some extra holidays.

I actually went golfing today at the Humboldt Golf Course, I'm pretty sure I've never golfed this late in September before. I also checked out the demolition of the old Hospital in Humboldt (see pic above) a lot of history in that old building, it was the place where I was born.

Some people have asked me about the lack of audio on the webcasts, most SJHL teams are having issues with the new webcast equipment. The Bruins problem is a little bit different because of the HD cameras they have for the video screens on the scoreclock. Hopefully I can start play by play for the webcast very soon.


I'll be back in Estevan in time for the Bruins rematch with Melville on Tuesday.

Bruins Beat Broncos In a Wild One 6-5

I expected the Bruins and Humboldt Broncos would provide plenty of fireworks as the fans were treated to an entertaining game as the Bruins beat the Broncos 6-5.

The top line for the Estevan Bruins is leading the way as Calder Neufeld, Dylan Smith and Cole Olson combined for 5 goals and 7 assists in the win for the Bruins.

The Broncos struck first when Brett Pinder opened the scoring to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead early in the contest. But the Bruins would explode with three quick goals as Calder Neufeld scored two goals in a 2:23 span to give the Bruins the lead. Chris Daniels would another marker 1:33 later to give the Bruins a 3-1 advantage. The Broncos would add one late as Riley Kieser responded late cut the lead to 3-2.

In the second period the Broncos would tie the game as Matt Glowa beat Derek Tendler on an odd man rush to even the score at 3-3. But the Bruins would regain the lead as Cole Olson took the pass from Dylan Smith and buried it top shelf to give the Bruins a 4-3 edge.

The teams would trade goals in the third as Calder Neufeld completed the hat trick extending the lead to 5-3, but the Broncos would get one back as Logan Sproule scored from the point to make it a one goal game again at 5-4, then with 2:36 remaining, Calder Neufeld would tip the puck past the defenceman on the two on one and would slide the pass over to Dylan Smith, who would score his second of the season to give the Bruins the lead at 6-4, Neil Landry replied for the Broncos late, but it was as close as they would get as the Bruins beat the Broncos 6-5.

Derek Tendler had to make 30 saves for the win. Neither team was able to score on the extra man advantage.

What can be said about the line of Neufeld Olson and Smith, there's obvious chemristy between the three and there's no sign of them slowing down. Neufeld ended the game with a hat trick and an assist, Dylan Smith had a goal and 4 assists and Cole Olson scored a goal and added 2 assists.

I talked to Dylan Smith after the game.

Dylansmithsept27 by blaineweyland

And even though the Jelinski-Daae-Whitehill line didn't score, I thought they provided a lot of energy, espcially Jelinski who had a couple of big hits in the first period. I also talked to him after the game.


Joshjelinskisept27 by blaineweyland

Bruins next action is Friday night, when they host the Notre Dame Hounds.

Bruins vs Broncos Preview

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins will welcome the Humboldt Broncos tonight at Spectra Place in the first of five meetings this season between the two clubs.

The Bruins enter the contest on a two game losing skid after losing to Notre Dame and Yorkton in back to back games on the weekend, the penalty kill was an area of concern as the Bruins gave up 8 powerplay goals in the two losses.

The Bruins used their entire 25 man roster on the weekend, on Saturday Jesse Bernard, Derek Whitehill, Matt Brykaliuk, Lyndon Soper, and Jeff Bartel sat out for the Bruins. On Sunday, Dominic Perrault, Chris Daniels, Taylor Reich, Ryan Crosson, and Austin Daae were scratched from the lineup.

Derek Tendler has started in all three of the Bruin games so far, Steven Glass has been the back up goalie for the Bruins in all three games, Shea Cooper has been sidelined with a knee injury for the last two weeks, he has resume practicing and could return to the lineup within the next week or so.

The Bruins will host the Broncos and Notre Dame Hounds, before beginning three sets of home and home series before the SGEU SJHL Showcase on October 14.

The Broncos head into tonight's game on a little bit of a roll, the Broncos were the first team in the SJHL to hand the Nipawin Hawks on Saturday. Despite losing Devan Dubyk to the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors, the Broncos have received solid goaltending from Matt Hrynkiw who was named the goalie of the week in the SJHL after picking up a pair of wins and making 39 saves on 40 shots.

The Bruins and Broncos will meet 5 times this season since the two teams will square off in the SGEU SJHL Showcase.

Opening faceoff for tonight's game is 7:30.

Q an A with Bruin's Derek Whitehill

After sitting out the majority of the preseason, Derek Whitehill got into the Bruins lineup for the first time this season last night against the Yorkton Terriers.

Whitehill is no stranger to Bruins Head Coach Cassidy after playing for him in Winnipeg a couple of seasons ago.

After this morning's practice I caught up with the 20 year old forward.

Derekwhitehillsept26 by blaineweyland

Bruins Looking For Help for Showcase

The Bruins will need your help for the SGEU SJHL Showcase weekend this year, as they will need plenty of volunteers for a lot of jobs. Here's the press release from the team about needing volunteers for the event.


The Estevan Bruins organization is continuing its preparations for the 2011 SGEU SJHL
Showcase which will be held at the beautiful Spectra Place Oct. 14 to 16.

The event is an opportunity for the players of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League to display their talent to scouts from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, Canadian Interuniversity Sports, Western Hockey League, Canadian College Athletic Association and numerous other leagues. Each club will play two games over the three days of Showcase giving scouts an ample opportunity to catch all that the SJHL has to offer.

The Bruins are excited to host this premier event for the SJHL in the brand new, state of the art, Spectra Place. The club recently played its first regular season game before over 2,000 fans and is looking forward to the opportunity to showcase not only the league’s talent but also this
incredible facility to scouts and fans of the SJHL from throughout Saskatchewan.

“The Showcase weekend will not only give the Bruins and the City of Estevan a chance to show
off Spectra Place, it is also the first major event the club will host in the arena and should set us
down a path we expect will end with the hosting of the Royal Bank Cup in the relatively new
future,” said Bruins president Jeff Pierson. “We are thrilled to welcome scouts from North
America as well as the SJHL’s fantastic fans to Canada’s Energy City for a great weekend of
hockey action.”

There are four games scheduled for each day of Showcase with the first set for the morning of October 14. The host Bruins will play Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The team is in need of volunteers to run these 12 games.

During any one Bruins Home game there are at approx. 20 volunteers, this means the team need approx. 240 volunteer positions filled throughout the weekend.

The team has also set ticket prices for Showcase. The cost for an adult weekend pass is $40 while
a game day pass is $20 and individual game ticket is $12. There are also affordable pricing
options for seniors, students and children.

For more information on the Showcase,or if you are interested in volunteering please contact
Becky Tait at 634-7730.

Bruins Fall to Terriers

The CanElson Drilling made a game out of it, but in the end the Bruins were defeated by the Yorkton Terriers 7-5 last night.

The Bruins were trailing 1-0 when Calder Neufeld scored to tie the game up at 1-1. Then in the second Tanner Froese scored on the powerplay to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead, but the Terriers responded with 4 unanswered goals to give themselves a 5-2 lead in the third period.

The Bruins wouldn't go down without a fight, as Neufeld, Cole Olson and Dylan Smith all scored in 3:44 to tie the game up at 5-5. But Yorkton would put the game when Jaime Vlanich and Ryon Sookro scoring two powerplay goals in a 2:08 span to give the Terriers the win.

Powerplays were a big story as Yorkton went 5 for 8 on the man advantage while the Bruins were 2 for 5.

The Bruins will return to home ice tomorrow when they face the Humboldt Broncos with a faceoff at 7:30 at Spectra Place.

Bruins Suffer First Loss

It wasn't a great day for the Estevan Bruins as they were defeated 3-1 by the Notre Dame.

For the Bruins, there was an obvious lack of fire last night in the loss. In the first period there was a combined 8 shots between both teams. In the second period the Bruins fell into penalty trouble as the Hounds 3-0 lead after 40 minutes.

In the third the Bruins showed a little spark, but they could only score once as Austin Yano found the back of the net to make the final 3-1.

The Bruins will get right back to work tonight as the meet Yorkton, with 4 healthy bodies sitting out last night, I'm expecting some changes to the lineup tonight.

Saturday Sports

Usually my Sporting fix on Saturday is me sitting on the couch and spending the day watching the tube, but today I'm going to see a couple of games in person.

First off the Riders meet the BC Lions, in a battle for third spot on the line, and really today's game is a matchup of the two hottest teams in the league. The way Edmonton and Calgary are playing lately, the winner of this game has a good chance to catch the Alberta teams and grab a home playoff game. While it's dissappointing Andy Fantuz isn't playing today, the Riders depth at receiver that they should be able to overcome the loss. I'm exp

After the Rider game I'll be heading to Wilcox to check out the Bruins first road game tonight against the Notre Dame Hounds. Austin Daae will probably be making his debut tonight after being sent down from the Saskatoon Blades this week. It will be interesting to see who will sit this one ot. The Bruins will be back on the road tomorrow in Yorkton.

With my traveling today I'm going to be missing UFC 135 Jones vs Jackson. The way the UFC light heavyweight division is going Rampage Jackson will win it, since it seems like no light heavyweight can hang on to it since Chuck Liddell dropped it to Rampage. But I think Jones will come out on top tonight, and I'm sure Rashad Evans will be stepping into the ring after the fight.
I also think tonight we'll be saying good-bye to Matt Hughes, I believe Josh Koscheck will beat Hughes, and shortly after we'll hear the word retirement.


Hopefully your Saturday is full of sporting fun like mine.

Getting Ready for the Hounds With Matt Dochylo

Matt Dochylo has a quickly become one of the favorites in Estevan with his constant hard work and aggressive two way play.


Dochylo got on the scoreboard last week for the first time this year when scored the Bruins fourth goal against Melville.


Dasher by blaineweyland

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins are finally back on the ice tonight after a week long break when they meet the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox.

The Bruins are anxious to pick up a win after a very emotional win last Saturday against Melville in the first ever game in Spectra Place.

Earlier today, Dochylo stopped by the radio station where I had a quick chat with him about this weekend's games.

Mattdochlyosept23 by blaineweyland

Thursday Bruins Update

It's been a quiet week for the Bruins after opening up the season with a victory on Saturday against Melville. The Bruins next action is Saturday when they head to Notre Dame to face the Hounds.

I caught up with Keith Cassidy this morning and here's some of the highlights.

-- Austin Daae has reported to the Bruins and will likely be in the lineup sometime this weekend, probably Saturday against the Hounds.

-- Derek Whitehill is healthy but will likely sit out this weekend, Cassidy says they want to be careful with Whitehill's injury. Cassidy thinks Whitehill will end up playing a big role for the team this season.

-- Shea Cooper is still sidelined with a leg injury and is probably still a week away from playing. He hasn't practiced with the team yet.

-- Barring injuries, Cassidy will try and get the whole roster some action this weekend.

-- Cassidy says the Bruins spent the majority of the week working on systems, along with working in the defensive zone.

--The Bruins are practicing in the old Civic Auditorium since Spectra Place is being used for the Business Showcase that's this weekend.

Daae Sent to Bruins

The Estevan Bruins group of forwards got a significant addition today. As the Saskatoon Blades have sent down Austin Daae to the Bruins. Daae spent the majority of the season with Moose Jaw AAA Midget, after being sent down last year. Here's the release from the Blades.

source. Saskatoonblades.com

The Saskatoon Blades have re-assigned winger Austin Daae to the Estevan Bruins of the SJHL. The 18 year old forward from Estevan played in three of Saskatoon’s five exhibition games. He registered 0 points and a -1 rating in those games.

Last season he appeared in 12 games with the team, notching a pair of assists and 11 penalty minutes

Bruins Open Spectra Place with 8-4 Win

It was a night everybody in Estevan will never forget, as the Bruins opened up the season and Spectra Place with a 8-4 win over the Melville Millionaires.

The crowd atmosphere was unbelievable, around 2000 people were expecting a great show and they weren't disappointed as the Bruins organization held a pregame ceremony which included a torch ceremony, it ended off with Estevan's Michael Hengen handing the torch to a couple of possible future Bruin players.

When the game got started, the Bruins powerplay went to work early as Calder Neufeld made history scoring the first goal in Spectra Place history at the 2:54 mark making it 1-0. Here's my first goal call in Spectra Place.

Spectrafirstgoal by blaineweyland

Neufeld would add his second of the night making it 2-0 about 7 minutes later.
Ryan Ostertag extended the lead as he buried a goal top shelf to make the score 3-0. Melville would end the first period picking up two late goals to cut the lead 3-2 after one period of play.

In the second, the Bruins would regain a comfortable lead with goals from Matt Dochylo and Cole Olson.

Melville would make things interesting in the third with goals early in the period to cut the lead to 5-4, but Chris Daniels would put the game away half way thru the period.

Then the local talent would get involved as Tanner Froese and Taylor Reich scored 22 seconds apart to make the final 8-4.

Derek Tendler made 25 saves in the win.

Things I was impressed with tonight was the forwards, all of the four lines looked good for the Bruins, all of them are capable of playing in any type of situation. The Bruins top line of Neufeld, Olson and Smith continue to look great and proved the preseason was no fluke.

It may be only one game, but there's a lot to be happy about if you're a Bruins fan. After the game I caught up with Calder Neufeld and Keith Cassidy.

Calder Neufeld

Calderneufeldsept17 by blaineweyland

Keith Cassidy


Keithcassidysept17 by blaineweyland


Also want to give a quick thank you for Denin Boesch for providing color commentary at the game, the Bruins rookie did a great job tonight and didn't look out of place.

Bruins vs Millionaires Preview

The long summer break is finally over, as the Estevan Bruins finally open up Spectra Place in style as they take on the Melville Millionaires in a rematch of last year’s classic Survivor Series.

After a preseason that saw the Bruins go 5-0-1, the Black and Gold will be looking to take that success over in to the regular season. Here’s what the projected forward lines will look like for the Bruins.

Neufeld-Olson-Smith
Hengen-Daniels-Ostertag
Reich-Dochylo-Jelinski
Brykaliuk-Bernard-Froese

No surprise that Keith Cassidy keeps Olson, Neufeld and Smith together, the trio have been lighting up the scoring lamp in the preseason, and there’s a good chance the first goal in Spectra Place will come from the stick of one of those players. The Hengen, Daniels and Ostertag line will see plenty speed and a lot of scoring ability, Daniels has been one of the most impressive players in camp, Ostertag looks very confident after spending the summer in Boston, and the Estevan product, Hengen should ready to go after missing most of last season with a knee injury. The Reich-Dochylo-Jelinski trio will be the Bruins energy line, and fans in Estevan should get use to seeing the Brykaliuk-Bernard- Froese line become a force for the next three seasons for the Bruins. Brykaliuk and Froese just returned from the World Junior A Challenge Evaluation Camp and Bernard lead the Manitoba AAA Midget league in scoring last year.

On the blue line, I don’t know the pairings but I know that Dominic Perrault and Eric Baldwin will start the season as the 1-2 defenceman , Tyler Kauk and Austin Yano will likely be listed as the third and fourth defenceman. Kauk is a solid two way defenceman with a nice shot from the point, while Yano can become a fourth forward from the blue line, expect Yano to rush the puck plenty of times tonight. I believe Jeff Bartel and Lyndon Soper will be the Bruins 5^th and 6^th defencemen tonight.

In net with the injury to Shea Cooper, Derek Tendler will get the start for the Bruins tonight. Tendler returns to Estevan after spending the last year and a half in Vancouver and Swift Current in the WHL. I’m expecting Tendler to play with a chip on his shoulder after being released very early into training camp from Swift Current.

For Melville, they are going to make a run this season for the Sherwood title. The Mils made a trade with Melfort sending Brayden Metz, and Cody Hanson in exchange for Lee Christensen, Jesse Mireau and Sean Aschim. Aschim is still with the Moose Jaw Warriors, but with Christensen the Mils might have the best defenceman in the league, and Mireau could be one of the leaders in points. Add those two players with Michael Desjarlais, Mark Owen and Roger Tagoona among others, and the Mils have the makings of championship team.

If you’re heading to rink tonight, be there by 7:00, because the Bruins have a special show planned for 7:10 that will feature a video, fireworks, flames, and more. We’ll have the pregame show kicking off our coverage on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com at 7:10. We’ll Dominic Perrault as our guest in the first intermission.

Getting Ready For the Bruins Opener with Michael Hengen and Eric Baldwin

The Estevan Bruins will finally kick off the 2011-12 season with their season opener against the Melville Millionaires.

I'll have a full preview this afternoon, I'll be on location this morning at Power Dodge for the Bruins Tailgating Party.

For now I'll post a couple quick interviews I did with Michael Hengen and Eric Baldwin.

Michael Hengen

Michaelhengensept15 by blaineweyland

Eric Baldwin

Ericbaldwinsept15ericbaldwinsept15 by blaineweyland

Elecs Football Team 1-2

The ECS Elecs Football team were hoping to make an impact in their home opener, but things didn't go there way as they were defeated by the Peacock Tornadoes 26-3.

The Elecs struggled early as they only managed to take the opening kickoff to their own 10 yard line. After a quick two and out from the offence, the Tornadoes were able to take control at the Elecs 50 yard line. Then Tornadoes would then drive up the ball into the end zone to make the score 7-0.

Following another quick offensive series for the Elecs, the Tornadoes would get the ball deep in the Elecs territory, and would manage a field goal to make the score 10-0, which would hold up at the end of the first quarter.

With the wind behind their backs in the second quarter the Elecs defence were able to hold the Tornados deep in their own territory which forced them to conceed a safety. A Kyle Hovind single late in the first half made the score 10-3 after two quarters.

The Elecs were unable to regain any momenteum in the second half, early in the third quarter the Tornado running back took a sweep and ran for 40 yards to the Elecs 20 yard line. The Tornadoes would score two plays later to make it 17-3. Late in the third quarter the Elecs had to give a safety to make it 19-3.

In the fourth the Tornadoes scored a late touchdown to make the final 26-3 the final score.

The Elecs will enter their bye week with a 1-2 record and will be in action on Saturday October 1st against Central in Moose Jaw.

Elecs Football Team Host Peacock in Home Opener

It has been almost a year since the ECS Elecs Football has played a football game in Estevan, and the team is hoping they will give the fans of Estevan something to cheer about this afternoon when they host the Peacock Tornadoes at 4:00.

The Elecs return to home turf after splitting their opening two games of the season, something that Elecs Head Coach Marco Ricci is happy with.

Today's game will have a big impact on the standings as both the Elecs and Tornadoes are tied for second place in the league with 1-1 records. Today's game is the only matchup between the two teams in the regular season, so whoever wins the game will hold the tiebreaker in the event of a tiebreaker.

On defence Ricci feels the unit just has to eliminate the big play, something Ricci feels they have done a good job for the most part this season. The Elecs will be focusing on a Tornado offence that will be looking to spread the ground game both on the ground and through the air.

On offence, Ricci says the Elecs will need a strong game from his offensive line. He thinks if the Elecs can establish a strong game on the ground, they will be able to wear down the Tornado defence.

Opening kickoff for the game is 4:00 and admission is free.

Locker Talk This Week

This week on Locker Talk to help hype up the Estevan Bruins opening game on Saturday against the Melville Millionaires, I'm joined by 2/3 of the top line for the Bruins in the preseason Cole Olson and Dylan Smith.

We take a look at why the line of Smith, Olson and Calder Neufeld have really clicked during the preseason. We talk about the Bruins chances in the Sherwood Conference and how they measured up with the rest of the teams in the SJHL.

We looked at the Bruins and spent some time talking about the rookies who will make a big impact in the league this season and some of the surprising veterans in camp.

Back in April I had Smith as a guest where we made our predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs and Smitty predicted Boston and Vancouver in the finals, so this week Me, Smitty, and Olly made our picks for the Bruins awards this season.

Locker Talk can be seen on Access 7 in Estevan Thursday at 6:30 and replayed Saturday at 12:00 pm

Bruins Finish Preseason with 7-1 win over Hounds. Q and A with Ryan Ostertag

The Bruins ended the preseason with a 7-1 win over Notre Dame as Ryan Ostertag scored a pair in his first preseason action, Cole Olson, Chris Daniels, Jesse Bernard, Dylan Smith, and Calder Neufeld all scored for the Bruins.

Smith had a Gordie Howe Hat trick with an assist and a fight. Steven Glass made 26 saves for the win.

The Bruins end the preseason with a 5-0-1 record.

After the game I caught up with Ostertag who missed the last 10 days with a injury suffered in training camp.

Ostertagsept13 by blaineweyland


We will have the first game of the season inside of Spectra Place on Saturday night on CJ1280 and DiscoverEstevan.com as the Bruins open against Melville.

What We Know and What We Need to Find Out About the Estevan Bruins

It's hard to believe but the season kicks off for the Estevan Bruins on Saturday against the Melville Millionaires. With the Bruins holding their final preseason game tonight against Notre Dame, I thought I would take a look at the things we know about the Bruins and what we need to find out.

Forwards

What we Know: If they handed out a preseason MVP, the Bruins recipient would likely be Calder Neufeld. Neufy has been lighting up the lamp since the beginning of training camp leading the team with 4 goals. Neufeld will likely start the season on a line with Dylan Smith and Cole Olson. Chris Daniels has been impressive this camp, spending more time playing centre, as he's looking to improve on a disappointing season last year. Matt Dochylo is another 20 year old who's been having a good camp. The rookies have been a key part to the Bruins success in the preseason especially the line of Matt Brykaliuk, Tanner Froese and Jesse Bernard. Taylor Reich and Ben Johnstone have also had been impressive and are likely going to make the team.

What we need to find out: A couple of players who have been limited due to injuries have been Derek Whitehill and Ryan Ostertag, but both should be back soon, possibly in time for Saturday's opener. A couple of the forward lines need to be settled, as well over the next couple days Keith Cassidy will have to decide how many forwards he's going to keep.

Defence:

What We Know: Dominic Perrault will be seeing plenty of ice this season, Perrault will be counted on to provide offence and defence along the blue line, and will be looked as the number one defenceman. Eric Baldwin keeps getting better and better, it's only a matter of time before he scores his first goal in the SJHL. Rookies, Tyler Kauk and Austin Yano have been everything as advertised, with Dallas Jorgensen, Denin Boesch, Lyndon Soper and Jeff Bartel round out the group.

What We Need to Know: At this point besides the defensive pairings, the only thing Cassidy has to decide is if he's going to keep 7 or 8 d-men.

Goalie:
What We Know: The Bruins have a good problem between the pipes, Shea Cooper, Derek Tendler and Steven Glass have all made cases to crack the squad. With Cooper suffering a leg injury, it allows for Cassidy to keep all 3 for the time being.

What We Need to Find Out: Who are the Bruins going to keep? It seems like the Bruins can't go wrong with any combination. With the Bruins only playing 5 games over 2 weeks, it might be until October before we find out which goalies the Bruins keep.

Monday Bruins Update

I had a chance to speak with Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy today and here's some of the highlights.

-- The Bruins roster is down to 26 with a deadline to trim itto 25 by Saturday's season opener. He feels some tough decisions are coming up this week.

-- Derek Tendler played yesterday in the win over Yorkton, the goalie decision could come this week, but Cassidy didn't rule out carrying three goalies to start the season.

-- Derek Whitehill is still day to day with his shoulder, Ben Johnstone is ready to come back into the lineup, Josh Jelinski played this weekend in both games against Swan Valley and Yorkton, and Ryan Ostertag could be back in the lineup this week.

-- The roster for tomorrow's game hasn't been set yet, and will likely be determined after tomorrow's practice.

-- Last week Cassidy mentioned a captain will likely not be named in the near future. The Bruins could be captainless until October.

-- The Bruins Locker Room might not be ready for this weekend, after Saturday's opener, Bruins next home game after that is Tuesday, September 27.

-- Bruins finish the preseason tomorrow against Notre Dame at Spectra Place opening faceoff is 7:30.

In some non Bruin thoughts

-- How about them Riders! The Riders are rolling after a sweep of the home and home set with the Blue Bombers, and even though they are 3-7 the Riders are feeling really good. Darian Durant looks so comfortable with Ken Miller back on the sidelines, Durant is looking like a potential Most Outstanding Player that he's capable of being.

The reason I like the Riders chances right now, their defence looks scary, especially compared to last year. (Remember last September when teams ran all over the Riders D) If Jarrell Freeman keeps up his strong play, he might end up as the top Defensive Player of the year.

Craig Butler sure looks like a keeper in the Riders secondary, that sack on Buck Pierce was the nicest QB sack since Jackie Mitchell's crushing hit on Dave Dickenson.

With their 4 road games left this season all in Alberta, I believe 9-9 is an attainable record for the Riders.

-- NFL started and as a 49ers fan obviously I'm happy with the result yesterday. Their offence might not have been pretty but the defence and special teams came to play and was the difference for their win. With St. Louis Rams QB Sam Bradford and RB Steven Jackson possibly out with injuries, the NFC West becomes more wide open.

Bruins Edge Terriers

The Estevan Bruins improved their preseason record to 4-0-0-1 with a 3-2 over time win.

Calder Neufeld and Chris Daniels scored in regulation for the Bruins with Jesse Bernard scoring the overtime winner.

The Bruins end the preseason with a matchup against the Notre Dame Hounds on Tuesday night opening faceoff is 7:30 at Spectra Place.

Local Football. Riders Football. NFL Football. Football Football Football!!!

It was a busy day of football action for Estevan football yesterday, the ECS Elecs were defeated by the Vanier Vikings 46-0.

The Vikings are now the only undefeated team in the league as well the Swift Current Colts are the only winless team after week 2.

The Elecs will have their home opener on Friday against A.E. Peacock at 4:00.

In Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football action, the LaFrentz Trucking Bantam Steelers were defeated by the Regina Renegades 27-7 and the Century 21 Peewee Chargers were beaten by the Regina Unicorns 23-12.

Today's football action is highlighted by the Banjo Bowl with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After last week's Labor Day, will the Riders be able to keep the momentum heading into a hostile Bomber crowd? Andy Fantuz returns to the lineup today and even though the Riders are on the road, I'm sure the Rider faithful in Winnipeg will go nuts when he hauls in his first reception today.

If you're in the Estevan and looking for a place to watch the game, come out to the Collage Festival's tailgating party at the Curling Rink. I will be MCing the party and promise I won't be too hard on the Bombers..(ya right)

Of course today is the first Sunday of NFL action and there's a slate of great games on the schedule. Here's how I think the NFL season will shake down in 2011

AFC East

1. y-NY Jets
2. x-New England
3. Miami
4. Buffalo

AFC North

1. y-Baltimore
2. x-Pittsburgh
3. Cleveland
4. Cincinnati

AFC South

1. y-Houston
2. Tennessee
3.Indy
4.Jacksonville

AFC West

1. y-San Diego
2. Oakland
3. Kansas City
4. Denver

NFC East

1. y-Philadelphia
2. NY Giants
3. Dallas
4. Washington

NFC North

1. y-Green Bay
2. x-Detroit
3. Chicago
4. Minnesota

NFC South

1. y-Atlanta
2. x-New Orleans
3. Tampa Bay
4. Carolina

NFC West

1. y-St. Louis
2. San Fran
3. Arizona
4. Seattle


AFC Playoffs

Pittsburgh over Houston
San Diego over New England
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
NJ Jets over San Diego
NJ Jets over Baltimore

NFC Playoffs

Atlanta over Detroit
New Orleans over St. Louis
Philly over New Orleans
Atlanta over Green Bay
Philly over Atlanta

Super Bowl

NJ Jets over Philly

Enjoy the football season everyone.

Brykaliuk Added to WJAC Camp

I had a nice chat with Bruins Director of Player Personnel Rick Oakes this morning about Estevan's Tanner Froese heading to Camrose this weekend for the World Junior A Camp and he mentioned that there were a couple of Bruin players who could be added to the camp's roster pending some injuries.

This afternoon Oakes confirmed that forward Matt Brykaliuk was invited to take part in the camp in Camrose. Brykaliuk has been one of the most impressive rookies in training camp, Dylan Smith skated with him in training camp on the weekend and he was impressed with the hands and playmaking abilities of Brykaliuk,

Brykaliuk has been skating on a line with Froese and the Jesse Bernard in the preseason and the trio has the makings of being an impressive rookie line, if Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy elects to keep the three together during the regular season.

Estevan's Froese Heading to WJAC's Evaluation Camp

Tanner Froese will be looking to become the first player from the city of Estevan to take part in the World Junior A challenge.

Froese will take part in the World Junior A West evaluation camp in Camrose this weekend

Froese spent last season with Swift Current AAA Midget Legionnares leading the team with 23 goals and 24 assists.

Froese joined the Bruins late in the season last year and dressed for a couple of games.

The Bruins have alot of bad luck with the World Junior A challenge. Chad Filteau was unable to crack the squad despite having a positive camp, Brody Haygarth might have been on his way to the team before breaking his wrist during evaluation camp, and Dylan Smith was unable to make the team as well.

Bruins Director of Player Personnel Rick Oakes is the SJHL scout for the World Junior A West organization.

The World Junior A Challenge will be held in Langley BC this November.

Bruins Edge Red Wings For Second Straight Night

The Estevan Bruins kept their perfect record in the preseason in tact as they defeated the Weyburn Red Wings 2-1 in Weyburn.

Calder Neufeld and Matt Dochylo scored for the Bruins in the win. For Neufeld it was his second of the preseason, while Dochylo scored in his action in the preseason.

Derek Tendler backstopped the Bruins to the win. The Bruins will move on to face the Swan Valley Stampeders of the MJHL in a neutral site game in Virden, Manitoba on Friday.

Bruins Open Spectra Place With a Win

The Bruins picked up a 5-2 win over the Weyburn Red Wings in the first game ever in Spectra Place.

Ben Johnstone scored the first goal in the Bruins in the training camp scrimmages and he scored the first goal in the preseason for Estevan. Also scoring for the Bruins were Matt Brykaliuk, Calder Neufeld, Denin Boesch, and Dylan Smith. Shea Cooper played the entire game and lead the Bruins to victory.

Keith Cassidy was happy with his rookies after the win, especially Ben Johnstone and the line of Brykaliuk, Jesse Bernard and Tanner Froese.

A couple of veterans who are having solid camps are Chris Daniels and Calder Neufeld. It's great to see Daniels having a great camp after an up and down year last season. And Neufeld has picked up right from where he left off last season, scoring goals and providing some physical play.

Bruins will be in Weyburn tomorrow night (tonight depends when you read this). Lineup will be the same for the most part and Derek Tendler will be starting against the Red Wings.

Labor Day Weekend Thoughts

With the labor day weekend over, summer is coming to a close and the best part about that for me is football and hockey are now in the forefront.

--The Estevan Bruins kicked off the preseason with a 6-5 win in Wilcox against the Notre Dame Hounds. Wyatt Garagan with a hat trick, Dayton Picard, Daniel Wanner, Zach Douglas were the goal scorers for Estevan.(Thanks to Ryan Ostertag for keeping me up to date with the score) Next action for the Bruins will be tomorrow night when the Bruins host Weyburn in the first preseason game of Spectra Place. We'll likely see rookies for the most part in the Bruins lineup, but we may see a couple of veterans.

-- I missed the Bruins Black and Gold scrimmage yesterday because I was attending the Labor Day Classic in Regina. It may be one game, but the Riders that we've come to known over the past few years returned. The thing I was happiest about was that the Riders had that emotional spark they've been lacking all year, the Riders finally had intensity.

-- After next week's game in Winnipeg, the Riders only road games for the rest of the season are in Calgary and Edmonton. Call me crazy a 9-9 or 8-10 record is attainable for the Riders.

-- Is there any doubt Weston Dressler is the Riders MVP for the first half? I also think Jerrell Freeman is a no brainer for Defensive Player of the first half for the Riders.

-- If you're in Estevan be sure to check the Bruins game against Weyburn tomorrow, the first hockey action in Spectra Place.

Day 2 of Training Camp Complete. Q and A with Eric Baldwin and Dylan Smith

It's been a welcomed change for me spending a Saturday at Spectra Place checking out the first day of training camp for the Estevan Bruins.

Last year the Bruins were a veteran strong, physical team, but this year the Bruins will be a young, quick team that will be filled with plenty of firepower.

Rookies who have stood out through the first two days include Jesse Bernard, Tanner Froese, Taylor Reich, Ben Johnstone,Matt Brykaliuk, Tyler Kauk, Austin Yano and Steven Glass.

The Bruins will compete in the Black and Gold Scrimmage tomorrow at 5:00. Unfortunately I won't be there because I will be attending the Labor Day Classic in Regina.

I had a chance to speak with a pair of Bruin players who are going to be playing a big role for the Bruins this season in Eric Baldwin and Dylan Smith and discussed with both of them the first couple days of camp.

Ericbaldwinsept3 by blaineweyland


Dylansmithsept3 by blaineweyland

Camp Preview: Who's Back for the Bruins

After months and months of waiting, a brand new season for the Estevan Bruins will begin today with training camp. Players will take part in scrimmages tonight, tomorrow and Sunday before the Black and Gold game on Sunday at 5:00. Today I’ll take a look at the Bruins veterans that are returning from last season. At the end of camp I’ll spend more time talking about the rookies and new comers to the team. (Trust me there will be a lot of them)

Forwards:

I had a poll set up to see who do you think will be the Bruins MVP and the runaway winner was Dylan Smith. Smith was the Bruins top scorer two seasons ago and has all the makings to have a big year for the Bruins. I thought at the end of last season, Smith improved on the defence side of his game to become a solid two player. The sky is the limit for Smitty this year; I really expect to see his name among the top leaders in the SJHL.

If there’s one guy who I think should be skating on a line with Smith this season, its Michael Hengen. It seemed like Hengen was on the verge of a breakout season last year before suffering a season ending knee injury in October. The game before Hengen got injured, he had a great game with Smith in Yorkton, and Smith said himself that there’s plenty of chemistry between the two. Hengen is a solid two player and I’m sure he’ll be playing plenty of special teams for the Bruins.

Cole Olson had an up and down rookie year for the Bruins, and I think this could be the season he establish himself as a true number one centre. Olson has the playmaking abilities to set up his wingers for plenty of goal opportunities and a quick shot that will earn him plenty of goals on the score sheet.

Ryan Ostertag will be one of the Bruins who will be expected to take on a bigger role this year. Ostertag might have the best shot on the entire team. Ostertag should come into camp with a lot of confidence after spending the majority of the summer in Boston. I know Ostertag is hoping to become a point per game player this season.

Josh Jelinski was one of the most consistent Bruins last year, and he may be the hardest working player not only in Estevan but in the entire SJHL. Jelinski became an offensive threat at the end of the season when he became a member of the Bruins first line. This season expect Jelinski to become a more offensive threat along with his strong defensive play.

Chris Daniels will be looking to bounce back this season after an up and down year. It took some time for Daniels to establish himself in Estevan, but he did contribute late in the season including an overtime winner in Game 4 against Melville. Daniels will provide leadership as one of the few 20 year olds on the team.

Matt Docyhlo also returns as a 20 year old, and if Jelinski is the hardest working player on the team, than Dochylo is a probably a close second. Dochylo scored some clutch goals last year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dochylo and Jelinski back on the same line to give the Bruins an “energy” line.

Calder Neufeld displayed plenty of offensive talent for the Bruins after arriving mid way through the season. He has the potential to be one of the top scorers for the Bruins this season, and he has a shot of playing on one of the Bruins top 2 lines.

Defense

Dominic Perrault will see a lot of ice time this season as the lone 20 year old returning defenceman. He was solid defensively throughout last season, but I also think he became a big offensive threat late in the season as highlighted by his 2 goal performance in Game 5 of the Survivor Series against Melville. Perrault will be the quarterback on the powerplay and the top shut down d-man. I think right now Perrault is the favourite in the race to wear the C for the Bruins this year.

Eric Baldwin went from a solid healthy scratch to a solid regular in the lineup. Baldwin spent the summer in Boston and I’m sure he’s looking forward to taking the confidence from that experience over to the Bruins. I also think this season we’ll Baldwin’s name on the scoresheet this year after failing to score last year.

Goalies

Shea Cooper returns this year as a 20 year old, and if the playoffs from last year are any indication, Cooper has a shot of being one of the best goalies in the league. Cooper is one of the most athletic goalies in the league as there’s not too many goalies who move side to side better than Cooper in the SJHL. After splitting time with Joel Danyluk last year , Cooper will be looking to take a hold of the number 1 job this year.

After spending the last year and a half with the Vancouver Giants and Swift Current Broncos of the WHL over the last year and a half, Derek Tendler returns to Estevan. Tendler is a goalie who relies on his positioning between the pipes, and despite being released from the Broncos spent a lot time improving his fitness this summer. If Cooper and Tendler emerge as the one two combination in net for the Bruins, they may become the best 1-2 punch in the league.