Bruins Finish Year with 4-1 Loss to Weyburn

The Estevan Bruins 2012 ended on a sour note as they were defeated by the Yorkton Terriers 4-1 last night at Spectra Place.

The Red Wings opened the scoring in the first period with Miguel Pereria opening the scoring with a power play goal to give the Red Wings the early edge.

The Bruins would respond later in the first period with Tyler Paslawski putting a loose rebound past the Red Wings Jean Phillipe Boucher to even up the score at 1-1 after the first period.

In the second, the Red Wings would take the lead as they capitalize a pair of odd man rushes. First Robert Wilkinson scored on a 3 on 2 rush to give the Red Wings the lead and that was followed by Josh Lees scoring for Weyburn.

The Bruins couldn't find the equalizer in the third period as Adam Pulliam finished off the scoring with a power play goal late in the game as the Red Wings held off the Bruins for a 4-1 win.

Curtis Martinu made 28 saves in the loss for the Bruins while Boucher had 24 saves for the Red Wings.

The Bruins power play was 0 for 3 while Weyburn was 2 for 4.

The Bruins will head to Weyburn to kick off 2013 and you can catch the game on CJ1280 and Discoverestevan.com beginning at 2:50.

Bruins End First Half With Win

The Estevan Bruins ended the first half of the season as they defeated the Melville Millionaires 4-3 in Carlyle. The game got off to a fast paced start as there was no stoppage of play in the opening 5:30 of the game.

The Bruins would open the scoring at the 10:37 as Tyler Poskus' shot from the blue line was deflected by Darcy DeRoose and then again by Hudson Morrison to give the Bruins the early lead. The Bruins would add to their lead less than two minutes later as Nick Weiss found Taylor Reich alone in front of the net. The Bruins had a comfortable 2-0 lead after the first period.

There was once again plenty of flow in the second period as there was no whistles for about 4:00 into the period. Eventually Melville opened up the second period scoring when Alex Elliot scored for the Mils. The Bruins would respond 10 seconds later as Alex Cote scored his first goal as a Bruin to make it 3-1.

In the third the Millionaires attempted a comeback as Ian McNulty scored to cut the score to 3-2 but at the 7:36 mark, Tyler Kauk's shot from the blue line went off the post and in and gave the Bruins a 4-2 lead. Nathan Boyer made it a one goal game as he beat Curtis Martinu with a lazer of a shot. But the Bruins would go on to win it 4-3. Curtis Martinu was outstanding for the Bruins as he made 44 saves including 17 in the third period. Nick Weiss added a pair of assists for the Bruins.

After the game the Bruins took part in an autograph session for the fans in Carlyle as they wrapped up two days of events in the community.

Today the Bruins will begin their Christmas holidays and will return to Estevan next week. The Bruins next game is Sunday, December 30 when they host the Weyburn Red Wings at Spectra Place the game can be heard on CJ1280 and Discoverestevan.com beginning at 5:50.

After the game Cassidy, Martinu and Kauk comment on the win.

Cassidy

                                                                            Kauk

Martinu

                                                                           

Bruins and Red Wings Alumni Game Set For Jan 1

The Estevan Bruins Alumni will meet the Weyburn Red Wings  Alumni for the 4th Annual Alumni Game on  the Annual New Year's Day game between the Bruins and the Red Wings.

I had the chance to speak with the Bruins Alumni President Brad Pierson as we talked about the history of the Bruins alumni game and some of the players that will be taking part in this year's game.

Bruins Shutout in Yorkton

The  Estevan Bruins were shut out in Yorkton as they were defeated by the Terriers 6-0.

Yorkton opened up with a pair of goals in the first period and proceeded to add a pair in the second and another pair in the third.

The Terriers had six different goal scorers in the victory. Dawson MacAuley made 24 saves to earn the shutout win.

The Bruins Steven Glass made 23 saves as he took the loss.

The Bruins have one more game before the Christmas holidays as they will host the Melville Millionaires in Carlyle. Opening faceoff is 7:30 at the Carlyle Sports Arena.

Bruins vs Terriers Preview

Tonight will mark the 5th meeting between the Bruins and the Yorkton Terriers. The Bruins and Terriers 2-2 with each team winning a home game and an away game. The Bruins win in Yorkton back on Oct.30 was the only time this season that Yorkton has lost at the Farrell Agencies Arena this season.

Last Meeting

The last time these two teams faced off was Tuesday when the Bruins won 4-2. Steven Glass made his return to the Bruins lineup after missing the first half of the season recovering from a pair of knee surgeries and made 44 saves to pick up the win.

Latest News

Bruins- The Bruins have started turning things around. The Bruins have won three of their last four games and the big reason is because of goaltending and defence. Glass and Curtis Martinu have the potential to be among elite goaltending tandems in the league. The blue line has been playing great this month especially newcomers Leighton McLachlan and Brett Blatz.

Terriers- Yorkton has been on fire. The Terrrier had a nine game winning streak before the Bruins snapped it on Tuesday. Yorkton responded with a win last night against Melfort. The Terriers have a strong blue line and a excellent goaltending tandem and have been able to score this season.

Keep an Eye For

Bruins- Tyler Kauk. Over the last two games against Yorkton, Kauk has been a one man hit machine. In Yorkton on Nov.27 had one shift where he knocked down three Terriers which lead to a Bruins 5 on 3 powerplay. Tuesday night Kauk was hitting anything black and orange and it definetly got under Yorkton's skin.

Terriers- Patrick Martens. So far this season Martens has been the most successful Terrier against the Bruins has he has managed four goals in four games. Martens is coming off a two goal game last night against Melfort.

Special Stats

Bruins
PP 11.0 (12th)
PK 86.3% (2nd)

Terriers
PP 21.2 (4th)
PK 82 (7th)


Tonight's game can be heard on CJ1280 and Discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20. Tonight's guest in the 2nd intermission will be Brad Pierson the President of the Bruins Alumni Association as we talk about the Alumni Game on Jan.1 in Weyburn 

 

Glass Shines in His Return as Bruins Snap Yorkton's Winning Streak

Last time Steven Glass was in net for the Estevan Bruins he was leading the Bruins a playoff push at the end of the 2011-12 season. After recovering from offseason knee injury, Glass made his return to the lineup last night and made 44 saves as the Bruins beat the Yorkton Terriers 4-2. The win snapped the Terriers nine game winning streak.

Glass was very busy in the first period as held the Terriers scoreless after he made 18 saves. Glass said it was good to see plenty of action in the first period to help him get comfortable. He added the Bruins defenceman did a great job of clearing lanes in front of him which allowed him to see the puck. Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy was happy to see his goalie return to the lineup in impressive fashion.

Heading into the game Glass said that he had some nerves and that he was running on adrenaline throughout the game but once he made some big saves he felt more comfortable.

There was plenty of adrenaline in the first period thanks to the Bruins Tyler Kauk. Kauk was hitting everything that was Black and Orange in the first period. The first hit happened early in the period when he rocked Brendan Poncelet, shortly after the hit on Poncelet his teammate Nathan Murray tried to drop the mitts with Kauk. But Kauk elected to stay in the game rather than serve the five minute penalty. The Terrier bench was upset with the hit from Kauk. Kauk said after that it seemed to get under the Terriers skin which brought the best out of him.

The Bruins opened the scoring when Taylor Reich scored his third goal of the year. There was no scoring in the second period. After Yorkton tied the game in the third period, the Bruins regained the lead when Nick Weiss added his 9th of the season. Darcy DeRoose provided the much needed insurance goal to make it 3-1. The Terriers cut the lead to 3-2 when Derek Falloon scored a goal when it seemed like Glass had the puck covered. But with three seconds Hudson Morrison added an empty netter.

The Bruins have now won three out of their last four games. The Bruins will now hit the road one more time before the Christmas Holidays as they head to Yorkton for a rematch against the Terriers, you can catch the game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Here are the post game comments from Glass, Cassidy and Kauk.



                                                                                Glass

                                                                             
                                                                            Cassidy

Kauk

Bruins Look To End Yorkton Winning Streak Q and A With Cole Olson

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins will be looking to play spoilers tonight as they host the Yorkton Terriers at Spectra Place.

The Terriers are the hottest team in the SJHL right now as they have won their last nine games. One of those wins against the Bruins back on November 27 when the Terriers won 4-1. The Bruins had plenty of opportunities to win that night and that's something forward Cole Olson points out he noted the power play was 0 for 10 along with several odd man rushes that they weren't able to capitalize, Olson says if the Bruins are able to beat Yorkton they must taken advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.

One of the reasons the Terriers are so successful is because of their hard work. Yorkton is a difficult to come from behind to beat. Olson says in order for the Bruins to pick up the two points they have to win the individual battles and outwork Yorkton.

The Bruins will also play in Yorkton on Saturday. The Bruins would like to pick up a couple of wins against Yorkton to make up some ground in the standings. The Bruins only play Yorkton one more time this season after this weekend's matchup and that game will come on February 5th at Spectra Place.

Tonight's game begins at 7:30. The Bruins final game before the Christmas Holidays will be next Tuesday when they meet the Melville Millionaires in Carlyle in a neutral site game. The game begins at 7:30.

Olson talks about tonight's game against Yorkton.

Martinu Named SJHL Goalie of the Week

The Estevan Bruins Curtis Martinu was recognized by the SJHL as he was named the SJHL Goalie of the Week.

It was a stellar week for Martinu as he went 2-1 with a 1.67 GAA and a 951 SV% as the Bruins went 2-1. Martinu had a shutout streak of over 166 minutes as the 20 year old goalie picked up shutouts against the Notre Dame Hounds and the Humboldt Broncos.

On the season Martinu has played in 25 games with a 8-16-2 record with a 3.16 GAA and a 900 SV%. Martinu joins Tyler Kauk and Darcy DeRoose as other Bruins who have won Player of the Week Awards this season. Kauk was named Defenceman of the Week and DeRoose was named Rookie of the Week.

The Kindersley Klippers Giovanni Bombini was named the Player of the Week, The Klippers Shaun McPherson was named the Rookie of the Week and Brody Norrish was named Defenceman of the Week.

The Bruins are back in action tonight as they host the Yorkton Terriers at 7:30.

Bruin Weekly Winners

Now that I have pretty much recovered from my illness over the last couple of weeks I can post my picks for the weekly winners for the Bruins. Next week after the Bruins wrap up their first half of the season I'll give my first half award winners.

This past week the Bruins went 2-1 as they defeated the Notre Dame Hounds 2-0 on Tuesday and Humboldt Broncos 3-0 on Friday. The Bruins had a tough loss to the La Ronge Ice Wolves 6-3 on Saturday.

Player of the Week
Curtis Martinu
(2-1 1.67 GAA 951 SV%)

Martinu took his game to a new level this past week as he shutout the Hounds and Broncos in back to back games. Martinu ended up with a shutout streak over 166 minutes before the La Ronge Ice Wolves snapped the streak in the second period on Saturday. With the Bruins struggling to score goals Martinu will be expected to provide solid goaltending for the Bruins into the second half of the season.

Defenceman of the Week
Connor Milligan

The entire blueline had a solid week for the Bruins as they were a big reason for Martinu's shutout streak. The two most consistent d-men for the Bruins this year have been Tyler Kauk and Connor Milligan. While Kauk has made an impact at both ends of the ice, Milligan has been a rock inside of the Bruins and that was on display this week. 

Rookie of the Week
Hudson Morrison.

There wasn't many points but by the Bruins youngsters this past week but Morrison definietly leas the Bruins in chances in their losses on Saturday. Morrison had at least five chances but was denied by Ice Wolves Goalie Dasan Sydora, Morrison thought he scored the tying goal in the third period but it was later disallowed. Morrison missed Friday's game because of a questionable call against Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Unsung Hero of the Week

Bruins Blue Line

While I mentioned Milligan as defenceman of the week, the entire blue line had a solid week. The d-men did a great job of giving the rebounds in front of Martinu as well with providing him a lane for the Bruins goalie to see the puck. Whether it was the newcomer Brett Blatz, David Robertson, Zach Douglas, Tyler Poskus and Leighton McLachlan every d-men had a solid week when they were inside of the lineup and will be expected to continue the strong play into the second half of the season.

The Bruins have three more games before the Christmas holidays, The Bruins host Yorkton on Tuesday and then visit the Terriers on Saturday. The Bruins will host Melville next Tuesday in a neutral site game in Carlyle.

Plenty of Controversy in Bruins Loss to La Ronge

It was an afternoon filled with controversy at Spectra Place as the Estevan Bruins were defeated by the La Ronge Ice Wolves 6-3.

The Bruins got off to a strong start when Matt Brykaliuk scored for straight the second game to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead early in the first period. By the late stages of the first period the Bruins became frustrated by a lack of penalty calls with the most evident when Darcy DeRoose getting a hook when in front of the Ice Wolves just when it seemed like he was going to extend the Bruins lead. But when the dust settled the Bruins had a 1-0 lead after the first period.

In the second the Bruins were able to extend the lead when the Ice Wolves Dasan Sydora was unable to handle a Tyler Kauk shot which allowed Tanner Froese to pick up the loose rebound to give the Bruins a 2-0. But the goal from Froese seem to wake up the Ice Wolves as they came storming back.21 seconds after Froese's goal, the Ice Wolves Graham Smerek was able to end Curtis Martinu's shutout streak of over 166 minutes as he scored for La Ronge. 1:14 late Brett Hope's point shot got past Martinu and the Ice Wolves tied the game at 2-2. La Ronge grabbed the lead for the first time of the game four minutes when former Bruin Brandon Halbgewachs scored against his old team on a goal that appeared to go off his skate (non kicking motion). After the 40 minutes the Ice Wolves lead 3-2. Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy said the Bruins had to be mentally tougher in the second period after scoring the second goal, he noted the Bruins shouldn't have dropped their guard after they extended their lead.

The Bruins thought they tied the game early in the third period when Hudson Morrison's backhand went past Sydora. While the Bruins were celebrating Referee Graig Whitehead didn't see the puck fully cross the line. He confirmed with the goal judge who said the puck didn't go across so it was ruled a no goal. The Bruins would tie the game at the 10:50 mark when Froese scored his second of the night. The score remained tied until a scramble took place in front of Martinu with 4:25. Three Ice Wolves were in on the scramble and it seemed like Martinu was pushed into the net as the Ice Wolves scored with Sebastien Beauregard getting credit. Despite the Bruins protest it was ruled a good goal and the Bruins fell behind late in the game. Brett McNevin would put the game in away with a lazer of shot that went off the post and in as the Ice Wolves lead 5-3. Smerek would add his empty netter to make the final 6-3.

No penalties were called in the game which definitely drew the ire of the Bruins.

Froese ended with a pair of goals and an assist with Cole Olson picking up three assists.

The Bruins will head into pair of games next week with the Yorkton Terriers with the first game on Tuesday night at Spectra Place. The second game will go in Yorkton on Saturday a game that can be heard on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy and Tanner Froese comment after the game.


Cassidy

 

Froese

Bruins Blank Broncos 3-0

Curtis Martinu extended his shutout streak to 134 minutes as the Estevan Bruins blanked out the Humboldt Broncos 3-0.

The Bruins opened up the scoring for in the first period when the Bruins took advantage of a Broncos turnover and Matt Brykaliuk took Cole Olson's pass and buried a shot top shelf to give the Bruins the early lead. The Broncos would get a 1:54 5 on 3 powerplay late in the first period but were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy said after the game that the Bruins did a good job of getting in front of shots during the powerplay along with clearing off the rebounds.

Neither team was able to score in the second period with the best chance going to the Bronco's Logan Sproule. Sproule had a shorthanded breakaway but put his backhand shot of the crossbar. The Broncos had about five or six shots go off the post in the first two periods.

In the third period the Bruins ended their playoff struggles as Cole Olson scored on a loose rebound to extend the Bruins lead to 2-0. The Bruins shut down the Broncos defensively afterwards as they continued to deny the Broncos any rebound opportunities. With 2:43 remaining in the game the Broncos elected to pull their goalie for an extra attacker. But with 23 seconds remaining Waytt Garagan scored on the empty net to make the final 3-0.

Martinu said his teammates played a solid game in front of him especially helping out with the rebounds. He also noted that he got a lot of help from the post.

Cassidy said it's nice to see the Bruins get rewarded for their efforts after the Bruins were unable to capitalize on some solid efforts last weekend up north.

It's a quick turnaround for the Bruins as they host the La Ronge Ice Wolves at 2:00.

Here's Cassidy and Martinu comments after the game.

                                                                 Keith Cassidy

Curtis Martinu

Bruins Take Part in Street Hockey Game

Last night as apart of the Kickoff to the Christmas celebration and Moonlight Madness in Estevan, the Bruins took part in a street hockey game with the kids in Estevan.

The game took part on 4th Street and all of the Bruins were involved with the action. Couldn't tell you what the final score was but it sure sounded like the leading scorers were Tanner Froese and Curtis Martinu.

Bruins are back on the ice at Spectra Place tonight when they host the Humboldt Broncos at 7:30 at Spectra Place.

Daku and Baldwin Victorious in the Virgin Islands

It was a successful trip to the Virgin Islands this weekend for Estevan's Derek Daku and Wade Baldwin as they competed Paradise Fighting Championship's MMA in Paradise 2 card on Sat. Dec.1

Daku won the promotion's Heavyweight title defeating Saul Solivan after he forfeited with an  injury and Baldwin defeated Ken McSweeney by TKO.

I had a chance to speak with both fighters yesterday about their wins and their plans.


Daku

Baldwin

Bruins and Hounds Dec. 4 Highlights

I got to call my first win for the Bruins on the radio airwaves last night when they defeated the Notre Dame Hounds 2-0.

Here's a quick one minute recap featuring Nick Weiss and Taylor Reich goals, a couple of saves by Curtis Martinu and the end of the game.

Martinu Makes 42 Saves as Bruins Blank Hounds 2-0

The Estevan Bruins picked snapped their five game losing streak in impressive fashion as they shut out the Notre Dame Hounds 2-0 in Wilcox.

The Bruins and Hounds played to a scoreless first period before the Bruins opened up the scoring in the second period when Nick Weiss took advantage of the turnover and beat the Hounds Ty Reichenbach on the low blocker side to give the Bruins the lead. The Bruins extended their lead to two later in the second period when Taylor Reich scored on a back hand a couple of seconds after a power play expired to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes of play.

Curtis Martinu would take control of the game in the third period as he made several highlight reel saves to keep the Hounds out of the net. With 9 minutes remaining in the period, Hudson Morrison was called for a major checking from behind penalty. The Hounds weren't able to capitalize as Martinu and the Bruins blueline shut the door down on the Hounds. Notre Dame was unable to solve Martinu as he was able to hang on for a 42 save shutout.

Calder Neufeld returned to the Bruins lineup after missing nearly the last two months with an ankle injury. While Neufeld didn't figure into the scoring, Neufeld helped the powerplay but creating several quality opportunities.

Bruins next game is Friday when they host the Humboldt Broncos at Spectra Place with an opening faceoff at 7:30.

I had a chance to speak with Martinu after the win

Bruins vs Hounds Preview

Last Meeting

The Bruins were defeated  by the Hounds 4-3 in Wilcox. Nick Weiss opened the scoring for the Bruins in the first. The Hounds responded by scoring a pair of goals in the 2nd period before Cole Olson tied the game. In the third period the Hounds scored a pair of goals to gain the lead. Tyler Paslawski's late goal in the third wasn't enough as the Hounds picked up the win.

Latest News

Bruins- With the team losing their last five games, the Bruins decided to shake things by dealing defenceman Austin Yano for Brett Blatz and acquired 20 year old Alex Cote from the Summerside Capitals of the MHL. The Bruins also released forward Dustin Jesseau.

Hounds- It was a November to remember for the Hounds. They went 11-1-1 in the month of November with their only regulation loss coming on Friday against Weyburn. The Hounds also picked up three wins in overtime in regulation.

Keep An Eye For

Bruins- DeRoose-Morrison-Paslawski. This line had plenty of chances on the weekend for the Bruins and Morrison was the only Bruin to score in La Ronge. This line also provided a strong start for the Bruins and almost scored in the opening minute for the Bruins. The Bruins are looking for a spark after a weekend where they only scored 6 goals in three games.

Hounds- Sam Aulie. Heading into the season the Hounds weren't expected to score a lot of goals but Aulie has been one of the reasons the Hounds have been so successful. Right now Aulie has averaged a point per game with 25 points in 25 games this season.

Special Stats

Bruins

Powerplay 11.4%(10th)
Penalty Kill 84.5% (5th)

Hounds

Powerplay 19.5% (5th)
Penalty Kill 83% (6th)

Bruins Trade Yano To Klippers for Blatz/ Acquire Cote/ Quick Weekend Recap

Since Saturday night I've been either broadcasting a game, riding the bus or catching up on sleep. It's been a busy couple of days for the Bruins, here's a quick recap.

Saturday vs Flin Flon

The Bruins jumped out to a 1-0 when Leighton McLachlan scored to give the Bruins there only lead on the road trip in the first period. That lead would last just over two minutes before the Bombers tied the game at the end of the 1-1. The Bombers would control the third period scoring three times including a pair from Josh Roach to give the Bombers a 4-1 lead. The Bruins came back with Wyatt Garagan and Tanner Froese scoring to cut the game to 4-3 but the Bruins were unable to tie it and the Bombers came back to score a pair of late goals to win it 6-3.

Sunday vs La Ronge

The Bruins playing three games in three days had another strong effort but were defeated by the Ice Wolves. La Ronge scored early to take a 1-0 lead in the first period. In the second period, a bounce off the linesman lead to a 2 on 1 for La Ronge which they took advantage of to make it 2-0, the Ice Wolves scored again in the second to make it 3-0. With 9 seconds remaining, the Bruins got on the scoreboard as Hudson Morrison scored for the Bruins to make the final 4-1.

Trades

Estevan and Kindersley hooked up to provide the biggest deal of the Dec.1 deadline. The Bruins and Klippers exchanged defencemen as the Bruins have sent Austin Yano to Kindersley for Brett Blatz.

In the 2011-2012 season Blatz played 53 games and registered 2 goals, 7 assists and 131 PIM. This season he has played 26 games with the Klippers and has put up 10 points and 36 PIM. He's expected to add a physical presence on the Bruins blue line.

Yano had 1 goal and 3 assists with the Bruins while last season he had 9 goals and 18 assists in his rookie season.

The Bruins also acquired Alex Cote from the Summerside Capitals of the MHL. The 20 year old spent last season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL picking up 8 goals and 6 assists in 43 games. This season he had 5 goals and 7 assists in 16 games with the Capitals.

The Bruins also announced that they have released 20 year old forward Dustin Jesseau.

Bruins Open Trip With 3-2 Loss in Melfort

Another solid outing from the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins goes unrewarded as the Bruins were defeated by the Melfort Mustangs 3-2.

The Bruins had plenty of opportunities to score in the first period as they created several opportunities off of Mustang turnovers but were unable to score on Melfort's Jesse Wilkins. With 11 seconds remaining in the period Brady Goebel snuck one past Curtis Martinu to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead after one.

Estevan would tie the game in the second period shorthanded as Nick Weiss pass was picked up by Brett Dumaine and he buried it top shelf to tie the game.

Both teams had chances to gain the lead in the third period including the Bruins who hit a pair of posts. The Mustangs would gain the lead as a puck would deflect off of Bruins stick past Martinu. A couple of minutes later after Weiss took a questionable penalty the Mustangs would score on the power play to extend the lead to 3-1. The Bruins would the deficit to 3-2 when Cole Olson scored with 45 seconds left but the Bruins couldn't get the equalizer as Melfort hung on for the 3-2 win.

The Bruins went 0 for 2 on the power play, Martinu made 31 saves in the loss. The Bruins will be back in action tonight when they meet the Flin Flon Bombers, you can catch the game on CJ1280 beginning at 7:20.

Bruins vs Mustangs Preview

Last Meeting

Both teams were looking for the first victory of the season back on September 25 at Spectra Place. The game was tied 1-1 after 60 minutes and overtime was required. Jarrett Zentner's goal with 23 seconds gave Melfort the first win of the season.

Latest News

Bruins- The Bruins will be looking to build some consistency as they kick off their road trip in Melfort. The Bruins only have one three game winning streak this season (Oct.21-Oct.30) and are in danger of falling behind the pace of the top three teams in the Sherwood Conference with Notre Dame picking up points in their last 11 games and Yorkton on a 7 point streak game.

Mustangs-- With Battlefords putting together a five game winning streak the Mustangs are now 7 points back of 4th spot in the Bauer Conference. The Mustangs sit one point ahead of La Ronge for 6th place after losing in overtime to the Ice Wolves earlier this week.

Keep an Eye For

Bruins- The Bruins Forwards. With the team struggling to score in Yorkton and losing Austin Daae to Prince Albert this week, it will be interesting to see what kind of lines the Bruins will have when they open up their road trip in Melfort.

Melfort- Mustangs Goalies. It seems like that every time the Bruins lose to the Mustangs, Melfort's goalies comes up big. The Mustangs have two solid goalies in Jesse Wilkins and Patrick Johnson with Johnson in net for Melfort back on Sept.25 when Melfort picked up their win against the Bruins.

Special Stats

Estevan

PP- 12.4% (9th)
PK- 84.5% (4th)

Melfort

PP- 8.8% (12th)
PK- 87.9% (3rd)

Intermission Guests.\

2nd Intermission Guest, Mike Butters. Butters was a member of the 1985 Anavet Cup Champion Bruins squad. He would go on to play Minor Pro before moving on to an acting career which included roles in Saw 4 &5. He then moved on to work in the Tampa Bay Lightning front office before his current role of Owner/GM of the Helena Big Horns of the American West Hockey League.

Daae Heading to Prince Albert

Austin Daae is heading back to the WHL.

Daae has been recalled by the Prince Albert Raiders. This season Daae has 5 goals and 11 assists in 21 games for the Bruins.

Daae is no stranger to the WHL after spending time with the Saskatoon Blades and Prince George Cougars over the past couple of seasons. He also attended the Regina Pats camp this fall.

The Bruins have today off before they kick off a three game road trip tomorrow in Melfort against the Mustangs.

You can catch the game on CJ1280 beginning at 7:20.

Scoring Woes Continues for the Bruins

It was a night of missed opportunities for the  Estevan Bruins as they were defeated by the Yorkton Terriers 4-1.

Both teams had chances to score in the first period but Yorkton was the first team to capitalize as Zak Majkowski scored on the powerplay to give the Terriers the lead.

In the second period, the Bruins still had plenty of chances to capitalize including a couple of powerplays along with some odd man rushes but were unable to beat Yorkton's Kale Thomson. The Terriers would extend their lead as Patrick Martens picked off Curtis Martinu's pass and beat him top shelf. The Terriers would make it 3-0 when Tyler Giebel scored for the Terriers.

The Bruins would make a game of it in the third period as Cole Olson scored to cut the deficit to 3-1. Late in the game with just over five minutes left the Bruins had a 5 on 3 powerplay for 1:47 but were unable to score on the two man advantage. Martens would add an empty netter for Yorkton to make the final 4-1.

The Bruins went 0 for 10 on the powerplay while Yorkton was 2 for 8. Curtis Martinu made 32 saves for the Bruins in the loss.

Next action for the Bruins is Friday when they head to Melfort to meet the Mustangs. Coverage on CJ1280 begins at 7:20.

Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy with his comments after the game.

Bruins Make Moves Before Dec.1 Deadline

The Estevan Bruins made a couple of moves before the December 1 deadline. They have traded 20 year forward Roger Tagoona to the OCN Blizzard (MJHL) in exchange for future considerations. Tagoona had one goal and one assist in 9 games with the Bruins after being acquired from Battlefords in October.

The team has also released 18 year old Brandon Halbgewachs. Halbgewachs had one goal and one assist with the Bruins in 11 games this season. He also spent time with the team as an AP last year.

The Bruins did acquire Leighton McLachlan from the Drumheller Dragons of the AJHL. McLachlan has spent time with Drumheller and Fort McMurray this season playing in 19 games with no points and 74 PM's.

The Bruins now have 14 Forwards 7 defenceman and 3 Goalies on their roster. (I counted Brett Dumaine as a forward)

Bruins Lose to Klippers 4-2

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins fell back to 5th place of the Sherwood Conference after the Kindersley Klippers beat the Bruins 5-3.

The Klippers were able to grab a 2-0 lead in a 19 second span in the opening period. Kolby Daniels scored the opening goal to give Kindersley a 1-0 lead and that was followed by Brett Printz banged a shot off the glass that took a funny bounce and caught Curtis Martinu out of position as he went to play the puck behind the net and just like that the Klippers lead 2-0 after one period.

In the second period the Klippers added to their lead when Cody McKinnon extended the Klippers lead to 3-0. Later in the period Roger Tagoona was ejected as he was called for checking from behind on Daniels. Daniels would be called for a roughing penalty but once Daniels stepped back on the ice he scored on the Klippers to make 4-0 after two periods.

In the final period the Bruins made things interesting as Austin Yano opened up the scoring to make 4-1. The Bruins made it 4-2 when Darcy DeRoose scored his 8th goal for the Bruins. The Klippers would get the insuance goal when Connor Gay scored on the powerplay to give the Klippers a 5-2 lead. Austin Daae added a late goal for the Bruins but Estevan would lose 5-3.

Next action for the Bruins is Tuesday when they meet the Yorkton Terriers on Tuesday night, you can catch the game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Defeat Ice Wolves 5-2

It was a big night for Matt Brykaliuk as he returned to the Bruins lineup after missing the last month with a shoulder injury. He scored a pair of goals to lead the Bruins to a 5-2 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

The Bruins had their chances to get the first goal of the game but couldn't capitalize on a couple of early power play chances. It was La Ronge who opened up the scoring as Braden Oleskyn squeaked a puck past Curtis Martinu to give the Ice Wolves a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins did respond as Brykaliuk managed a nice toe drag past an Ice Wolves defender and got the snap shot past La Ronge's Dasan Sydora to tie the game at 1-1. The Bruins would take the lead a 1:16 later as Austin Daae took the puck from the corner and skated in front to bury a shot past Sydora to give the Bruins the 2-1 lead after one period.

The Bruins didn't get off to the start that they wanted to in the second as La Ronge tied the game when Graham Smerek banged home a loose rebound to tie the game 2-2.

The Bruins regained the lead in the second period when Tyler Paslawski found the loose puck in front and scored his 6th goal of the season as the Bruins lead 3-2 after 40 minutes.

Estevan got the insurance goal they were looking for when Hudson Morrison snuck a shot just under the crossbar to make the score 4-2. The Bruins would wrap up the scoring as Brykaliuk scored his 2nd of the night to give the Bruins a the 5-2 win.

Curtis Martinu returned to the lineup after serving a three game suspension and picked up the win with 27 saves. The Bruins went 2 for 6 on the powerplay.

Next action for the Bruins is tonight when they host the Kindersley Klippers at 7:30. The Bruins also added some defensive depth as they added 19 year old d-man Leighton McLachlan from the Drumheller Dragons for future considerations. McLachlan has spent time with Drumheller and Fort McMurray this season playing in 19 games with no points and 74 PM's.

Q and A with Matt Brykaliuk as He Returns Tonight

The Bruins are back in action tonight when they host the La Ronge Ice Wolves and they will also will be getting a boost with the return of Matt Brykaliuk to the lineup.

I had a chance to speak with Brykaliuk this week about his return to the lineup.

It's also parents weekend with the Bruins. Before tonight's game all the player's parents will be recognized at centre ice.

Locker Talk Video w/Travis Pelletier

This week on Locker Talk I'm going to be joined by Bruins Goaltender Travis Pelletier. We talk about Pelletier's first two victories over the last two weeks as they were the result as of a shootout. We recapped the last three games that Pelletier was in net with Curtis Martinu suspended. We also discussed his minor hockey background in Regina.

 Here's a bonus video of this week's episode as we talk about Pelletier's wins in the shootout this year.

ECS Elecs Football Awards

The ECS Elecs Football team honoured their graduating players by handing out their awards at their Awards Banquet last night.

The following players received awards.

Offensive Back- Kolby Fleury
Receiver- Ian Ferguson
Off.Lineman- Dustin Debruyne
Def.Lineman- Issac Elder
Linebacker- Tyler Hodgson
Def. Back- Cole MacCuish
Special Team- Cole MacCuish
Rookie- Kaleb Memory
Who Are We Award- Colten Bachorick, Tyler Hodgson, Nolan Tide, & Jeremey Godfrey
Player Choice Award- Nolan Tide
MVP- Tyler Hodgson and Kolby Fleury

Weekend Watching

--  A rare weekend for me with no Bruins hockey to cover. The Bruins are off until Friday when they host the La Ronge Ice Wolves at Spectra Place. With the weekend off the Bruins travelled to Grand Forks to visit the University of North Dakota and watch the Fighting Sioux in action yesterday.

Other thoughts from the sporting world.

-- If you're a Blue Jays fan how can you not be excited right now. It's fair to say that Jose Reyes, Josh Johnson, Mark Buerhle and Melky Cabrera all have question marks but it's been almost 20 years since the Jays added this many quality players in one offseason. The one question mark that these players don't have is age (Buerhle may be turning 34 in March but could be a useful player for a few years) With the Yankees getting older and the Red Sox rebuilding the time is now for the Blue Jays.

-- The Saskatchewan Roughriders season came to an end on Sunday and many people are debating if the success or a failure. Considering the state the franchise was in one year ago, I would call it a success but not a big time success. I think the expectation for the team heading into the season would be to finish either 2nd or 3rd. I believe Darian Durant comments were right when he said it was tough for the offence to gel when the receivers were constantly changing. I do like the offense they have returning next year along with Jock Sanders the only needed upgrade is Canadian Receiving whether that means Chris Getzlaf is more consistent and a healthy Rob Bagg or some new players through the draft/free agency. The Riders do need some work on defence, especially in the secondary.

-- Now that baseball and the Riders seasons are over, I think it's now where I'm going to really feel the effects of the NHL lockout. It sure doesn't seem like there's going to be any hockey this year. I have been watching a lot more NCAA College Football with the absence of NHL, I also try and catch up some WHL hockey whenever I can.

-- UFC 154 is tonight which means the return of GSP, Georges St. Pierre. It will be GSP and Carlos Condit in a welterweight title unification bout and my prediction is the Canadian hero will take it by decision. I'm a little surprised UFC President Dana White announced if GSP wins that he'll face Anderson Silva in May, I actually believed it would be GSP vs Nick Diaz, and you never know with UFC it could still be.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Q and A with Wade Baldwin As He Prepares for Fight in Virgin Islands

Last week I talked with Estevan's Derek Daku about his fight on Saturday December 1 in the Virgin Islands on the MMA in Paradise 2 card. The second local fighter competing on the card will be Wade Baldwin who will be competing in a Heavyweight (225 lb limit) bout against Ken Sweeney in a Canada vs USA fight.

I had a chance to speak with Baldwin this week.

Bruins-Mils Highlights/ Alumni Update w/ Lucas Stubel

It was a good effort from the Estevan Bruins in Melville but they had nothing to show for it as they lost last night 3-2 to Melville.

The Bruins got both of their goals in the third period. The first goal was given to Darcy DeRoose and the second goal was picked up by Tanner Froese.

Last night's Bruins Alumni Update was with Lucas Stubel who played for three seasons with his hometown team.(2008-2011). Here's the interview from last night.

Bruins Fall Short in Melville

The Estevan Bruins had a solid effort in Meville but walked away empty handed as they were defeated by the Melville Millionaires 3-2.

The Millionaires opened up the scoring as Kyle Scaber’s pass in front took an unfortunate deflection and snuck past Bruins Goalie Travis Pelletier to give the Millionaires an early lead. The Millionaires extended their lead to 2-0 as Russell Trudeau's shot from the point found the back of the net.

The Bruins were in similar situation on opening night in Melville trailing by a couple of goals after the first period, but instead of collapsing the Bruins fought back and took control in the second period. The Bruins were able to control the play in the Millionaires zone for the most part in the period, but were unable to get a goal past the Mils Alex Wakaluk.

The Bruins went to work early in the period. 34 seconds into the final period Tyler Paslawski pass along the goal line was deflected by Darcy DeRoose to cut the deficit to 2-1. With the goal DeRoose extended his point streak to 8 games.

Melville responded less than a minute later when Christian Magnus completed a wrap around and scored for Melville to give the Millionaires a 3-1 lead.

The Bruins wouldn't go down without a fight as the power play was able to connect for the Bruins. Newcomer Dustin Jesseau’s shot from the point was deflected by Tanner Froese for his 7th of the season to make it a one goal game.

The Bruins had a few opportunities to tie the game in the final ten minutes by Wakaluk was able to keep the puck of net as Melville won 3-2.

For Jesseau it was an impressive debut as he picked an assist and looked right at home on a line with Roger Tagoona and Nick Weiss. The trio created havoc inside of Melville’s zone which lead to several scoring opportunities.

The Bruins were unable to move past Kindersley and remains one point behind the Klippers for 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference.

The Bruins will now begin their biggest break of the season besides the Christmas holiday. The Bruins are off until Friday, November  23 when they host the La Ronge Ice Wolves. The next Bruins broadcast on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com is set for Tuesday, November 27 when the Bruins meet Yorkton, coverage begins at 7:20.

Bruins vs Mils Preview

Last Meeting

The two teams met in a home and home set on the opening weekend of the season. Melville won  the opening game in Melville 10-2. The following night it was a much closer game at Spectra Place as the Bruins lost 4-2 with the fourth goal a result of an empty netter.Nick Weiss had both goals for the Bruins.

Latest News

Bruins- The Bruins are coming off a shootout victory over the Kindersley Klippers. Much like the week before against Nipawin at home, the Bruins had a solid opening 40 minutes but the Klippers were able to come from behind and tie the game at 4-4. Austin Daae scored the lone shootout goal in the win. The Bruins will have a 10 day break after tonight and it comes at a good time with Calder Neufeld, Matt Brykaliuk and Steven Glass sidelined with injuries.

Mils- After storming out the gates with a 13-2-1 record the Mils have lost their last three games. Two of the losses came up north in La Ronge and Flin Flon which has become a nightmare trip for the Sherwood Conference teams. The Mils will get TJ Reeve back in their lineup as he's been with Team Canada West for the World Junior A Challenge for the last couple of weeks.

Keep An Eye Out For

Bruins-Cole Olson. Olson struggled early in the season getting on the scoreboard, it also didn't help his linemate from last season Calder Neufeld has been out with an ankle injury for over a month. But since being put on a line with Austin Daae and Tanner Froese, Olson has been producing points wise. In the last two games he's picked up three goals.

Mils- Ian McNulty. One of the favorites for the SJHL scoring title hasn't disappointed so far this season.He has 9 goals and 21 assists and is one of the leaders on a deep group of forwards for Melville that includes Russell Trudeau and Sean Aschim among others.

Special Stats

Bruins
PP 12.3% (11th overall)
PK 86.7% (2nd overall) 

Mils
PP 23.7% (3rd overall)
PK 74.7% (11th overall)

Intermission Guests

I'm hoping to speak with Bruins Captain Connor Milligan in the first intermission. Tonight's Bruins Alumni Update will be with Lucas Stubel (2008-2011)

I'll have play by play tonight from the Horizon Credit Union Centre beginning at 7:20

Bruins Weekly Winners Nov 5-11

Now that I'm back on the road with the Bruins and watching every game the Bruins play, I'm bringing back the weekly winner section. I'll name a Player of the Week, Defenceman of the Week, Rookie of the Week and Unsung Hero of the Week. Since the Bruins only have one game this upcoming week, I won't have any weekly winners for next week.

Team Recap

This past week the Bruins went 1-1. They lost a tough game in Notre Dame as the Hounds slipped past the Bruins 4-3. The Bruins rebounded on Friday night to win 5-4 in a shootout over Kindersley. Since the Bruins only won in a shootout against the Klippers, they remain one point behind Kindersley for fourth spot in the Sherwood Conference.

Player of the Week

Cole Olson  (3-0-3)

In terms of points it has been a slow start for Olson and losing his line mate in Calder Neufeld didn't help out matters. But since been put on a line with Austin Daae and Tanner Froese, Olson has started to turn his opportunities into points. Against the Hounds Olson tied the game late in the second with a backhand and then against the Klippers he was able to score a pair of goals. Playing with Daae and Froese gives Olson a pair of linemates who are capable of scoring a lot points when they're playing together.

Defenceman of the Week

Tyler Kauk (0-2-2)

Kauk was the only defenceman to register a point this week for the Bruins, but the biggest highlight for him this past week was inside of his own zone. In the second period of Friday's win, Kauk delivered a huge hit on the Klipper's Connor Gay that could be heard throughout Spectra Place. This season Kauk has been solid at both ends of the ice and has earned an SJHL Defenceman of the Week award and an invite to the Canada West Team for the World Junior A Challenge.

Rookie of the Week

Darcy DeRoose (1-1-2)

DeRoose has been on fire over the past couple of weeks. After going pointless in his first 9 games, DeRoose has now picked up points in his last 7 games. He's found some chemistry on a line with Hudson Morrison and Tyler Pawlawski. The trio have the ability to be a physical line that can also produce a lot of points.

Unsung Hero of the Week

Nick Weiss

Weiss had a strong week for the Bruins. He did pick up a goal and an assist in the Bruins two games but he was also a physical force for the Bruins along the boards. Weiss had a strong game against the Hounds and it seems like he's found a role with the Bruins playing on an energy line with Roger Tagoona that should help out the Bruins at both ends of the ice.

Up Ahead
It's a light week for the Bruins, they face the Millionaires on Wednesday in Melville and they're off for 10 days.

Q and A with Derek Daku as He Prepares for MMA in Paradise 2 in the Virgin Islands

Estevan's Derek Daku and Wade Baldwin will be back inside of the cage on Saturday December 1 in the Virgin Islands as apart of the MMA in Paradise 2 card for Paradise Fighting Championships.

Daku will be competing in the Heavyweight title bout against Puerto Rico's Saul Solivan. The card will feature fighters from Canada, USA and the Caribbean.

I had a chance to speak with Daku to find out how this opportunity came about, the fight itself and if there's a possibility for an international fight card here in Estevan down the road.

  

Bruins Win Another Shootout Thriller. 5-4 Over Kindersley

It was a case of deja vu for the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins at Spectra Place a week after the Bruins beat the Nipawin Hawks 5-4 in a shootout, the Bruins beat the Kindersley Klippers 5-4 in the shootout.

The Klippers opened up the scoring in the first period with Kyle Davies picking up his first goal of the evening to give the Klippers the lead. But that lead would last 31 seconds as Roger Tagoona skated inside the Klippers blue line and unleashed a lazer of a wrist shot past Tyrell King and tied the game. Just over two minutes later the Bruins gain the lead as Cole Olson took the puck from the corner and drove it to the net and knocked it past King.

The Klippers didn't waste anytime to tie the game in the second period as Davies shot went off a skate and past Travis Pelletier to make the score 2-2 eight seconds into the period. The Bruins would get the lead back at the 5:46 mark as Darcy DeRoose extended his point streak to seven games as he took a loose puck and buried it past King with one second remaining on their powerplay.

Tyler Kauk provided the heaviest hit of the game in the second period as he crushed the Klipper's Connor Gay along the boards, to Gay's credit he return shortly after taking the hit. With eight seconds remaining in the period, Austin Daae's shot was blocked in front of the net and it went right back to Olson who scored and gave the Bruins a 4-2 lead.

Cole Olson Wearing the Hard Hat after the game

Kindersley wouldn't go down without a fight as Giovanni Bombini scored to cut the Klipper deficit to 4-3. The Klippers would tie the game 15 seconds later as Beau Stewart scored for Kindersley. With four seconds remaining Bombini had the best chance to end the game as he took advantage of a Bruins turnover and had a breakaway, he thought he had Pelletier beat with a deke but the Bruins netminder was able to reach back with the glove save and keep the game tied.

Overtime settled nothing which meant the game was decided in a shootout. Nobody could score through the first three shooters for either team. The Bruins fourth shooter was Austin Daae who managed to score to give the Bruins the edge. Stefan Seel was the final shooter for the Klippers but was denied by Pelletier as the Bruins picked up the win. With Kindersley losing in the shootout, the Bruins are still one point behind the Klippers for 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference. The next action for the Bruins is Wednesday in Melville against the Millionaires.

After the game Travis Pelletier, Cole Olson and Keith Cassidy commented on the win.

                                         Travis Pelletier

                                      Keith Cassidy

                                           Cole Olson

Bruins vs Klippers Tonight

For the first time this season the Estevan Bruins will meet the Kindersley Klippers.
The Bruins are heading into tonight's game on the heels of a tough 4-3 loss to the Notre Dame Hounds on Tuesday night. Meanwhile the Klippers head into the Energy City with a little bit of momentum after beating the Weyburn Red Wings 3-2 last night in Weyburn.

After the the tough loss on Tuesday, Bruins forward Nick Weiss says it's important to keep the locker room in a positive mood. He notes that as a 20 year old he has been in this situation before and and knows  it's important to keep team positive after a game where they worked hard and deserved a better fate.

Heading into tonight's game the Bruins are trailing the Klippers by a pair of points for fourth place in the Sherwood Conference. Weiss says even though it's only November there's a lot riding on tonight's game. He says this is as close as to a playoff game as you're going to get at this time of year.

Since being acquired a couple of weeks ago from Battlefords, Roger Tagoona has found some chemistry with Weiss. Weiss believes this is because the two players are very similar, they both like to play along the boards and drive the puck towards the net. Weiss scored his sixth goal on Tuesday night as a result of 2 on 1 play with Tagoona.

The Bruins are hoping home ice will be able to cure their power play blues. The Bruins have struggled with the extra man advantage this season. The Bruins ranked 11th in the SJHL with a 11.6%. Weiss says if the Bruins can improve on their power play it will likely lead to an extra goal or two goal a game which should be the difference in getting more victories.

The Bruins are hitting a light portion of the schedule. After tonight's game their next game is Wednesday in Melville. Following that game, the Bruins next game is Friday November 23 against La Ronge at Spectra Place.

Here's the interview with Weiss

Q and A with Zach Douglas About Playing in CJHL Prospects Games

Estevan Bruins defenceman Zach Douglas will be traveling to Nova Scotia this weekend to take part in the CJHL Prospects Games.

The first game will be in Digby on Saturday and then they will play in Yarmouth on Sunday before the World Junior A Challenge Gold Medal Game.

Douglas is the only SJHL player selected to the roster. I had a chance to talk to him yesterday.

The Bruins also made a move yesterday sending Brendan Wilde to the Neepawa Natives yesterday. Wilde was acquired by the Bruins a couple of weeks ago and played in 2 games and registered 0 points.

Bruins are

Bruins and Hounds Hilites/Bruins Alumni Update w/ Dominic Perrault

Here's a new feature that I'm going to try and post on the blog the day after a Bruins game. Here are the goal calls from last night's game in case you missed them. In the future I'll be looking to add onto to it and include noteworthy saves, hits etc.

Also last night was the first Bruins Alumni Update as I talked with former Bruin and current Mount Royal Cougar Dominic Perrault

Hounds Use Powerplay To Get Past Bruins

Power plays proved to be the biggest difference in the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins 4-3 loss to the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox.

The Bruins opened up the scoring in the first period with Roger Tagoona creating a turnover in the neutral zone which lead to a 2 on 1 with Nick Weiss. Weiss managed to sneak a shot past the Hounds Ty Reichenbach to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

The Hounds tied the game early in the second period as tne Hounds Ryan Donovan buried a rebound shot past Travis Pelletier to tie the game at 1-1. The Hounds would gain the lead in the second as Kale Derkson was able to use his skate and deflect the puck past Pelletier to give the Hounds a lead. The Bruins thought the goal was kicked in but after conference with the referees, it was ruled a legal goal. With less than two minutes Austin Daae's aggressive fore-checking created a turnover inside of the Hounds, after a pass bounced off Tanner Froese's stick Cole Olson would take the loose puck and sneak a backhand shot into the net to tie the game at 2-2 after 40 minutes.

In the third period a couple of penalties came back to haunt the Bruins. Hudson Morrison was ejected from the game after he took a checking from behind penalty. The Hounds took advantage as the puck bounced off Travis Pelletier into the slot and Mitch Boucher fired the loose puck past Pelletier to give the Hounds a 3-2. With about nine minutes remaining in the period, the Bruins Tyler Paslawski was called for a carrying the puck and the Hounds got another opportunity with the extra man advantage. On the power play Brennan Kuse's point shot got past a Pelletier who didn't see the puck to give the Hounds an insurance goal. But the Bruins didn't go down without a fight as Tyler Paslawski got a Darcy DeRoose buried a shot inside the slot with 1:46 remaining to cut the deficit to 4-3. But the Bruins didn't get a chance for a 6 on 5 advantage as Nick Weiss was called for an elbowing penalty with a minute remaining. The Bruins weren't able to score on the 5 on 5 situation as the Hounds held on to a 4-3 win.


The Bruins now fall behind eight points behind the Hounds for third place in the Sherwood Conference and remain in a tie for fourth with Kindersley. The Bruins and Klippers will meet in their first meeting of the season when the two teams on Friday night at Spectra Place with an opening faceoff at 7:30. The next Bruins game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com is next Wednesday in Melville beginning at 7:20.

Bruins and Hounds Preview.

Last Meeting

For the second time in the last week, the Estevan Bruins will head to Wilcox and face the Notre Dame Hounds. On Thursday the Bruins were defeated by the Hounds 6-1. The first period was scoreless before the two exchanged three goals in the first 2:45 of the second period with Notre Dame emerging with a 2-1 lead. The Hounds picked up a late goal in the second period before adding three more in the third.
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Latest News

Bruins-- Obviously the situation between the pipes is what a lot of Bruin fans are talking about. With Curtis Martinu suspended for the next three games it means that Travis Pelletier will be getting his first start tonight. Pelletier came on relief for the Bruins on Saturday and while he did let up four goals, he also did make a pair of saves in the shootout to earn his first win. The Bruins will have to do a better job of playing in front of Pelletier than they did in the final third period.

Hounds- The Notre Dame Hounds have been rolling as of late as they've won their last three games. Mitch Boucher was named defenceman of the week by the SJHL as he's on a four point game streak. Boucher is a part of a solid blue line for the Hounds that's lead by Carson Grolla.

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Keep An Eye Out For

Bruins-- Darcy DeRoose. The rookie forward has been on fire in his recent five game point streak as he earned 5 goals and 4 assists. DeRoose has found some great chemistry with Hudson Morrison and Tyler Paslawski, After going pointless to start the season DeRoose has caught fire and is playing with a lot of confidence.

Hounds- Carson Grolla. There's no question Grolla is the top player on the Hounds. Grolla was the top player for Notre Dame last season when they played a tough three game Survivor Series against the Bruins. Grolla is a excellent inside of his own zone and can put the puck in the net as has 5 goals and 7 assists in 17 games this season which ranks third among SJHL defenceman.

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Special Stats

Bruins

Powerplay-- 8 for 68 11.8% (11th overall)
Penalty Kill-- 61 for 68 89.7% (1st overall)

Hounds
Powerplay-- 16 for 84 19% (6th overall)
Penalty Kill-- 14 for 76 81.6% (7th overall)

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Intermission Guests

Every first period I'll be doing a player profile of one of the Bruin players. Tonight it will be #23 Cole Olson.

Every second period I'll feature a Bruins Alumni member and tonight I'll be chatting with Dominic Perrault. (2010-2012)

Tune on CJ1280 at 7:50 with the pregame show. You can also tune in online at http://goldenweststreaming.com/estevanbruins_stream/

Monday Mix..Bruins Radio Broadcast/News/Skills Clinic

I'm looking forward to tomorrow night when I travel with the Bruins for the first time this season as they head to Notre Dame and meet the Hounds. Tomorrow will kick off my 5th year of broadcasting Bruin games on CJ1280 and Discoverestevan.com. I'll have more about the game tomorrow but here's the new intro to the Bruins games this year. (Kind of fitting we start the year against the Hounds with the first three clips coming against the Hounds in the playoffs.)

Tomorrow we're also launching a new contest with the Brick. If the Bruins score 5 powerplay goals, one Bruins listener will win a 50 inch plasma TV. To enter the contest all you have to do is stop by the Brick and enter your name in the draw box.

Also tomorrow we're going to start profiling Bruins Alumni in the second intermission. Tomorrow I'll be talking with former Bruins defenceman Dominic Perrault who is now playing with the Mount Royal Cougars in Calgary. If there's any Bruin Alumni interested in being featured they are welcome to drop me an email bweyland@goldenwestradio.com or giving me a call at the radio station.

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The big news coming from Saturday's game against the Bruins is the suspension of Goalie Curtis Martinu. Martinu was ejected from the game for a butt ending penalty. With the match penalty, that means it's an automatic three game suspension. That means Travis Pelletier will be getting his first start tomorrow night in Notre Dame against the Hounds.

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Assistant Coach Cole Zahn and some of the Bruin players will be running a weekly Skills Clinic at Spectra Place from 7:00-8:00am. The clinic is for Peewee and Bantam players and will focus on Skill Development. I had the chance to speak with Zahn about the clinic.

Bruins Win a Wild One Against Nipawin

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins emotional roller coaster ride ended with an ultimate high as they picked up two huge points to beat the Nipawin Hawks 5-4 in a shootout.

There was two tales to this game. In the first forty minutes the Bruins played some of their best hockey of the season at both ends of the ice. The Bruins opened the scoring at the 7:13 mark of the first period when Darcy DeRoose took advantage of Hudson Morrison's nice pass to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. For DeRoose the goal extended his point streak to 5 games and for Morrison his point streak is now at 4 games. The Bruins had a few opportunities to add to the lead as Cole Olson had a couple of great opportunities but missed them by a matter of inches. After 20 minutes of play the Bruins were leading 1-0.

The score remained 1-0 until 16:07 mark of the period when Wyatt Garagan was awarded a penalty shot. Garagan scored his second goal of the season as he buried the backhand past Davis Jones to make it 2-0. With 26 seconds remaining in the period, Austin Daae was able to chip a puck ahead to Tanner Froese who managed to get a back hand shot past Jones to make it 3-0 Bruins after 40 minutes of play.

The third period was completely different from the previous two. It started off with Goalie Curtis Martinu being ejected for Match Butt Ending penalty after an altercation with the Hawk's Tad Kozun. Martinu was ejected from the game and Travis Pelletier was called in relief for the first time since he played in the season opener in Melville back on September 20. The Hawks had a three minute powerplay and took advantage of it when Dustin Skilliter scored to give the Hawks some life. The Hawks would climb within one as Jeff Datoff's point shot snuck past Pelletier and just like the Hawks were within one. 2:25 later the Hawks managed to tie the game Dexter Bricker scored for Nipawin to gain the lead. The Bruins were obviously reeling at this point because 14 seconds later Wheaton King scored to give Nipawin their first lead of the night.

After the Hawk's Carter Coben took a goaltender interference penalty with 2:34 left on the clock to give the Bruins a powerplay. But the powerplay was short lived as Morrison took a checking to the head penalty and was ejected from the game.

With goaltender pulled the Bruins went to work on a 5 on 4 advantage in the final minute of the game. With about 10 seconds left, Tyler Poskus' shot from the point in was knocked by Jones which lead to a mad scramble DeRoose and Nick Weiss had a chance to score before Tyler Paslawski managed to get puck past Davis Jones with three seconds remaining to tie the game to send it to overtime.

The Bruins did get a powerplay in overtime but were unable to score which meant a shootout. Froese was the first shooter for the Bruins and was denied by Jones as he tried to go with a backhand. Yan Kalashnikov was the first shooter for the Hawks and missed the net with his shot.

Austin Yano was the second shooter for the Bruins and performed a beatiful deke that fooled Jones as Yano finished it off with a backhand to give the Bruins the edge. Former Bruin Jesse Bernard managed to squeak his shot past Pelletier to draw even.

Nick Weiss was the third shooter for the Bruins and buried a shot past top shelf to give the Bruins the edge. Wheaton King was the final shooter and Pelletier managed to stay with King made the final save of the game to give the Bruins a 5-4 win.

After the game when asked about the incident with Martinu and Kozun, Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy didn't want to comment on the incident until he saw the video. He noted the Hawks got into the situation they wanted and were able to take advantage of the goalie switch.

The former Hawk Paslawski was thrilled to get the tying goal against his old team. He said "It's pretty sweet, it was nice to win it in the shootout with Jones being one of the top goalies last year. You know the boys pulled through and Pelletier being thrown in there did very well in the shootout, very impressed."

Yano got the Bruins some momentum in the shootout with his deke and explains what he was thinking when making the shot."I knew the goalie would go down so I tried to get him and make move side to side a bit and once I got him down, I moved it to my forehand and figured it was open and put in there."

Here's some audio from after the game first Keith Cassidy

And audio from Austin Yano

The Bruins will only have a couple of days before they're back in action when they meet the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox. You can catch the game on CJ1280/Discoverestevan.com with the pregame show beginning at 7:50.

Kauk Reaction To World Junior A Camp and Looking Ahead to the Hawks

Tyler Kauk returned to the Bruins lineup on Thursday night after his tryout with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in Calgary this week. Despite Kauk picking up three assists in the two scrimmages, Kauk was left off the roster. There was only 5 1993 players allowed on the roster and Canada West five 93 players on forward.

I had a chance to speak with Kauk yesterday about the World Junior A Camp and tonight's game against the Hawks.

Smith Reflects on Hurricane Sandy Experience

photo courtesy gwtimes.com

Photo courtesy gwtimes.com

Former Estevan Bruin Dylan Smith got a first hand look at Hurricane Sandy this past week. Smith is staying in Greenwich Connecticut and decided to stay in the community when the storm occurred. Luckily Smith and the home he's staying at didn't receive much damage, but there's a lot repair that needs to be done to the area. 

The pictures above are some shots in Greenwich that were taken this week. I had a chance to talk to Smith yesterday Hurricane Sandy and how it compares to the floodings from southeast Sask. in 2011.

Bruins Defeated by Hounds

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins four game point streak came to an end last night as they defeated by the Notre Dame Hounds 6-1.

Hudson Morrison scored the Bruins lone goal. Darcy DeRoose picked up an assist on the goal to extend both of their point streaks.

Curtis Martinu was in net for the loss as he made 24 saves.

The Bruins next game is tomorrow when they host the Nipawin Hawks at Spectra Place.

Kauk Unable To Make Canada West

Despite picking up three points in the two scrimmages at the World Junior A Camp in Calgary, Tyler Kauk didn't make the Canada West team.

There were no defencemen on Canada West who was born in 1993 which may have hurt Kauk's chances to make the team since the team is only allowed five in total.

Two players from the SJHL made the squad, Rhyse Dieno from La Ronge and TJ Reeve from Melville.

Kauk will be rejoining the team tonight in Wilcox, his status for tonight's game against Notre Dame is questionable

Another Strong Showing for Kauk at WJAC Camp

CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins defenceman Tyler Kauk had another solid night on the scoresheet at the Canada West camp for the World Junior A Challenge in Calgary. Kauk picked up a pair of assists for Team Blue in their 5-1 win over Team White.

The final 22 man roster will be named this morning. Team Canada West will travel to Nova Scotia today and will face the USA on Saturday night.


Talked to Kauk yesterday via text and he noted the camp was a more finesse style with the bigger ice surface and there's a lot of other good players at the camp.

If Kauk doesn't make the team he'll fly back today and rejoin the Bruins in Wilcox today.

Reaction Big Win In Yorkton And Look Ahead to ND Matchup With Cole Zahn and Hudson Morrison

It was a big win for the Estevan Bruins last night in Yorkton over the Terriers. The Bruins were missing Tyler Kauk, Matt Brykaliuk, Taylor Reich and Calder Neufeld.

I stopped by practice and talked to Assistant Coach Cole Zahn who now has a perfect 1-0 record as a Head Coach and I also talked to Hudson Morrison who scored two goals last night.

I talked to both of them about the Bruins big win and another big matchup tomorrow night against Notre Dame,

                                                                       Cole Zahn

                                                          Hudson Morrison

Kauk Off To Solid Start at WJAC Camp

Estevan Bruins Defenceman Tyler Kauk is a member of Team Blue of the Canada West World Junior A Challenge Camp and yesterday Team Blue took part in its first scrimmage met Team Red.

Kauk picked up an assist on the lone goal for Blue as they lost 2-1 Team Red.

Team Blue will face Team White tonight in the final scrimmage.

Kauk should find out tomorrow morning if he's heading to Nova Scotia as apart Canada West to be in the World Junior A Challenge. If not he'll return to the Bruins.

Bruins Pass Test in Yorkton With 5-3 Win

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins were on the road in an arena that hasn't been too kind to them over the past few years and they were missing three of their top forwards along with one of their top defenceman and they still found a way to win. The Bruins picked up a 5-3 win over the Terriers last night.

The Bruins didn't waste any time grabbing the lead as Hudson Morrison scored 1:27 to give the Bruins the early lead. Yorkton would tie the game up about six minutes later but right before the end of the period Austin Daae scored his third of the year to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

In the second period the Bruins gained control as Tyler Paslawski notched his third goal of the season to extend the Bruins lead. Right before the end of the period, Morrison scored his second goal of the night on the powerplay to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Yorkton opened up the scoring in the third period but reigning Rookie of the Week in the SJHL Darcy DeRoose put the game away with his fourth goal of the game to give the Bruins a 5-2 edge. Yorkton did score late in the third but it end the Bruins prevail with a 5-3 win. Morrison and DeRoose each had three points on the night while Paslawski had two. Curtis Martinu made 31 saves to earn the win. With the win the Bruins now trail Kindersley by one point for fourth in the Sherwood Conference and Notre Dame by two points.

The Bruins were without Taylor Reich, Matt Brykaliuk, and Calder Neufeld due to injuries and Tyler Kauk who was in Calgary for the World Junior A Challenge Camp. Cole Zahn picked up the win as the team's Head Coach with Keith Cassidy in Calgary for the World Junior A Camp.

The Bruins will get a great chance to tie the Hounds tomorrow night as they head to Wilcox to meet the Hounds for the first time since the postseason.