Bruins End Reg. Seson With OT Win

Some dramatics in the final regular season game for the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins as they defeated the Notre Dame Hounds 4-3 in overtime.

Dylan Smith took the puck from behind the net and walked out front and outwaited Hounds Goalie Ty Reichenbach and buried a backhand shot to give the Bruins the walkoff victory.

It was a strong game for Tyler Ross who made 32 saves and it appeared he had the game locked up in regulation. With 11 seconds remaining in the third period it looked like Ross had the puck covered up but the Referees let the play continue and the Hounds Brandon Millin hammered the puck in the net. Ross went 1-1 in his two starts before the postseason and should provide the Bruins a quality backup behind Curtis Martinu.

Wyatt Garagan scored his second goal in the last three games while Leighton McLachlan scored in the second straight game as he once again played forward.

Hudson Morrison was the only Bruin to record 20 goals on the season as he finished off his first year campaign with the Bruins with 21 goals.

The Bruins will now move on to the Survivor Series with the Kindersley Klippers. Game 1 is Saturday night and can be heard on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:15.

Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy comments on last night's victory

Sherwood Conference Survivor Series Dates

Bruin Fans can start marking some playoff dates dates on the calender.

The dates has been announced for the Sherwood Conference with the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins and Kindersley Klippers.

The series will open on Saturday (Mar.2) in Kindersley at 7:30 followed by Game 2 on Sunday (Mar.3) in Kindersley at 6:00.

The series will move back to Estevan next Tuesday (Mar 5) for Game 3 at 7:30 and then if necessary Game 4 is Wednesday (Mar.6)  at Estevan at 7:30. Then the series will move to Kindersley for Game 5 if necesscary on Thursday (Mar.7) at 7:30.

CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com will have all the games on air proceeded by a 15 minute pregame show.

The Bruins wrap up the regular season on home ice tomorrow against Notre Dame at Spectra Place  you can catch the game on CJ1280 beginning at 7:20.

Bruin Alumni Update: Ryan Ostertag

I had a chance to speak with former Estevan Bruin, Ryan Ostertag before last night's game. Ostertag played his final game in Junior  last night and scored his 25th goal on the season as he ripped a shot top shelf past the Bruins Tyler Ross in the first period.

Ostertag spent his rookie season with the Bruins in 2010-11 and was with the team for a couple of months last season before being dealt to Nipawin. Early this season Ostertag was dealt to Weyburn and thrived his role as a leader for the Red Wings.

Best of luck to Oscar and I'm sure sometime this summer we'll have an interview with him as we find out where he's playing hockey next season.

Bruins Finish 5th After Loss to Weyburn

It was a tough night for the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins as they were defeated by the Weyburn Red Wings 4-3. The combination of the Bruins loss and Kindersley win means the Bruins will open the Survivor Series on the road in Kindersley.

The Bruins gave the start to Tyler Ross who returned the team after spending some time in the USHL and QMJHL this year. The Red Wings opened up the scoring with Josh Lees scoring for the Red Wings to make it 1-0. The Bruins would tie it up shortly afterwards as Leighton McLachlan finished off a 2 on 1 with Tyler Paslawski to even up the score at 1-1. But the Red Wings would regain the lead as former Ryan Ostertag buried his 25th goal of the season as he ripped a shot top shelf past Ross to give the Red Wings the lead in the first intermission.

In the second period the Bruins were unable to get one past Nate Ferris as the Bruins had several chances but Ferris shut the doors at every opportunity. Ferris was able to deny Dylan Smith on a breakaway along with the other Bruins shooters. McLachlan has the best opportunity in the period but rang a shot off the post. Adam Rosselin scored the only goal for the Red Wings in the period to make it 3-1.

Weyburn opened the scoring in the final period as Thomas Carelton early in the period to make it 4-1. The Bruins generated more chances but were still struggling against Ferris.Tanner Froese would score his 13th goal of the season and that was followed by Cole Olson deflecting Zach Douglas shot to make it 4-3 Weyburn. Smith had a great chance to tie it at 4-4 but Smith's shot was deflected and missed by inches. The Red Wings would hang for a win in their final game of the season.

The Bruins will wrap up the season on Tuesday against Notre Dame before they begin the Survivor Series sometime next weekend, likely on Saturday.

You can catch the Bruins game against the Hounds on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy comments on the game.

Bruins vs Red Wings Preview

The Estevan Bruins won the first half of the home and home set with the Red Wings last night with a come from behind 3-2 win.

Latest News

Estevan Bruins- A win by the Bruins would assure them that they won't be eliminated from 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference. A Bruins win and a Kindersley would allow the Bruins to be in the drivers seat on Tuesday. But a Bruins loss and Kindersley win means the Klippers will host Game 1 of the Survivor Series next week.

Weyburn Red Wings- Tonight is the final game of the season for the Red Wings and they will try and spoil the Bruins plans on getting home ice advantage in the Survivor Series. A win by the Red Wings would also mean a split in the season series between the two teams.

Keep An Eye Out For

Estevan Bruins- Tyler Paslawski-Darcy DeRoose- Brett Dumaine. This line had a heck of a game last night. First with Paslawski scoring the game winner and then in the final minute of the game they were able to keep the puck away from the Red Wings as they attempted for the tie. If this is the Bruins "4th" line then teams will struggle with the Bruins depth in the postseason.

Weyburn Red Wings- Ryan Ostertag-Miguel Pereria. The two 20 year olds were the two best Red Wings last night and will be playing their last game in Junior Hockey. If there's any Red Wing that's going to leave it on the line tonight for Weyburn, it will be these two.

Special Stats

Estevan Bruins-

PP-13% (12th)
PK-82.7 (7th)

Weyburn Red Wings
PP- 15.1% (9th)
PK- 78.3 (10th)

Intermission Guests-

In the 2nd intermission we will hear from former Estevan Bruin and now current Weyburn Red Wing Ryan Ostertag who is playing in his final Junior A game tonight.

Bruins Move Within 1 Point of 4th With 3-2 Win Over Weyburn

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins moved within one point of 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference after a 3-2 victory over the Weyburn Red Wings.

The Bruins applied plenty of pressure in the first period but it was the Red Wings scoring on the powerplay as Ty McLean notched his 9th goal of the season and left the Bruins were trailing 1-0 after the first period.

In the second the Red Wings opened the scoring as Miguel Pereria and Ryan Ostertag emerged on a 2 on 1 and it ended with with Ostertag scoring his 24th goal of the season to make it 2-0. The Bruins would respond as Nick Egan found Wyatt Garagan in behind the defence as Garagan buried his 6th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Bruins tied the game on the powerplay as Dylan Smith deflected Tyler Kauk's pass and made it 2-2 after two periods.

The third period saw the line of Tyler Paslawski- Brett Dumaine- Darcy DeRoose. Early in the third period Paslawski carried the puck from the corner and buried a back hand shot to give the Bruins their first lead of the night. Then with 1:10 remaining in the third period with a faceoff inside the Red Wings zone, the line was able to control the play inside of the Red Wing zone for the next minute and only allowing the Red Wings about 10 seconds with an extra attacker on the ice. Weyburn was unable to score giving the Bruins the victory.

Curtis Martinu made 22 saves for the win. With the win the Bruins are one point behind Kindersley for home ice in the Survivor Series. If the Bruins win tonight and Kindersley loses the Bruins move into fourth spot, if the Bruins lose and the Klippers win then Kindersley clinches 4th place. If the Bruins and Klippers both win, Kindersley is still in 4th place but won't clinch.

The Bruins are back in action tonight when they meet the Red Wings in Weyburn. You can catch the game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Estevan Bruins vs Weyburn Red Wings

The Estevan Bruins and Weyburn Red Wings will meet for the final two times this season with a weekend  home and home set. The Bruins and Red Wings have each swept a home and home set this season with the Bruins taking the first two games of the season series on the Thanksgiving Weekend while the Red Wings took both games during the home and home set on Dec.30 and Jan.1.

Latest News 

Estevan Bruins- In their last game on Sunday, the Bruins clinched a playoff spot with a convincing 6-3 win over Kindersley. The Bruins will look to secure home ice during the Survivor Series against the Klippers. The Bruins are down by three points with a game in hand. Kindersley has the night off before returning to action tomorrow night against Nipawin.

Weyburn Red Wings- It's been a tough season for Weyburn and their playoff hopes officially came to an end on Sunday with the Bruins victory over Kindersley. This is the first time the Red Wings have missed the playoffs since 1999.

Keep An Eye Out For

Estevan Bruins- Alex Cote. A lot of the attention in the second half for the Bruins has gone to Dylan Smith, but Alex Cote has been a valuable pick up from the Summerside Capitals. Cote has provided much needed scoring on the second line but being a playmaker. He's playing on a line with Calder Neufeld and Hudson Morrison right now and the trio have the potential to be very explosive on any given night.

Weyburn Red Wings- Ryan Ostertag.  While the Red Wings have struggled this season, Ostertag has thrived in a situation where's he has been counted on to be one of the leaders for Weyburn. There's no doubt the 20 year old will try and finish his Junior Career but causing some problems for his first junior team.

Special Stats

Estevan Bruins-
PP 12.7% (12th)
PK 83% (6th)

Weyburn Red Wings
PP 14.8% (8th)
PK 78.5% (10th)

Intermission Guests

When it comes to player interviews I have only two players left to interview and that is Nick Egan and Travis Pelletier so we will hear those two players this weekend.

In the 2nd intermission we will hear from one of the men who's going into the SJHL Hall of Fame next week in former Estevan Bruins Executive Ray Frehlick.

Locker Talk Preview with Bruins Tanner Froese and Matt Brykaliuk

This week the Bruins Tanner Froese and Matt Brykaliuk join me on this week's edition of Locker Talk as we look ahead to the final week of the regular season and the upcoming Survivor Series against the Kindersley Klippers.

Here's a bonus segment as we talk about some of the latest happenings in the NHL.

Bruins Back In Playoffs With 6-3 over Kindersley

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins are heading back to the postseason after a 6-3 victory over the Kindersley Klippers last night at Spectra Place.

The Bruins had an explosive start as they controlled the play in the first period. The Bruins opened up the scoring 1:22 into the first period as the Bruins scored on their first shot of the powerplay as Tyler Kauk's shot was deflected and went into the net to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. The Bruins would continue to add to their lead as Matt Brykaliuk was left all alone and buried a backhand through the five hole of the Klippers Tyrell King to make it 2-0. On the Bruins second powerplay opportunity Connor Milligan ripped a lazer shot from the point and found the back of the net for his first of the season which made it 3-0 and also meant the end of the evening for King and Warren Shymko went in net.

The Bruins would cap off the first period as Wyatt Garagan scored his 5th goal of the season to make it 4-0.

The Bruins had a strong start to the 2nd period as Alex Cote scored on a loose rebound in front of the net in the opening minutes of the 2nd period. The Klippers would finally get on the scoreboard late in the 2nd period as Kyle Davies was awarded a penalty shot and he scored on the backhand to make the score 5-1 after two periods.

In the third period, Cote would score his 2nd goal of the game as he created a turnover deep inside of the Klippers end and made it 6-1. Kindersley would add a couple of late goals as the game got a little bit ugly at the end with the Bruins falling into penalty trouble but they still hung on for the victory.

The Bruins will meet the Klippers in the Survivor Series with home ice still to be determined. The Bruins trail the Klippers by three points with a game in hand.

Next action for the Bruins is Friday when they host the Weyburn Red Wings in a home and home set. You can catch the game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy comments after the win.

Bruins vs Klippers Preview

Unless the Estevan Bruins lose their remaining four games and the Weyburn Red Wings win their remaining four games, this will be the Sherwood Conference Survivor Series that will start on the first weekend of March. With playoff implications on the line tonight, there's no doubt tonight will have a playoff atmosphere to it.

Latest News

Estevan Bruins- The Bruins were unable to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night against the Humboldt Broncos. The Bruins played the Broncos tough, but a couple of defensive mistakes inside of their own zone lead to the Bruins undoing. The Bruins still have a chance to catch the Klippers for 4th spot, but a loss tonight and the best they can do is 5th.

Kindersley Klippers- The Klippers wrap up their three game road swing in Estevan today. They started off with a shootout win in Notre Dame followed by a loss to Weyburn last night. The Klippers lead the Bruins by 5 points for 4th spot. After tonight the Klippers host Nipawin and then visit Humboldt on the last day of the season.

Keep an Eye Out For

Estevan Bruins- Dylan Smith. I think there's a valid argument that Smith has been the top player in the SJHL since his return at the Jan. 10 deadline. He's been Player of the Week twice and on Friday he took control with a pair of goals against Humboldt. The Bruins powerplay was looking sharp with Smith playing with Olson and Neufeld up front and this is just pure speculation on my part, I have a feeling we will be seeing the three together on 5 on 5 sometime in the near future.

Kindersley Klippers- Austin Yano. Today is the first time Yano will be playing as a visitor in Spectra Place. The former Bruin was the best player on the ice in the Klippers win on Feb. 9 which lead him to winning SJHL Defenceman of the Week and I'm sure he has plenty of motivation to repeat that performance in front of the Bruins faithful.

Special Stats

Estevan Bruins
PP- 11.9% (12th overall)
PK- 82.9% (7th overall)

Kindersley Klippers

PP 13.9% (10th overall)
PK 77.0% (11th overall)


You can tune into tonight's game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 5:50. Tonight's Bruins Alumni Update will be former Bruins player and coach and now Assistant Coach and Director of Player Personal with the Virden Oil Capitals Chad Leslie.

Bruins Unable to Clinch Playoff Spot With Loss to Broncos

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins were unable to clinch a playoff spot as they were defeated by the Humboldt Broncos 3-2.

The Broncos scored first on the powerplay to gain the early lead but then the Bruins would storm back as Dylan Smith blocked and took the puck and buried a shot pass the glove of Matt Hrinkiw to tie the game at 1-1.

A few minutes later the Bruins would go on to the powerplay and the familiar trio of Smith, Cole Olson and Smith connected on the powerplay as Olson found Smith in front and he scored his 13th goal of the season to get the Bruins the lead after the first period.

In the second period the goal came from the Broncos as scramble left Brandon Tidy alone in front with a tap in goal to tie the game at 2-2.

In the final period the game was decided 3:43 into the period as a bad turnover inside of the Bruins zone left Tidy a short breakaway as he beats Bruins Goalie Curtis Martinu on the glove side as the Broncos would go on to hang to the victory.

Martinu made 25 saves in the loss while the Bruins powerplay was 1 for 3.

The Bruins are back in action tomorrow night when they host the Kindersley Klippers on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 5:50.

Bruins Alumni Audio Ben Findlay & Chris Stubel and Audio From Morrison Cote and Neufeld

A little behind with posting the audio but during last weekend games I had interview with former Bruins Ben Findlay and Chris Stubel. Here's the full interview with Findlay which lasted about 16 minutes, it was pretty much a couple of guys sitting reliving the old days.


                                                                    Ben Findlay



Here's the interview with my birthday brother Chris Stubel





   

And after the Bruins win on Monday I had a chat with the line of Hudson Morrison Alex Cote and Calder Neufeld
                    

Bruins End Trip With Huge Win over Northstars

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins saved their best effort for last as they defeated the Battlefords Northstars 5-2.

The Bruins made plenty of changes to their lines before the game and the changes seem to spark the Bruins. One change was Brett Lewchuk being called up from the Saskatoon AAA Midget Blazers getting the start in net for the Bruins. The Bruins and Northstars were scoreless until 26 seconds remaining in the period when Matt Brykaliuk and Dylan Smith emerged with a 2 on 1 and Brykaliuk's shot left Smith a big rebound as the Bruins took a 1-0 lead.

In the second period, the Northstars came back to tie it up at 1-1 35 seconds into the period, but the Bruins would respond a couple of minutes later as Brykaliul scored from a tough angle and the Bruins grabbed a 2-1 lead. The Bruins would add to their lead as Calder Neufeld scored his first goal since the third game of the season on the powerplay to extend their lead to 3-1. Shortly afterwards Hudson Morrison would outhustle the Northstar defenders and would score on the breakaway to give the Bruins the 4-1 lead. The Northstars would pull Goalie Casey Parker and Connor Creech would go in net. The move seemed to spark the Northstars as they scored at the end of the period to make it 4-2.

But the Bruins would win the third period as Morrison finished  off a 2 on 1 rush to score his second of the game and his 20th of the season to make the final 5-2.

It was a big night for the Morrison-Neufeld-Alex Cote line. Neufeld had a goal and a pair of assists, Cote had a pair of assists. Brett Blatz had a pair of assists and played solid inside of his own end. Lewchuk made 38 saves to pick up the win in his SJHL debut.

The Bruins are now off until Friday when they meet the Humboldt Broncos. You can catch the game on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

*Audio to come later with Keith Cassidy and the Neufeld-Morrison-Cote line later today

Bruins Drop Second Straight in Kindersley

It was a much better effort from the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins last night in Kindersley but it ended in the same result as the Klippers picked up a 4-2 win over the Bruins.

The Bruins started off strong in the opening 10 minutes controlling the majority of the play inside of the Klippers zone but were unable to solve Tyrell King. The Klippers were able to get on the scoreboard with just over 5 minutes remaining in the period as Giovanni Bombini scored on a loose rebound to give the Klippers the early lead. The Klippers lead would last only about a minute as Dylan Smith scored his 10th goal of the season to draw the Bruins even at 1-1.

Kindersley would move ahead 40 seconds later as Stefan Seel scored on another loose rebound. Then with 48 seconds a mad scramble in front of the Bruins Curtis Martinu ended with Colton Schick scoring to give the Klippers a 3-1 lead after one.

The Bruins came back with a solid second period effort with Zach Douglas scoring his second goal of the season as he finished off a 3 on 2 rush to cut the lead to 3-2. The Bruins came within inches of tying the game as Tyler Kauk's shot hit the post. The Bruins headed into the second intermission down 3-2.

But in the final period it was the Klippers getting the only goal as Bombini would add his second of the night to make the final 4-2 for Kindersley.

The Bruins now trail the Klippers by 5 points for 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference. The Bruins lead the Weyburn Red Wings by 6 points for the final playoff spot in the Sherwood Conference. The Bruins wrap up their road trip tonight in Battlefords with the pregame show beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Drop Opener of Road Trip

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins got off to a rough start on their road trip as they were defeated by the Kindersley Klippers 6-1.

The Klippers opened the scoring 11 seconds into the game as Austin Yano's rush left the puck in front of the net and Beau Stewart scored to make it 1-0. The Klippers would extend their lead 3-0 after scoring a pair of goals 26 seconds apart late in the first period to lead 3-0.

In the second period the Klippers would make it 4-0 early in the second period. One sign that it wasn't Bruins night was evident on the Klippers 5th goal as Leighton McLachlan delievered a big hit on Stewart but the puck would go on to the stick of D Jay McGrath and he buried a shot past Martinu. The Klippers would add to their late to make it 6-0.

In the third period the Bruins would come back to add as Tyler Paslawski scored a late goal to make the final 6-1.

The Bruins will meet the Klippers tomorrow night with a pregame show at 5:50 on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com.

Another Heated Battle With Bruins and Hawks as Nipawin wins 1-0

The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins and the Nipawin Hawks have developed a very heated rivalry over the past years and last night was another example. The Bruins were defeated by the Hawks 1-0. 

There was plenty of physicality in the first period as the Bruins Leighton McLachlan stepped up with a big hit on the Hawks Garrett Lockeridge. Moments after the hit the two players dropped the mitts which set the tone for the evening.

Late in the first period McLachlan delievered another crushing hit on Lockeridge as McLachlan caught him with his head but this time the referees called a hit to the head penalty with less than 2 minutes remaining in the period.

With 11 seconds left in the period, Taylor Balog deflected a shot from the point and scored for Nipawin to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Despite a heartbreaker to end off the first period, the Bruins came back strong in the second period as they dominated the shot 14-4 and several quality opportunities but were unable to score.

The third period was much of the same as the Bruins had opportunites to tie the game but were either denied by the Hawks Jordan Liem or they would have a shot trickled wide of the net. The line of Hudson Morrison, Darcy DeRoose and Tyler Paslawski had a strong game with opportunities but were unable to capitalize.

At the end of the game the two teams began to do some pushing and shoving inside of Nipawins end which lead to even more pushing and shoving in front of the players bench. This lead to altercation between Hawks Head Coach Doug Johnson and Bruins Assistant Coach Cole Zahn. Bruins Head Coach Keith Cassidy said it appeared that Johnson was talking to the Bruins players after the game and Zahn took exception to what was said and confronted Johnson.

In regards to the game Cassidy said it was one of the best efforts he has seen from the Bruins over the past couple of years.  He said the Bruins a lot of things right including defensive play inside of their own zone, they moved the puck out, they had speed through the neutral zone, they were forechecking and they had great chances. But Cassidy said sometimes you can do everything right but not end up in the right side of the scoresheet.

The Bruins remain one point back of the Kindersley Klippers for 4th spot in the Sherwood Conference. The Bruins will meet the Klippers in back to back games this weekend starting on Saturday in a game you can catch on CJ1280 and discoverestevan.com beginning at 7:20.

Bruins Salvage Point in OT Loss to Yorkton

It wasn't a pretty game as the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins hosted the Yorkton Terriers last night. But the Bruins managed a single point after they were defeated by the Terriers 2-1 in overtime.

Yorkton opened the scoring in the first period with Nathan Murray scoring on his third opportunity as the Terriers grabbed the lead through the first period.

There wasn't any scoring in the second period, but the Bruins had their chances, the Bruins had about 5 minutes of powerplay time including a 1:03 on a 5 on 3. But the Bruins didn't register too many opportunites on the extra man advantage and found themselves down by one heading into the third period.

After a slow start, the pace began to pick up and the Bruins Wyatt Garagan drove to the net with a shot which left a rebound for Matt Brykaliuk who scored to tie the game up at 1-1. Garagan was playing in his first game back since January 1 after being out with an elbow injury.

The Bruins had the best opportunity to win the game late in the third as the puck took a funny bounce in front and left Dylan Smith with an empty net but a Terrier defender came back and managed to get a stick on Smith's shot to allow it to go wide and forced the game into overtime.

In overtime as the Terriers were moving into the Bruins Nick Egan and Yorktons Curtis Oliver got tangled up in the neutral zone which some fans thought could be either interference penalty. But the Terriers Jeremy Johnson broke in and scored the overtime making the final 2-1.

The Bruins moved a point ahead of Kindersley with the the overtime loss and with Weyburn's loss the Bruins moved 7 points ahead of their Highway 39 rivals for a playoff spot.

Next action for the Bruins is tomorrow when they host Nipawin.

Smith Wins Player of the Week Award Again

He hasn't been back with the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins for a full month yet, but Dylan Smith has won the Canalta Hotels Player of the Week Award for a second time.

Smith started the week with a goal and an assist on Tuesday night during a win over Notre Dame.  He ended the week with four goals and one assist in Saturday’s victory over Melfort.  He now has nine goals and seven assists in just nine games overall.

Along with Smith, Tyler Kauk has won Defenceman of the Week this year, Darcy DeRoose has won Rookie of the Year and Curtis Martinu has won Goalie of the Week.

Smith's Four Goals Lead Bruins to Win

It was another second period comeback for for the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins as they defeated the Melfort Mustangs 6-3.

The Bruins had a tough start as the Mustangs at 5:12 mark a puck ricocheted off a couple of skates and bounced off Zach Douglas skate and in the Bruins net to make it 1-0. The Mustangs would get on a 5 on 3 at the 10:20 mark and Godric Tham would score to extend the Mustangs lead to 2-0.

Estevan would get on the scoreboard as Dylan Smith scored his first of the evening as received a great pass from Leighton McLachlan and Smith had a short breakaway and buried a backhand top shelf to cut the score to 2-1 but before the end of the period Blake Sloan would take advantage of a Bruins turnover inside of their own zone and make it 3-1 after the opening 20 minutes.

The Bruins would turn things around in the second period as Matt Brykaliuk scored on a loose rebound to cut the lead to 3-2. With a minute remaining in the period, Smith's pass deflected off of Hudson Morrison and went into the net to tie the game up at 3-3 after the first two periods.

The Bruins would get on the powerplay early in the third period for the first time of the game in the opening minute and Alex Cote's shot left Smith a big rebound which he took advantage of and the Bruins grabbed their first lead of the game. Less than three minutes Smith would earn a hat trick as he scored to make it 5-3. With 13 seconds remaining Cote found Smith in behind the Mustangs defence as Smith ended the night with four goals and an assist as the Bruins won 6-3.

It was a big night for Cote who also earned 4 assists and Leighton McLachlan, Matt Brykaliuk also registered a pair of points.

With the win the Bruins move into a tie with the Kindersley Klippers for 4th place with the Bruins owning a couple of games in hand.

The Bruins are back in action on Tuesday when they host Yorkton at 7:30.

Cassidy and Smith comment after the game.

Cassidy
















                                                           

                                                                                                       Smith

Bruins Looking For Redemption Against Melfort

The Estevan Bruins will host the Melfort Mustangs tonight at Spectra Place in the 4th and final matchup of the season. The previous three games against the Mustangs have ended in one goal affairs but Melfort earned the wins in all three contests.

Melfort 2 Bruins 1 OT Sept 25

The Bruins and Mustangs couldn't settle anything in regulation and in Overtime Jarrett Zentner managed to sneak a shot past the Bruins Curtis Martinu to get the extra time winner.

Melfort 3 Bruins 2 Nov 30

Another close game as the game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period. The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead and then Melfort scored once again on the extra man advantage to extend the lead to 3-1. Cole Olson scored late to cut the lead to 3-2 but the Bruins were unable to tie the game up.

Melfort 2 Bruins 1 OT Jan 19

Mefort's Patrick Johnson was the story of the game as the Bruins opened up with 12 shots in the opening three minutes but Johnson stoned the Bruins on every opportunity. The game would go into overtime with Godric Tham scoring with less than a minute remaining in overtime.

What will happen in the final matchup this season, we will find out tonight.

I had a chance to talk to the Bruins Curtis Martinu earlier this week and we talked about the Bruins homestand and tonight's opponent in Melfort.