The Estevan Bruins delivered two of their strongest efforts of the season to pick up victories at Affinity Place over a couple of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s elite teams.
The Bruins scored five unanswered goals to defeat the Nipawin Hawks 5-2 on Feb. 5. Three nights later, they beat the Flin Flon Bombers 6-2.
Nipawin, who had the third-best record in the league entering play on Feb. 10, led 2-0 early in the second period. Former Bruin defenceman Bronson Adams scored 14 seconds into the game, and Burke Simpson tallied 2:28 into the second period. Tanner Manz scored for the Bruins 79 seconds after Simpson’s goal to cut Nipawin’s lead in half.
Cody Davis and Eddie Gallagher scored before the period was out to give them the lead; Gallagher’s goal came with 19 seconds to play in the frame.
Gallagher and Manz added goals in the third to finish the scoring.
Devan Harrison added three assists in the victory, and goaltender Keenan Rancier made 24 saves.
Defenceman Max Wanner made his Bruin debut. The 16-year-old from Estevan, who is currently playing with the Moose Jaw Warriors midget AAA program, said he was able to eventually settle down.
“The first couple of shifts were kind of shaky, but you just have to get into the flow of the game,” said Wanner.
He had a lot of family and friends in attendance for the game.
The Flin Flon game was scoreless until Erik Boers and Jayden Davis scored 21 seconds apart with less than six minutes to play in the first to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
Griffin Asham-Moroz scored with 6:23 to play in the second to add to the Bruins lead, touching off a stretch in which the teams would score four times in four minutes. Flin Flon’s Caleb Franklin scored 32 seconds later to make it a 3-1 game, but Asham-Moroz scored again for a 4-1 lead. Tristan Lemyre responded for the Bombers before the period was out, leaving Estevan up two.
Manz scored on a power play midway through the third to restore the Bruins three-goal lead, and Jaden Davis scored a short-handed goal to finish the scoring.
Rancier made 38 saves for the victory.
“We played exceptional tonight,” said head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood. “I thought it started with some big saves by our goaltender, and a couple of quick goals in the first period, and the guys never let off. They never got too excited and they stayed composed.”
The win came after tough losses to Flin Flon earlier in the year: 7-4 at home to the Bombers in November, a game Estevan led 4-2 after two periods, and 9-2 in Flin Flon last month.
“To come here and pretty much dominate the game, I felt it was an awesome game from everyone. It was a nice game to win,” said Asham-Moroz.
The Bombers have a great team, but Asham-Moroz thought the Bruins outplayed them and outworked them on Saturday. The two quick goals in the first were a big boost.
Defenceman Matthew Millette was called up from the midget AAA Regina Pat Canadians to make his Bruin debut. Lewgood was pleased with the play of both Millette and Wanner last week.
Lewgood said both players have “very bright futures.”
“Usually with defencemen and goaltenders, there’s a huge adjustment coming from midget to junior, and I’m not saying there’s not going to be an adjustment for Matty when he’s a full-time junior, but you sure didn’t see it (his ability) tonight.”
As for Wanner, Lewgood noted the local product has played several games in the Western Hockey League this year.
The win over Flin Flon extended the Bruins winning streak to three, and ended the Bombers six-game winning streak.
The Bruins improved their record to 24-21-3-1, which leaves them with 52 points with nine games remaining. They sit in the eighth and final playoff spot, five points ahead of the ninth place Kindersley Klippers, but now they are just one point behind the seventh place Humboldt Broncos, and the Bruins have two games in hand.
The Bruins will host the La Ronge Ice Wolves Feb. 12 at Affinity Place. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. It will be their second-last home game of the regular season.
