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Bruins still confident about team heading into break

If the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins explode like they did in the third period against the Weyburn Red Wings Saturday they’ll be a very tough team to beat in the post-Christmas part of the season.
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Bruins Bryce Platt (26) and Turner Ripplinger (17) try to look for a loose puck around Weyburn goaltender Cody Levesque Saturday in Weyburn. Photo by Greg Nikkel, Weyburn Review.

If the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins explode like they did in the third period against the Weyburn Red Wings Saturday they’ll be a very tough team to beat in the post-Christmas part of the season.

The first half of this year has seen the Bruins struggle to find the net sometimes – they’re fourth in the league in goals for entering Tuesday night’s game against the Yorkton Terriers – and struggle to keep goals out of their own net as they have allowed the sixth-most goals in the 12-team league. 

Tuesday’s game is their last until Dec. 30 against Weyburn.

“I think this break will be good for us,” said Bruins forward Michael McChesney. “Obviously this first half has been a struggle and not the way we wanted it to go, but we’ve got a good group of guys and a good coaching staff here and we’re fully confident about what our team can do. Some games we show it and some games we don’t but if we get more consistent in the second half, I don’t think our team has anything to worry about.”

McChesney added that the team needs to show up every night.

“No excuses,” he said. “The first half went the way it went and we’re going to come back in the second half and we’re going to be better.”

The focus in the last 21 games will change to be on all the divisional battles they have. A steady diet of Yorkton, Melville and Weyburn with four-point games at stake virtually every game. The Bruins were 16-18-2-0 coming into Tuesday, but were 6-4-0-0 against the Viterra Division.

“It’s going to be a grind,” said McChesney. “Even though our division isn’t the best right now, you never know who’s going to win. It’s always a good rivalry with all four teams in our division here, so you’ve just got to go, play to win and work hard.”

The Bruins knocked the Red Wings around on the scoresheet Saturday with an 8-2 win. McChesney scored two with an assist, while Turner Ripplinger also scored two. Jake Heerspink, Ryder Pierson, Tristyn DeRoose and Devan Harrison each scored singles., while Grant Boldt stopped 26 of 28 shots in the win.

Carlyle’s Zane Winter – a member of the Estevan Apex Bruins midget AA team – dressed as Cody Levesque’s backup goaltender in the game in place of Riley Lamb.