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Bruins sweep Millionaires to start SJHL season

The regular season has started for the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins, but they picked up right where they left off in the exhibition season – undefeated.
Bruins
Estevan's Matthew Chekay moves the puck away from a Melville defender Friday at Affinity Place.

The regular season has started for the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins, but they picked up right where they left off in the exhibition season – undefeated.

The Bruins won 4-2 over the Melville Millionaires at Affinity Place Friday to start the season and then went to Melville where they won 5-1.

The Bruins fell behind early though, facing their first touch of adversity during the 2017-18 campaign as they struggled to stay even with Melville.

“You can tell the first couple of shifts, that we needed to pick up our game and pick up the speed,” said Bruins' forward Michael McChesney, who scored twice in the third in the season opener. “You could tell we were trying to do too much. We'd turn over the puck and they'd throw it down the ice.”

Defenceman Clayton Eisler got Melville on the board at 2:26 of the first period and it took until Aigne McGeady-Bruce's point shot through traffic at 18:46 of the period to tie it up. The second saw the Bruins take a territorial advantage through much of it but Melville's Alex Maticic jumped on a loose puck at 15:14 of the second to claim the lead.

“It's a long game and we knew we were going to score some goals,” said Bruins' head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood. “Maybe we were frustrated at time tonight. Guys were getting a bit down on themselves. I think with a successful pre-season guys were expecting things to come a little easier and it was just a reminder not to get down on yourselves and manage your emotions. For the most part, I thought the guys had the right mindset.”

The Bruins didn't panic though and took full control of the game in the third, outshooting Melville 15-3 in the period.

“After a while we understood we just had to make simple plays,” McChesney said. “Dump it in, chip and chase and once we started making those simple plays in the third period we kind of took over the game.”

On a power play, the puck ended up on McChesney's stick in the slot and he roofed it behind Melville's Colby Entz at 4:06 of the third, tying the game. Isaac Embree on another power play at 9:11 gave the Bruins the lead and McChesney's shot from his own end into an empty net at 19:34 of the period sealed the game.

The veteran presence of players like McChesney and Embree, as well as captain Jake Fletcher and alternates Kaelan Holt and Zach Goberis, meant the Bruins were never really panicking after gong down early in the game.

“We just regrouped,” McChesney said. “There was a lot of talk on the bench and... we just found a way to get the win.”
Matt Lukacs stopped 16 of 18 shots in the Bruins net.

“We didn't play that well tonight, but once we get all three or four lines going, we're going to be a deadly team,” McChesney said.

Saturday in Melville, the team got goals from Goberis, McChesney, Embree, Tanner McKechnie and TJ Irey. Maxim Sidelnik stopped 22 of 23 shots in the Bruins net.

The Bruins still have 26 players with the team – 15 forwards, eight defencemen and three goaltenders –and that roster need to be whittled down as the season comes to the roster deadline Dec. 1.

“We'll make decisions as they come to us,” said Lewgood. “We actually have some other guys waiting in the weeds who we feel are able to play at this level as well. As decisions come apparent, we'll make them. But in the meantime, we'll keep rotating. Guys have got to be patient and bide their time and use their opportunities to prove themselves.

Now the Bruins' task gets a bit more difficult. They play several of their next games away from the Viterra Division when they go to Kindersley to play the Klippers Friday night. They then go to the Battlefords to play the Stars Saturday – the Stars who knocked them out of the playoffs last year – and then go to Saskatoon to pay in the SJHL showcase. They face the Stars again Sept. 25 and the La Ronge Ice Wolves Sept. 26.

“Road trips are fun,” said McChesney. “You get to hang out at the hotel with the guys, you get to learn new things about everybody. New roommates in the hotel rooms and you're probably not staying with the same guys you live with in Estevan so it's always good to get around and meet the new guys. You're still learning new things with these guys. There's a lot of guys here.”

Their next home game is Sept. 29 against the Yorkton Terriers.