Skip to content

Midget AA Bruins swept by undefeated foes

The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins season came to an end on Friday night in a 6-1 loss to the Swift Current Broncos at Affinity Place. Swift Current swept the best-of-five series in three straight games.
Joey Meredith
Joey Meredith (11) of the midget AA Bruins slips past a Swift Current defender Friday night at Affinity Place.

The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins season came to an end on Friday night in a 6-1 loss to the Swift Current Broncos at Affinity Place.

Swift Current swept the best-of-five series in three straight games.

The Broncos were up by a goal after the first period, but Estevan outshot them 9-7, and hit a couple of posts, too. It remained a one-goal game until midway through the second, when the Broncos scored three times in less than three minutes to pull away.

Swift Current added to the lead with a goal 4 1/2 minutes into the third. Estevan notched their first of the game with less than 10 minutes to play in the third when Tayce Miller scored, but Swift Current finished the scoring with an empty net goal.

Morgan Wanner was in goal for Estevan.

“They’re a good team from top to bottom,” said Bruins head coach Riley Hengen. “They play a very structured system, which we had trouble with in Games 2 and 3. And even in the three games in the regular season, we couldn’t get a lot of offence going against those guys.”

Hengen said they needed the puck to bounce the right way against a team like the Broncos.

“It was the same in Game 1 up there (in Swift Current),” said Hengen. “We had a good game. We forced it into overtime. Had a chance or two in overtime, but just couldn’t get that bounce. If we pick up a win in that Game 1, the series would be a whole new ball game, seeing how those guys react to a loss.”

The Broncos have a perfect 42-0 record in the regular season and playoffs.

Hengen, who won a league title with the midget AA Bruins in 2006-07, is amazed that Swift Current is still undefeated.

“The fact that they’re 42-0 at this point is incredible, especially in our league. We were a fourth place team, and I thought we were pretty good. There’s a lot of good teams in this league, and the fact that nobody could take those guys down so far, it’s an unbelievable thing.”

Seven players will graduate from the midget AA Bruins this year. Twelve are eligible to return, but Hengen expects some of them will play midget AAA next season.

He also praised the team for their resiliency.

“They’ve come very far. We dealt with a lot of injuries at the start of the season, and we were a .500 hockey team for the first half. I think we finished the year 15-2-1-1, so we were hot once we were healthy.”