The TS&M Bruins drew 3-3 with the visiting Humboldt Broncos in Saskatchewan Bantam AA League action, helping them unlock the 'get a point from the northern division team' achievement.
Now, the time will come to get some wins as they try to get their season to level up from 'middle of the pack' in the southern division to 'consistent winner'.
Cade Bendtsen's power play goal at 6:50 of the third period helped power the Bruins to the tie but more than that, it was Zane Winter's high quality netminding in the Bruins' net that gave them the win. The Broncos were credited with 62 shots on Winter in the game.
Shots were something like 16-1 for Humboldt after the first half of the period.
“Overall, once that (first) ten minutes passed, we did what we had to do to tie the hockey game,” said Bruins head coach Tom Copeland. “You've got to keep parking those ten minute slots. You have a bad ten minutes, you park it. And they did that.”
The Bruins were getting more and more confidence from their goaltender as the game wore on.
“That's probably the best game I've seen him play. That's probably the best game of his life,” Copeland said. “That's what he's strives to be. We want to see more of that from him.”
Winter said he went into the game knowing he'd face a lot of shots.
“if one goes in, you've got to refocus for the next shot,” Winter said. “I feel like we really picked it up in the third (period) after the second.”
Adrien Riddell and Mason Fichter scored the Bruins' other goals.
The Bruins' next action is Dec. 9 at home against Swift Current (8 p.m., Affinity Place) and at home to Notre Dame Hounds Dec. 10 (2:30 p.m., Affinity Place).
“If we can really compete and have confidence I think we can beat the best teams in the league,” Winter said.
