The Senior Bruno Axemen headed to the 2013 Senior National Broomball Championships held in Regina last week.
The team was one of three Saskatchewan teams attending the 2013 Nationals, competing against two teams from Quebec, two from Ontario and one from Alberta.
With an impressive Men's Gold medal win at the 2012 National Competition, the Senior Axemen had much to prove.
The competition was stiff this year, said Ray Bender, head coach to the Senior Axemen.
"The last place team could have won just as well as the first team did," he said Monday afternoon, "that's how strong the competition was."
The Senior Bruno Axemen started off the Nationals strong, fighting to overcome the Pogos in their first game on Wednesday afternoon. Despite making six shots on goal, the Axemen failed to put one past the goalie. The Pogos scored two goals in the first, putting them ahead. A quiet second period saw no action from either side of the ice, leading the Pogos to win the game 2-0 over the Axemen.
The Bruno Axemen pulled it together for their second game of the day on Wednesday, facing off against Briquetal L'Assomption in Game 17. The Axemen didn't waste any time, and put one goal in net one mere second into the first period. Bruno's Jason Basset scored a second goal for the team before Briquetal L'Assomption responded with a goal of their own. The Axemen lost their one-point advantage early in the second as Briquetal L'Assomption put the ball in net 6:20 into the period. Briquetal L'Assomption maintained momentum and put a third and winning goal into net 13:35 into the second, defeating the Bruno Axemen 3-2.
The Bruno boys played well in Game 28 against the Edmonton Impact. Hitting the ice Thursday morning, the Seniors were ready to fight. Bruno came out strong in the first, with Jayce Muir scoring the first goal 15 seconds into the game. The Edmonton Impact responded with two goals of their own ending the first period 2-1 for Edmonton.
The Axemen's Jeremy Sibley scored goal two, assisted by Ryan Bender, in the second. Edmonton stayed strong answering back with another two goals.
The Edmonton Impact defeated the Bruno Axemen 4-2.
The Axemen ended Thursday on a high note, battling hard against the Ottawa Nationals. The teams held back in the first, ending the period with no points on the board but moved fast during the second. Ottawa put a goal in net 14 seconds into the second period, to which Bruno's Lyle Weiman answered back. Ottawa responded with a goal minutes later encouraging the Bruno boys to dig deep, which they did posting a point tying up the game and taking it into overtime. The teams were well matched for each other, but Bruno pulled ahead for their first game win at Nationals, beating out the Ottawa Nationals 3-2 in OT.
The Senior Bruno Axemen stayed strong into Game 51 on Friday afternoon. The local boys faced off against opposing Saskatchewan team, the Balgonie Barons.
The action built slowly until the Axemen's Jeff Basset made a move to the net, putting in the first goal of the game 8:59 into the first. Despite their efforts, the Barons failed to respond, giving the Axemen a one-point advantage. After both teams suffered a series of penalties in the second, the Axemen's Lyle Weiman, Jeff Basset and Ryan Bender rushed together to put in the winning goal. Bruno defeated Balgonie 2-0.
On Friday, April 12, the Axemen faced off against the Phantoms in the A-side men's semifinals. The game was uneventful in the first and second, as both teams failed to hit the net despite taking multiple shots on goal. The game went into overtime, giving the Phantoms the opportunity to sneak one past Axemen goalie Blake Huber. The Phantoms defeated the Axemen 1-0 in OT.
The Nationals drew to a close on Saturday afternoon as the Senior Bruno Axemen took to the ice once again playing against the Pogos for the A-Side men's bronze. The Pogos started the action in the first putting in two unanswered goals leading the board 2-0 at the end of the first. The Pogos held on to their advantage scoring a third goal 7:26 into the second and another at 14:20. The Axemen had a hard time finding the net taking only two shots on the Pogos'net.
The Pogos defeated the Bruno Senior Axemen 4-0 leaving the Axemen's final standings in A -Side at 4th.
"We were disappointed to finish fourth," said Bender. "It's nice to at least finish in the top four, but two years ago we got second and last year we won gold."
