The Estevan Apex Bruins are marching on to the second round of the playoffs.
The midget AA club defeated the Regina Flames in two straight games in their best-of-five South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League series.
A 6-4 victory in Regina on Friday punched the Bruins' ticket to the next round, after they had earned a 3-0 win in the opener on March 5.
Estevan now faces the first-place Regina Capitals in the second round. That series kicks off Thursday in Regina, with Game 2 going Saturday at 7 p.m. at Affinity Place. Game 3, if necessary, is March 19 in Regina.
With only three points separating the fourth-place Bruins and fifth-place Flames in the regular season, Bruins head coach Dalton Giblett said it was a bit of a surprise to win the series in two games.
"I was actually thinking it was going to be a very close series and go the distance. Both games were close," he said.
The Bruins came flying out of the gate on Friday, taking a 4-0 lead after the first period, as Colton Winton, Kaelan Holt, Tyler Hengen and Dylan Lay scored in a span of less than eight minutes.
Estevan's top line of Holt, Lay and Kyle Salaway was in on all four goals, including two on the power play.
"They had a lot of chances, they were creating lots. We were skating. Holt was hustling and doing what Kaelan does," Giblett said. "We buried our chances."
The Flames gradually chipped away at the lead over the last 40 minutes, beginning with two power play goals in the second.
Austin Brown got them on the board eight minutes into the frame, although Estevan's Colton Gingras countered only 36 seconds later.
The Flames narrowed the score to 5-2 later in the period on a goal by Cody Hegion.
Giblett said goalie Tanner Tytlandsvik made some big saves in the second to keep the Flames at bay.
Winton's second goal of the night extended the Bruins' lead early in the third period.
Another goal by Hegion on a penalty shot and a tally by Mason Mullaney shortly after got the Flames within two, but that was as close as they would get.
"They applied some pressure late in the game, but the boys played well," Giblett said.
"In the last four or five minutes, we kinda went into a defensive shell there trying to weather the storm, and we did."
The series opener on Wednesday was scoreless until late in the second period, when Salaway and Holt scored barely two minutes apart.
"In the first period, there were playoff nerves, we were very tentative. As the game got going on we seemed to loosen up," Giblett said.
"Once Salaway scored that first goal, we seemed to take it to them for a bit. The key was our defence, all five of them, and (Tytlandsvik) played an awesome game, probably his best of the year."
Preston Hutt added an insurance marker with three minutes left in the game, rattling a shot off the far post and in.
The Bruins killed off a 5-on-3 power play midway through the second period that lasted about a minute and a half, and Giblett said that was a turning point.
The Bruins now prepare to face the Capitals, who finished with 54 points, putting them 12 ahead of Estevan.
The teams played twice this year, both before Christmas, as they tied the first game 5-5 and the Capitals won the second 6-5.
Estevan led the league in goals by a wide margin, with 179, but the Capitals allowed just 74, the second-lowest total.
"The Capitals are very good. They are probably the top offensive team in our league," Giblett said. "Their power play is tremendous. We gotta stay out of the box and play with the same intensity we did before. These last couple of weeks, we've played a lot better in our own end and our goaltending has been great. If we keep that going, it should be a good series."
"As long as you come and play your game and work hard, good things will happen. Our guys are starting to realize that, I think."
