The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins are going to have some extra attention on them during the quarter-final round of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s (SJHL) playoffs.
The Bruins are going to face the Humboldt Broncos in the quarters. Humboldt, of course, has been in the spotlight this season as the team has been rebuilding following the tragic bus collision with a semi-trailer unit on April 6, 2018, that left 16 people on the team’s bus dead and 13 more injured.
The first two games will be at Affinity Place, with Game 1 on March 15 and Game 2 the following night. Both will start at 7:30 p.m. Games 3 and 4 will be in Humboldt, and will be played on March 18 and 19, respectively.
Game 5, if necessary, would be March 22 in Estevan, Game 6 would be two nights later in Humboldt, and Game 7 would take place March 26 in Estevan.
Estevan dropped all four meetings with Humboldt this year. They lost 6-2 in Saskatoon during the league’s showcase event, 5-3 in Estevan on Oct. 6, 3-2 in Humboldt on Nov. 11, and 5-1 in Estevan on Nov. 22. The two home games against the Broncos were among the largest crowds for a Bruins home game this season.
And the Broncos, ironically, had a better record than the Bruins, as Humboldt (35-19-3-1) finished with 74 points, while the Bruins (31-23-3-2) had 67. Estevan will be the third-seeded team because they won the Viterra Division title, the third straight season they have done so.
Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood said the Bruins are a different team from the one that played Humboldt earlier this season. And the Black and Gold were 15-4-2 after the Christmas break.
“We weathered the storm with some injury stuff and psychologically stayed strong, and have become a much better team as a result,” said Lewgood.
Lewgood believes Humboldt is one of the most complete and skilled teams in the league.
“They’re going to be a challenge,” said Lewgood. “You have to get through all of the best teams to win any sort of a championship, and our goal is to win an SJHL title this year. We were going to have to see Humboldt to do so at some point, so we might as well see them now.”
Team captain Jake Heerspink added the Broncos are a good, fast team, but he doesn’t believe the Broncos have seen the Bruins at their best.
“We just have to come out and work hard, and good things are going to happen for us,” said Heerspink.
Heerspink is not concerned the Bruins haven’t beaten the Broncos this season, and he believes the Broncos have yet to see the Bruins at their best.
A third-year player, Heerspink is also pleased the Bruins have won a division title for the third straight season. Prior to this run of success, the club hadn’t won a division crown since 2007.
“You play a lot of games against these teams over the course of three years, and to be atop of that all three seasons I’ve been here is pretty cool. It’s pretty special,” said Heerspink.
He believes the team’s experience will be a big boost once they return to the ice following a 13-day break. Nine players remain from the team that made it to the league final last season. All of those players went through the bye to the quarter-finals last year.
“Guys have little nagging injuries,” said Heerspink. “You get that cleared up, and a little break and time to prepare for our opponent.”
Centre TJ Irey is the only player who might not be ready to play in Game 1 against Humboldt due to injury.
“We got the break, and we earned it, and we have to make the most of our time off to prepare and be ready,” said Lewgood.
The Bruins clinched the division title on Friday night, even before their game at the Weyburn Red Wings was finished. The Melville Millionaires knocked off the Yorkton Terriers 6-2, which meant the Terriers couldn’t catch the Bruins for the division lead.
The Bruins lost that game 4-3 in overtime. Will Koop scored twice for Estevan, while Tyson Manz also scored.
Estevan wrapped up the regular season Saturday night with a 5-3 win over Weyburn, in front of more than 1,800 fans at Affinity Place. Isaiah Thomas scored twice for Estevan, while Koop, Bryce Platt and Michael McChesney also scored.
Grant Boldt was in goal for both games.
Lewgood said they had some lulls on Saturday night, but once they started dictating the pace of the game, the team was rewarded.
“I thought we really locked things down pretty well. They were playing high-risk, high-reward hockey, and it’s hard to defend against that. I thought we managed our emotions pretty well in the game as well.”
