The Estevan TS&M AA bantam Bruins perhaps played one of their best games this season on Saturday night as they demoralized the visiting Saskatoon Stallions by a 7-2 count.
The magic didn’t last however, as the second game of a weekend home ice stand saw them lose to the Notre Dame Hounds in a frustrating fashion that ended up with the Hounds doubling up the Bruins 6-3.
“We outshot them 40-18, yet look at the score,” said a disappointed coach Tom Copeland, referring to the Sunday contest. So to say the loss was a frustrating one, was a big understatement.
“They (Notre Dame) usually play a good defensive game, but we should be able to overcome that in the future. We had enough shots, our guys started to press when they got behind and that only made it worse. They tried to push it up front, almost desperately and it just didn’t work,” Copeland added, noting that the Hounds were beatable, but not on this particular night.
What was good for the team, was the Saturday night dominant performance against the Stallions who just couldn’t keep up with the relentless Bruin pace in a contest that was well in hand by the end of the second period.
The Bruins took a 3-1 first-period lead on goals by Mason Strutt, Carson Benning and Ethan Smith. Ryder Pierson, Hayden Cutler and Cole Fonstad, notched the second-period goals to add to the Estevan lead with Jake Palmer topping it off with a third-period tally that sealed the deal early.
Luke Dyer and Nicholas Clay were the goal getters for the Stallions.
Cody Levesque took the victory in net, stopping 26 of the 28 shots sent in his direction in a game that saw the Stallions start out strongly but then withered under relentless forechecking pressure by the Bruins.
“The Saturday game was a good one for us. The scoring was spread out. It showed we have a balanced attack when you get production like that from the second and third lines. I didn’t have to do any knit picking on details either. The guys focused on their transition game. Some have already been coached on this so we’re not having to teach it to all of them. At this stage in their development, the transition game becomes important and they were getting it. Then, on Sunday, they just didn’t respond. They’ve been guilty of that before. They just lacked the energy to finish things off and then got frustrated. But we have some good guys, some veteran leadership on the team. I know they can respond positively,” Copeland said in summing up the weekend that featured both poles on the emotional scales.
Strutt added two assists to go along with his goal on Saturday night, as did Fonstad. Palmer also had a first period assist to add to his third period marker. Also gathering assists were Kersey Reich, Jorden Stein, Dawson Schaff and Hayden Cutler.
On Sunday, Reich, Dawson and Schaff were the goal scorers as the Bruins scored once in each period. Trey Stocker provided two assists on Bruin tallies while other assists came from J.D. Gervais, Kade McMillen and Stein.
The Hounds took a 2-1 first-period lead on goals by Roberto Moretto and Zane Pollon and the teams exchanged goals in the second frame with Luke Mylymok of the Hounds answering Cutler’s tally and then with the Bruins fading in the third period, the Hounds scored three times with the lone reply from Schaff. Scoring in the third period for Notre Dame were Aidan Strangeway, Marshall Porteous and Mylmok, with his second of the contest.
Mylymok also registered an assist, giving him a three-point game, while Jared Rein picked up two helpers.
The two teams shared eight minor penalties.
Timur Shiyanov earned the win with a busy night in goal for Notre Dame, while Callum Spearing was in net for the Bruins.
