The playoffs are a brand new season in hockey and the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins drove that point home on Saturday and Sunday.
The Bruins stunned the Kindersley Klippers, winning the first two games of their best-of-five Sherwood Conference survivor series in Kindersley.
Despite owning the SJHL's worst road record in the regular season, the Bruins stole back home ice advantage with wins of 2-1 on Saturday and 5-4 on Sunday.
"We started playing stronger hockey toward the end of the year and our confidence is there in just about every situation we find ourselves in. We've had so many ups and downs that we've learned from that experience," said Bruins head coach and general manager Keith Cassidy.
The Bruins had a chance to sweep the series in Game 3 last night at Spectra Place. Game 4, if necessary, goes tonight in Estevan at 7:30 p.m.
A series victory would send the Bruins to the Sherwood Conference semifinals, where they would play the first-place Yorkton Terriers.
On Sunday, the Bruins roared out of the gate to a 3-0 lead after a first period that saw them outshoot the Klippers 16-4.
But the Klippers fired back with everything they had in the second period to tie the game.
Estevan's three first-period goals came just 1:36 apart before the midway point.
Calder Neufeld opened the scoring at the 6:33 mark.
Tanner Froese made it 2-0 just 36 seconds later, and exactly one minute after that, Dylan Smith scored to extend the Bruins' cushion.
After that goal, Klippers starter Tyrell King was yanked in favour of Warren Shymko.
A string of power play time in the second period aided the Klippers' comeback.
D. Jay McGrath beat Bruins starter Curtis Martinu on a wraparound at the 2:40 mark for Kindersley's first goal.
Smith's second of the game came 2:26 later to restore the Bruins' three goal lead.
Then the Klippers went into overdrive.
Colby Daniels fired a point shot off the post and in at the 10:51 mark, just after a power play had expired.
Kyle Davies scored 2:24 later with the Klippers having a man advantage, and Bradley Buckingham completed the rally at the 15-minute mark, tipping Daniels' point shot past Martinu on another power play.
"Those goals, two of them were on the power play and one was at the end of a power play there. It wasn't off anything they were doing specifically on their power play, it was just battles in front of the net," said Cassidy.
"We know as a team we have to be a little sharper on that. Nobody panicked and we went into the third period and played a really good period."
Froese scored the game-winner for Estevan at 7:25 of the third.
The shots were 32-29 for the Klippers.
Cassidy said it was crucial that the Bruins hung on to win the game, partly to avoid giving the Klippers something to build on heading into Game 3.
"I think it's huge because they were certainly riding a wave of momentum, specifically off having so many power plays in a row.
"The thing is, we fought back at every turn. Yeah, they came back on us, but nobody got down and everybody went back to doing what made us successful in the first."
Saturday's game was much quieter on the scoresheet.
"We've been in a lot of one-goal games. The low-scoring variety is one that we're used to. I think our attention to detail, especially in our own end, was excellent on Saturday night," said Cassidy, noting that the Bruins only allowed three shots in the third period.
Cole Olson opened the scoring with a power play goal, walking out of the corner and jamming the puck past King at 12:16.
Kindersley's Giovanni Bombini responded three minutes later with a power play goal of his own, tying the game 1-1 after the first period.
After a scoreless second period, Neufeld scored the winner at 13:27 of the third, firing a shot from the high slot that bounced off King's glove and over him into the net.
"It was about his fifth opportunity to shoot from the top of the circles. His previous four attempts, he either made another move or shot it wide or something happened," Cassidy said of Neufeld.
The Bruins outshot the Klippers 33-24.
Cassidy said his team had to avoid complacency heading into Game 3 on Tuesday.
"It's crucial that we come out and treat it like every other game. We have to have that sense of urgency and I think it's pretty imperative that we finish them off (Tuesday). We don't want to give them any incentive to build off at all."
