The Estevan Apex Bruins had little trouble disposing of a pair of visiting foes on the weekend.
The Bruins (13-6-2) beat Moose Jaw 5-1 Saturday and the Regina Capitals 6-2 Sunday, taking both games handily.
“We had a really good start the last couple of games, which was really nice for us,” said Bruins head coach Robin Ulrich. “In a few weekends previous to that we were sluggish coming out of the gate. A good start is always good for us. The ability to get some points and score some goals and have a contribution from all three lines is really nice.”
Josh Romanyk scored with ten seconds left in the first period Friday to give the Bruins the lead. Although Moose Jaw ties the game early in the second, the Bruins scored four unanswered – including three in the third. Those goal scorers were Triston Sorenson, Jaiden Gervais, Dawson Schaff on the power play and Joey Meredith shorthanded. Logan Nagel got the win in net with 21 saves.
Sunday against the Capitals, the Bruins’ aggressive forecheck stood out as a key factor, frustrating Regina and leading to countless turnovers.
“I think any type of hockey you play, when you put pressure on people it forces them to move the puck quickly,” said Ulrich. “(Saturday) night I thought we weren’t aggressive off the hop and we kind of let Moose Jaw do some things and look good. But when you put pressure on them it forces them to move the puck and forces turnovers. We did a good job of that (Sunday).”
Carson Benning scored Estevan’s first goal Sunday at 6:57 on a shot from the point that went cleanly through behind Regina’s Joshua Babcock. They then lit up Babcock with quick strikes in the second, as Zach Ashworth, Daymon Wanner and Gervais scored in a 2:24 stretch to give the Bruins a big 4-0 lead.
“We started capitalizing on our opportunities moving the puck and our defensive game really picked up,” said Wanner. “Everything was just clicking for us in the second.”
The Bruins also got goals from Cale Adams and Romanyk in the third. Bryson Garton stopped 30 shots in the win.
“Even though the scores were a bit lopsided, both of our goaltenders played well,” said Ulrich.
If there is one thing the Bruins weren’t able to do well is was turn the other cheek when it came to penalties. They let the Capitals have eight power plays in the game compared to the Bruins’ four.
“That’s something we’ll need to clean up is our penalties and just our ability to retaliate… if we feel we’ve had a cheap shot or a slight to us,” she said. “That’s an area we need to clean up because we can’t always be relying… on the PK to kill penalties for us.”
The Bruins’ next game will be Dec. 30 at Melville. Estevan has gone 13-2 in their last 15 regular season games.
“We would have liked to have had a better start to be in the top teams for sure,” said Wanner. “We’re capable of it. We’re pretty happy with where we are right now.”
