After a long hiatus, the Estevan TS&M Bruins made their return to the ice on Saturday, shutting out the Swift Current Raiders 2-0 in their Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League season opener.
Josh Skjonsby and Wyatt Haux scored to pace the Bruins to victory.
Tom Copeland, who has taken over the reins of the bantam AA squad this year, said it was a strong defensive effort by his club.
"I think we only had 19-20 shots against. (Goaltender) Ethan (Veroba) made a couple of stops that obviously contributed to the shutout, but he just made the saves he had to make. This early in the season, our guys were getting on pucks good. Most of their shots came from the outside. Our kids are quickly buying into the hockey we need to play," he said.
"Any breakout they had, we were breaking it down before the red line, breaking up any scoring chances. A lot of the things we didn't do very well in the pre-season, we stepped up and did it very well on Saturday."
It didn't take long for the Bruins to get on the board, breaking the ice 3:48 into the first period on the power play. Brady Long made a sharp pass across to Skjonsby, leaving him with an empty net to shoot at.
Jayden Davis drew the other assist on the goal.
After a scoreless second period, Haux added some insurance at 11:31 of the third, with Dawson Nobiss and Shae Little assisting on the tally.
Copeland said it was a case of everyone pulling their own weight, rather than a few standouts leading the way.
"We had a great game from all our forwards. It was fairly balanced across the board. They all bought into the team system."
He added that returning defencemen Brayden Pachal and Kale Martens had strong outings and will anchor the blue line this year.
Estevan played two pre-season games, defeating Brandon 2-1 on Sept. 14 and falling 4-2 to Weyburn on Sept. 23.
Copeland said the Bruins won't blow other teams away with their scoring, but he's happy with the club's makeup in their own end.
"We've got nice, big goaltenders that move well and they're going to have to make all the saves they should. Our defencemen have to make big plays. They have to understand it's a 60-minute game and it's a long game. They have a lot to learn about patience."
The Bruins have four returning players, highlighted by Pachal, who had seven assists in 24 games last year.
"He moves the puck well and sees the ice well. He makes good passes, makes good decisions and he's going to continue to get better all the time," Copeland said.
Other returnees are Martens, Skjonsby and forward Jayden Davis.
Skjonsby is the team's captain and Copeland described him as a hard worker who should be able to improve on the six points he managed last season.
Davis also had six points in 2012-13 and will see an expanded role.
"I would bet he skates as well as any player in the league. He just brings everything."
Six players have moved up from the peewee AA ranks, led by Cole Fonstad, who finished fourth in South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League scoring last year with 30 goals and 44 points in 20 games.
Copeland said there will be an adjustment period for Fonstad, as he won't be able to dominate at the bantam level the same way he did in peewee.
"Cole's going to play a lot of hockey, but it's a step up for him. He plays extremely well, but he's not going to dance around guys anymore.
For a couple of games, I think he didn't realize that.
"Once he gets accustomed to the league and gets used to his linemates, he's going to know where they are. He's got an amazing gift to be able to pass the puck Cole's future is very bright. He knows that, we know that."
Other players moving up from peewee AA are Hayden Cutler (eight goals, 18 points), Ryder Pierson (five goals, 12 points), Carson Benning (seven goals, 10 points), Terran Holzer (three goals, 10 points) and Colton Schell (two goals, four points).
Copeland said he hopes the team will hit its stride by Christmas and make some noise when the calendar flips to 2014.
The Bruins won't play their home opener until Oct. 12, when they host Humboldt. They visited the Notre Dame Hounds last night and have a northern road swing this weekend, facing the Saskatoon Stallions, Saskatoon Outlaws and Prince Albert Raiders.
