The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins can seemingly score whenever they feel like it early this season and can especially dominate some of the league's weaker teams.
That was on display this week as the Bruins easily handled the La Ronge Ice Wolves 6-3 Thursday and the Flin Flon Bombers 7-3 Sunday at Affinity Place. The wins brought the Bruins to 5-0 at home and a 7-0-1 streak in their last eight games. It's good to be a Bruin and there's no better Bruin with the puck than Zach Goberis, the Canalta Hotels SJHL Player of the Week last week.
“I think the biggest thing is confidence,” said Goberis after the Flin Flon game. Goberis had 12 goals last year in 56 games and now has 16 markers already through 13 games. “I'm in a bigger role and there's more on my shoulders so there's more opportunities. There's a bit of puck luck too.”
Goberis and the Bruins were scoreless with the Bombers through the first period but erupted for five goals in the second frame.
“I think part of it was they were tired from their last game, and were getting our legs under us,” Goberis said, referring to Sunday being the Bombers' third game in three nights. “We had a couple of days off and... I think after the first period we wore them down a bit and we are the more conditioned team and we showed how.”
The Bruins began the second period shorthanded but scored on a giveaway that led to a short break for Matthew Chekay, who scored his fourth of the season at 1:04 of the second. Goberis took advantage of his own short break after picking off an errant Bombers pass to dangle the puck around and behind Flin Flon netminder Niklas Anderson.
While Flin Flon tied it and started pressing later in the period, the Bruins responded with three goals to end the period, including Goberis' second of the game at 18:27.
Kaelan Holt scored at 2:08 of the third period to open a 6-2 lead on the Bombers, snuffing out any early chance the Bombers might have had to get back in the game.
“I think being four lines, everybody can score,” said Holt, who has five goals and 10 assists this year through 13 games. “Four lines can play both sides of the puck so it makes it a lot easier for coaches with line matching. Our power play's been pretty good too, so that helps too.”
The top six has included Holt on a line with captain Jake Fletcher and Hayden Guilderson, and those three combined for nine points in the two games.
“It's good to have a one-two punch, 1A or 1B or whatever for their top lines,” Holt said.
The Bruins have the second best power play in the SJHL at 24.7 per cent, just behind Melfort's 29.6 per cent.
On a personal level, Goberis doesn't have a goal for the amount of goals and points he wants to score.
“Coming into the year, I had no idea this would be happening,” he said. “I'm loving what I'm doing right now... and it's awesome but right now it's more important to get wins.”
The Bruins added an old name to the roster for the game Sunday as Brendan Mark rejoined the team after a short stint with the Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League. After four games there where he picked up an assist, Mark asked his coach in Minot if the option to go back to Estevan was still there and the 19-year-old was welcomed back into the fold by Bruins head coachand general manager Chris Lewgood.
“We're going to have decisions to make on the back end,” said Lewgood. “We've got eight guys back there now. As far as it goes, he's part of the team.”
Lewgood demurred from the idea that the Bruins were playing a weaker opponent Sunday in the 5-5-0-3 Bombers.
“Flin Flon is a strong team, and they've had a weak run this last week,” said Lewgood. “But they're one of the good young teams in the league. They might not have the top end talent that you see on some of the other teams but their youth is their strength and they're going to be one of the better teams in the league by the end of the year...
“With La Ronge (1-10-0-1) and some of these other teams, you've got to make sure you focus more on yourselves and the task at hand rather than worrying about your opponent. La Ronge is a young team and looking to find their way and in some ways I think we fell into that.”
The Bruins play Friday at home to the Nipawin Hawks and Saturday against the Yorkton Terriers.
