It was only Monday but it’s already been a bit of an up and down week for the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins.
The Bruins found out they were ranked sixth in the country in the CJHL rankings, five spots behind the Nipawin Hawks for tops in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).
The Bruins then took on the Kindersley Klippers in their opening game of the SJHL Showcase at Warman and lost 4-2.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first when the Bruins had to come back after surrendering a goal on the Klippers’ first shot of the game. Turner Ripplinger’s sixth goal of the year at 13:24 on the power play brought the game within even. Kindersley scored early in the second period but Isaiah Thomas’ second of the year brought the game even once again.
But it was the third period where the Bruins fell behind and couldn’t come back. Brett Neumeier’s first of the year at 11:00 of the third was followed by a furious attack from the Bruins in the final half, until Devon Cyr scored into the empty net for Kindersley to give the Klippers the win.
Justen Close, the SJHL’s top goalie last year, was brilliant in stopping 24 of 26 Bruin shots while Jake Anthony held off 23 of the 26 shots he saw.
The Bruins’ next action is at 1 p.m. Tuesday afternoon in Warman against the Humboldt Broncos. The Bruins’ busy week continues Thursday with a game in Kindersley and Friday in the Battlefords.
