Facing elimination for the first time this playoff run, the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins showed what they were made of with a 4-0 win over the Nipawin Hawks in Game 6 of the Canalta Cup final Sunday night, forcing a Game 7 Tuesday in Nipawin.
The Bruins killed off three penalties early in the first period and then scored twice in the second to keep momentum, and Bruins goaltender Bo Didur shut the door for the entire game, getting a 36-save shutout.
“We were kind of playing for our lives and I think the younger guys played well,” said Kaelan Holt. “And Bo has been Bo so it’s been huge to have him in there.”
“No matter what, you’re willing to risk your entire body for your buddies and your brothers,” said Didur. “I guess I got a couple of lucky bounces tonight and the guys helped me and it stayed out of the net.”
Holt left the game late in the first period unable to put much weight on his leg but he returned for the second.
“Right away it was really sore and I couldn’t put any weight on it but I came and iced it and it started to feel better,” said Holt. “There was no way I wasn’t coming back, though.”
Johnny Witzke opened the scoring at 4:03 of the first when Holt fed him a nice cross-ice pass and he beat Nipawin goaltender Declan Hobbs cleanly. Michael McChesney tipped a puck in early in a power play for the Bruins to make it 2-0.
Hayden Guilderson and Jake Fletcher scored in the third period and the Hawks didn’t have the fight to come back like they’ve done in previous games this series.
“From the drop of the puck in game one, we’ve been invested in this series and all we want is the championship,” Didur said. “The boys are willing to do whatever it’s going to take and we can enjoy this one for five minutes. But the biggest game of our careers is going to be on Tuesday so everyone’s looking forward to that.”
The two teams are playing for the right to play in the Anavet Cup, which will begin next weekend in Steinbach. But first the Bruins have to go to an inhospitable Centennial Arena in Nipawin and win Game 7 there.
“I feel like we know that we’re good enough to beat these guys no matter what rink we play in,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood. “We could play them in an outdoor rink in Tuktoyaktuk (N.W.T) and our guys would be able to win. But they’ve got to be in the right mind frame, and I think after tonight if they’ve learned something about themselves, if they skate and play the right way, they can beat anyone.”
