The Estevan Power Dodge Bruins noticed something was a bit off with Notre Dame Hounds goalie Benjamin Patt’s play as the two clubs headed into overtime.
“All game our coach was saying that their goalie was sliding to his blocker side,” said Bruins centre Jason Miller. “I had my chance. I came shortside, so I just put her right where I saw fit.”
Miller’s rush down the wing and shot to the top corner at the 2:25 mark of the extra frame gave the Bruins a 3-2 win over the Hounds at Affinity Place on Saturday as well as a touch of revenge. The Hounds (23-21-6-1) owned a 3-2 advantage over the Bruins (33-16-1-1) this season prior to the game including 8-2 and 5-1 wins during the past month.
“This game is huge for us especially going into playoffs,” said Miller, who has four goals and 12 points in the last seven games. “They’re potential contenders, so we want to show them the best game that we can give them and we still have more to give. We know that, so we wanted to leave it on a good note.”
The Bruins earned the victory despite skating shorthanded up front for the majority of the contest. The club lost the services of rookie forward Michael McChesney shortly before the match, due to a two-game suspension handed down by the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for a checking-from-behind infraction the previous evening against the La Ronge Ice Wolves, and the scoring prowess of captain Lynnden Pastachak a few shifts into the game.
“It scrambled us up pretty bad,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood, noting Pastachak suffered a shoulder injury and is listed as day-to-day. “We dressed 11 forwards and seven D-men, so we lose a guy like that it’s going to be up to everyone to chip in and contribute to fill that void.”
Hounds forward Chance Longjohn opened the scoring about six minutes into the first period by potting a Brandon Sookro rebound past Bruins netminder Nathan Alalouf. Bruins right wing Matt McNeil found an open cage off a cross-ice slap pass from defenceman Jake Heerspink on a power play early in the second period to tie the contest before Notre Dame’s Colby Brandt put his club ahead once again halfway through the match on a break in alone on Alalouf after a neutral zone turnover.
McNeil set up the tying marker also on the man advantage with under five minutes to play in the second period with a loop skate around the Hounds zone before wiring a cross-crease pass to Zach Goberis for a tap in. The goal marked the Bruins fourth on the power play in the past two games.
“We were just keeping things simple,” said Miller. “We’ve gone back to the basics and it’s working really well. We work teams down, straight from (the coach’s play book), and we just do the simple things to get the job done.”
The Bruins 8-3 win over the Ice Wolves at Affinity Place on Friday secured the club a first place finish in the Viterra Division and a top-three seed heading into the SJHL playoffs.
