The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins kept their 11-game undefeated streak rolling with a dominant 6-2 win over the Notre Dame Argos at Affinity Place on Sunday.
“We moved the puck well, made a lot of passes, good plays and had a lot of shots,” said Bruins defenceman Cole Brooks, who recorded two primary assists in the game. “That is the key part. We moved our feet mainly. We came to play.”
Estevan’s Dalton Schrader and Jordan Stein started the charge for the Black and Gold (23-4-2) with each corralling a point shot near the Argos net and quickly firing the puck past Notre Dame goaltender Noah Newsome before the game was eight minutes old. The Bruins controlled the play in the opening frame, but a steady stream to the penalty box allowed the Argos (11-16-1-0-2) to get back into it.
The Argos’ Todd Williams enjoyed the best chance with three seconds remaining in the first period deflecting an Ellis Bachelu shot toward the low far side corner of the net only to have Bruins goalie Ethan Veroba spring out a pad to make the save. Kyle Shapka finally got Notre Dame on the board 4:28 into the second period tipping a Jonathan Toope point shot past Veroba while the Argos enjoyed another man advantage.
The Bruins got that one back two-and-a-half minutes later courtesy of a Liam Rutten power-play marker with Hunter Piche making it a 4-1 score halfway through the middle period also on the man advantage. Schrader factored into the special teams’ play at the 16:32 mark of the second period picking up a loose puck in the slot and backhanding it into the Argos net while shorthanded.
Bruins captain Brady Long said their penalty kill was on top of their game against the Argos, but that doesn’t make up for the amount of undisciplined infractions the team took. He said they need to stay focused in games where the penalty count is high and try to keep their play within the rules.
“That’s something we can’t keep doing,” added Brooks. “We’ve got to learn to stay out of the box better.”
Bruins forward Jaiden Gervais notched the club’s sixth goal 4:45 into the third period firing the puck from the slot into a low corner. The Argos’ Max Messier finished off the scoring with 2:48 remaining deflecting an Ethan Smith shot past Veroba.
The Black and Gold’s next opportunity to keep their undefeated streak intact comes this Friday with a home contest against the Lumsden/Bethune Hounds (6-17-2-0-2).
“The plan, again just like before (the streak), is to win out,” said Long. “We’ll just keep working hard in practice, work hard in games and keep executing the small things. Making small passes, winning battles and being first to the puck will win us games.”
