The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins expect a tough, hard-fought series when they face the Yorkton Terriers in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League quarter-finals. The series opens Friday night with Game 1 at Affinity Place at 7:30 p.m. The Bruins enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, thanks to claiming the Viterra Division title. The Terriers are the sixth-seeded team. It’s a match-up that is familiar to local hockey fans. The Bruins and the Terriers faced each other five times in nine seasons from 2005 to 2013, with the Terriers winning each time. But Chris Lewgood, the head coach and general manager for the Bruins, isn’t worried about the previous history between the two teams. Lewgood points out nobody on the Bruins was there for those five series, and he wasn’t here, either. “I don’t care what happened five years ago or four years ago,” said Lewgood. “That’s in the past. We’ve talked about it lots this year – records and traditions have gone out the window. “What happened when none of these players were playing on these teams doesn’t really have an impact on what’s going to happen the
next couple of weeks.” Game 2 is March 18 in Yorkton. Game 3 will be Tuesday night back at Affinity Place at 7:30 p.m. and Game 4 will be the next night in Yorkton. Game 5, if necessary, would be March 24 at Affinity Place at 7:30 p.m. Game 6 would take place in Yorkton on March 26, and Game 7 would happen March 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Estevan. The Bruins finished the season with 37 wins, their best total since they won their last league title in 1999. Their 3718-2-1 mark was good enough for their first division title since 2007. Yorkton, meanwhile, finished the season with a 28-255 record, but they were 7-0-1 in their final eight games to avoid the first round of the SJHL’s playoffs, and advance directly to the quarter-finals. “They got a little slow out of the gate, and as a result, the numbers show they have come a long ways since the start of the year,” said Lewgood. The Bruins beat the Terriers in four of six meetings this season. One of those victories came in overtime. Estevan was also the last team to beat Yorkton in regulation, a 5-4 decision on Feb. 8 at Affinity Place. “I would expect it to be a close series,” said Lewgood. “The season series would indicate the teams are closely matched. Yorkton’s a physical
team, and they like to play on that edge. I expect they’re going to bring that in the playoffs.” Team captain Lynnden Pastachak said it was good to have 10 days off between the end of the regular season and their first playoff series. Some players have been battling some minor injuries, so they needed the rest. “It’s nice to have this bye week where we can just take the time to rest and get prepared for the next round,” said Pastachak. Yorkton is a good, hardworking team, he said, so the Bruins will have to outwork them and stick to Lewgood’s game plan. “If we stick to it, I think we should come out successful,” said Pastachak. Lewgood said he isn’t concerned his players haven’t had a meaningful game in the standings since they clinched the division title on Feb. 17. “We’ve been playing good, hard hockey for a long time now,” said Lewgood. “It’s just a matter of not overcomplicating the game. If the guys get all on the same page, I think we’ll be fine.” The Bruins had a 5-2-1 record after clinching the division title, and they were 9-3-2 in their final 14 games. Lewgood noted The Bruins are as healthy as they could hope to be at this time of year, and so everyone is expected to be ready to play for Game 1.
