Young hockey players from all across Saskatchewan met in Estevan last weekend, to compete in the Spring Bust Novice Tournament.
Numerous atom and novice teams participated in the tournament. Novice teams included the Estevan tier 2 novice Bruins, the Weyburn Red Wings, Yorkton Terriers, Brandon Sabres, Swift Current Broncos, Riverside novice Hawks, East Central Snipers and Wood River Flyers. They competed over the course of the weekend, in Estevan’s three arenas.
“It was a great tournament. It went off without a hitch,” said Darren Pushie, head coach of the Estevan tier 2 novice Bruins.
The Flyers took first place for the weekend, while the Bruins earned second and the Hawks clinched third.
The Bruins’ moments of glory included a win against the East Central Snipers on Friday, a 3-1 victory over Swift Current on Saturday and a 5-1 win over the Riverside Hawks on Sunday.
Pushie said that Friday’s game against the Snipers was most memorable, since it was a nail-biter, with the two teams tied after regulation, which meant five minutes of overtime play, followed by a shootout, which the Bruins won.
The Bruins suffered two losses in the tournament, both to the Wood River Flyers. The second loss to the Flyers came in the tournament final, and left the Bruins in second spot.
“The Wood River Flyers are a really good team,” said Pushie.
The Bruins had an excellent game on. Sunday morning, against Swift Current, and it took a lot out of them. It was a tough game, so they showed up for the second game against the Wood River Flyers a little tired.
Pushie said the Bruins put in a solid weekend of hockey and effort, and that they are, “a good little team, and they played unbelievably all weekend.”
Information on the atom tournament was not available for the press deadline of Lifestyles.
