The bad blood between the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins and Highway 39 rival Weyburn Red Wings spilled over Friday night at Crescent Point Place.
In the Bruins' 3-1 loss to the Red Wings, their first defeat in four games this season, the hostilities began quickly with three minor penalties split between the two foes before Estevan defenceman Taylor Armbruster and Weyburn forward Tyran Brown dropped the gloves for a heavyweight tilt 15 minutes into the first that got the fans on their feet and Red Wings coach Bryce Thoma hot under the collar with Bruins' counterpart Chris Lewgood. The battles didn't end there, with Estevan taking four roughing penalties over the next 45 minutes and Weyburn tallying two and a cross-checking minor for good measure.
“There is no question the teams don't like each other,” said Lewgood. “It's a good rivalry. It's well-played hockey, which is most important, but there is a lot of other things that go on over the course of the game. Emotions always run high when Weyburn and Estevan get together.”
After a scoreless first period in the game, Weyburn got on the board four minutes into the second with a goal from forward Jacob Jeske. They potted another at the five minute mark of the third when Carson Rose scored on the power play. Bruins' defenceman Zach Douglas replied for Estevan 11 minutes later with his second of the season before Jacob Douglas sealed the Weyburn victory with an empty netter in the final minute of play.
“There is a good rivalry between the two of us,” said Bruins' goalie Tyler Fuhr, who is sporting a .907 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against-average in his four starts. “A couple bounces either way, I think that's what decided the game. We hit a couple posts in the first period. I think if those would have went in (the) game would have been ours, but that's just the way the game goes sometimes. Sometimes they go in for you and sometimes they don't.”
The bounces went the Bruins' way two nights earlier at Affinity Place when Estevan scored a 4-3 overtime win over Weyburn (3-0-1-0) in the first game of the home and home. The game proved a coming out party for new forward Owen LaClare, who scored his first two goals of the season in the win, and a further indication of the help local forward Kaelen Holt is to the team when he picked up his third of the year in the extra frame.
Lewgood said the team actually played better in the Friday night loss than they did in the overtime win. He said they outshot the Red Wings Friday (34-28), which they didn't do on Wednesday (31-37), and had a great advantage territorially.
“Unfortunately they were able to find the back of the net more than we were,” said Lewgood. “We had some breakdowns that cost us and they are a team that plays really hard and takes advantage of their opportunities.”
Fuhr said it's early in the season and there is still a lot of aspects of their game that have to be worked on to get to where they want to be. He added Wednesday's home game against the Yorkton Terriers (0-3) will be another test for them, just like every game will be this year.
“Anyone who comes in to play Estevan or we go anywhere to play, (the opposition) are excited to play us,” said Fuhr. “They are going to want to win because we are hosting the Western Canada Cup. We know we're going to get every team's best game and we're excited for it. I think that's going to bring out the best in us too.”
