The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins went from zero to 3-0 in under six minutes against the Weyburn Lightstream Wings at Crescent Point Place on Sunday and their high-octane offence didn't stop there.
The Bruins beat the Wings 9-3 sweeping the first round of the South Sask Minor Hockey League series. Estevan won the first game of the series 3-1 at Affinity Place on Feb. 24.
Blake Jamieson, head coach of the Bruins, said the plan heading into their rival's rink was to get off to a good start and capitalize on their opportunities. He said they did have a bit of a lull late in the first period where Weyburn brought the score close, but they regrouped for the start of the second and their powerplay took over.
“It's an elimination game, so (Weyburn) came out hot,” said Jamieson. “We were just able to bury our chances and we came with a lot of pressure, so it was good to see.”
Bruins forwards Colton Schell, Hunter Piche and Preston Brodziak beat Wings goalie Devon Pompu by the 5:28 mark of the first period. After Wyatt Bayliss lit the lamp about 10 minutes later, the Wings' Ty Kotylak and Rhett Nikolejsin each found the back of Bruins goaltender Cam Lavoie's net to make the score 4-2 heading into the middle frame.
Two penalties by Kotylak early in second helped the Bruins pad their lead. Estevan's Mitchell Morrison and Piche each notched a powerplay marker in the second, while Brodziak and Bayliss scored at even strength. The Wings' Matthew Anderson and Bruins' Josh Skjonsby exchanged goals in the third to finish off the scoring.
The Bruins won't know who they'll face in the second round of the playoffs until later this week, but Jamieson said the playoff win over their Highway 39 rivals gives the club a big boost and they'll be ready for whichever team they draw up against.
“We have a couple of practices this week,” he said. “We'll just refocus on our next opponent and we're looking forward to the next round.”
