The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins may have been a little slow out of the gate Friday against the Melfort Mustangs but they more than made up for it with a solid 5-1 win over the visiting Melfort Mustangs.
Melfort scored in the first period and outshot the Bruins 14-9 but the second and third periods belonged to the white, black and gold.
Goaltender Grant Boldt made 24 saves for his first career SJHL win.
“It feels really good,” said a beaming Boldt. “Not much to say, just happy to get a win with the guys and it was a great effort today, too.”
Not long after Bryce Platt served a penalty early in the second period, he found himself on a three-on-one against Melfort’s Hunter Arps. Platt chose to shoot and found the back of the net to tie the game at 1:27 of that period. Then, on a scramble in front of the net Jake Heerspink corralled a puck down low and beat Arps at 8:09. Jayden Davis scored at 9:29 of the second to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead and they never seemed out of control of the game after that.
Boldt doesn’t get a lot of starts – this was his third of the season, plus one relief appearance – but Boldt didn’t change his mental approach going into this game versus any other.
“Every time I come to the rink I think I’m going to be going into the net,” Boldt said. “Where it’s Jake Anthony or (Kaden) Kilpatrick will be starting. I just have that mindset and come to the rink and prepare like I’m going to start the game.”
TJ Irey and Isaiah Thomas, into an empty net, sealed the game in the third period for the Bruins.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Bruins, who play the Nipawin Hawks Saturday in the last day of their homestand before hitting the road for the Sherwood Division for four games next week. It’s the Bruins’ first game against the Hawks since the Canalta Cup final last spring, which the Hawks won four games to three.
