The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins have been the much hungrier team through their first seven games of the playoffs and Zach Goberis almost made sure to feed that hunger singlehandedly Monday night at Affinity Place.
In a convincing 5-2 win over the Battlefords North Stars in Game 3 of their Canalta Cup semifinal, Goberis completed a hat trick by the second period and hit a post from long distance with a yawning net that would have seen all 1,744 fans walk away with a free pizza.
“I was trying my hardest but I just couldn’t squeeze it in,” said a smiling Goberis after the game
While only Section C got the pies, the Bruins have now put themselves in a 3-0 series lead with their first SJHL final berth since 1999 staring them in the face. The Bruins gotten to that point in this series by scoring early and often in games on the North Stars, the defending SJHL champions.
“I think we have a lot of confidence right now and we’re playing well as a team,” said Goberis.
Their current 10 game winning streak – including the regular season – is their longest this season. The Bruins are showing the kind of confidence that they’ve had at times during the season but had not been able to sustain it for lengthy periods until now.
“I think we’ve got to keep it simple,” said Goberis. “For us, we know we’re confident but we’ve also got to work hard. Every time we’ve stepped on the ice, we’re always playing for each other, which is a big thing.”
All factors in the game Monday pointed as positives for the Bruins. It’s a rare thing for a team to be firing on all cylinders in the way the Bruins are in the playoffs so far, a fact not lost on Goberis.
“Honestly this is the first year I’ve been a part of a team like this,” he said. “It’s nice to see that coming together at just the right time.”
The Bruins won 5-3 Friday and 7-2 Saturday in the Battlefords before the series came to Estevan.
Michael McChesney, who hit the empty net moments later after Goberis’s post hit, and Jake Fletcher scored the other goals for the Bruins. Bo Didur made 36 saves in the Bruins net in the victory.
“Last year these guys kind of did what we’ve doing to them right now,” said Didur. “Everybody’s coming together at the right times. We’ve got a bunch of guys stepping up. I think the scoreboard kind of showed our depth. If first and second line aren’t producing, our third and fourth are doing the job. Right now, we kind of have a military mentality where if one guy’s out the next guy steps up in that role like nothing ever happened.”
No small part of this run so far is Didur, the reigning goaltender of the month. In between the whistles, he’s a solid factor in his team keeping the lead while tapping his glove and singing along to classic rock like Foreignor while officials sort out penalties.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that’s clicked like this before,” said Didur. “Maybe back in atom hockey, but since playoff season started everybody is really dialed in and stepped up and started to perform.”
The Bruins’ early leads have helped establish that, as in each of the first three games they’ve scored before the seven minute mark of the first period.
“As the season’s gone on and as the playoffs have gone on, we’ve just kept building and building and building,” said Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood. “It’s come in different fashions the last few games and we’re on a pretty good roll here. I’m really happy with the work ethic and we’ve got to clean up some of the details but for the most part things are going well and we’ve got to continue to build.”
The Bruins were doing all this while two affiliate players were taking a fairly regular shift – even in the third period. Defenceman Kade McMillen from Carievale and forward Eric Houk from Regina had their AAA midget seasons end in Prince Albert and Regina and skated for the first time in an SJHL regular season or playoff game Monday, a testament to the Bruins’ depth.
“We feel we’ve had as good a team as we’ve had in many, many years in Estevan,” said Lewgood. “We also feel like we’re set up for a long time. Guys like McMillen and Houk are great examples of that, and Ryder Pierson and Jack Michel have played well for us. All these guys have played playoff games and they’ve played really well.”
The teams meet again Tuesday night at Affinity Place at 7:30 p.m. in a game that could see the Bruins off to their first SJHL final since the Anavet Cup-winning team of 1999.
The game could go back to the Battlefords Thursday night if Game 5 is necessary and Saturday night at Affinity Place if Game 6 is required.
