The Prairie Mud peewee A Bruins closed out their season by making it to the A final of the 18-team Rod Hamm Memorial Tournament in Saskatoon on March 20 to 22.
The Bruins opened the tournament with a 20-0 victory over the Outlook Icehawks on March 20. The following day, the Bruins had an evenly matched game against the Battleford Barons, according to coach Shawn Saxon, and won 5-3. He was impressed with the defensive play of his team.
That win advanced them to the A side semifinals on March 22. The Bruins were matched up against the Saskatoon Rebel Aces and beat them 5-3.
Saxon said the Bruins controlled the majority of the game with strong defence and a balanced forecheck.
In the A final, the Bruins were up against the Flin Flon Bombers and lost 9-1.
Saxon said that the Bombers came out strong and scored nine seconds into the first period. Entering the second, Estevan was down 3-0 and couldn’t capitalize on the chances they had in that period, Saxon said.
He also mentioned that Flin Flon took advantage of the Estevan turnovers, and led 5-0, after two periods.
The Bruins had some pressure in the final frame but couldn’t find the back of the net and bounces weren’t going their way. Brennan Stubel scored the lone goal for the Bruins.
Overall, Saxon thought the team played great hockey throughout the tournament.
“They are a hard working bunch of kids with a no quit attitude that came together in a short season,” Saxon said.
Saxon said that it’s always hard to close out a season with a loss in the last game, but added there were other positives in the season that the team can look back on.
The Bruins finished with a record of 10-4-2.
