If one wanted to know how to work a two-on-one break in overtime, they wouldn't need to look much further than the TS&M Bruins' Turner McMillen and James Mann Sunday afternoon at Affinity Place.
McMillen waited until the perfect moment to send Mann in all alone, where he buried the puck for the 3-2 overtime win over the Regina Pat Blues in Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League action. The win over the winless Regina team wasn't easy but it did eventually come.
The win was the team's second in a row, in their third game on the weekend.
“We had a tough game in West Central (Wheat Kings) Friday and then you go to Moose Jaw and kind of give it to them,” said Bruins' head coach Tom Copeland. “It's pretty typical of bantam hockey players at this age, that if you have kind of an easy game against Moose Jaw, it's hard. You don't have quite the habit base you need. You saw some bad habits in the first period...
“But we'll take the four out of six points. That's always good.”
Regina had a lead after the first but the Bruins got goals from Kaleb Poole and Mann in the second period, looking to take control of the game. The third saw the Bruins try but were unable to score until a late power play goal by Regina tied it up.
“We had a better second period and kind of a poorer third,” Copeland said. “They did a better job on the four on four and they did what we asked them. They deserved the game in the end. They were definitely the best team in overtime.”
Overtime came and 2:22 into the extra frame, Mann's goal ended it. Goaltender Zane Winter stopped 35 shots in the win.
Friday, the only Bruin to hit the scoresheet was McMillen, whose second period goal tied the game. Winter stopped 40 shots in the game. Saturday, the Bruins got a hat trick from Jayce Miller and two each from Mason Fichter, Colby Cuddington and McMillen. Poole and Mann scored single tallies while Jackson Miller went the distance in net. Shot totals were unavailable.
Through the first month of the season, Copeland said they did a lot of work on the defensive zone.
“It's coming along here for sure,” he said. “We're going to have a tough stretch going into Christmas for a bit and after Christmas, we're going to do some damage. We're going through our plan and we're starting to see that. There's still some things we need to work on.”
The Bruins' next game is Saturday at 4 p.m., when they play the Humboldt Broncos at Affinity Place.
