The Estevan Power Dodge Bruins may be one of the more inexperienced teams in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) this season, but thanks to big contributions from their veteran core they’re also one of the most competitive.
“We’ve got a young group,” said Bruins captain Lynnden Pastachak, 20, who is second on the Black and Gold offensively through the Christmas break, notching 18 goals and 39 points in 36 games, “but we’ve got pretty skilled guys in the dressing room and guys who are willing to work.”
Josh Rieger, who is second among all SJHL defencemen in scoring with nine goals and 30 points through 34 games, said his focus this season is just to be there for the young rearguards who man the Bruins blue line. He said veterans such as Zach Douglas and Nolan Nicholas were there to help him adjust to the SJHL game when he started out and he is trying to do the same for the five SJHL rookie defencemen that suit up with him every night.
“If they have any questions or they need help like understanding something (I’m) giving them pointers on things I used to do or things I do now,” said Rieger, 20. “It’s a big jump from midget to junior. You play a lot more games and it’s a lot more physical on the body, so it’s just how you treat yourself and take care of yourself.”
Rieger said the Bruins don’t have the most skilled group of defencemen in the league, but everyone has bought into the system and come together as a unit to get the job done. He said they still could use some work at talking to each other on the ice, but their ability to handle and move the puck as well as execute defensively has helped the team excel through the first half of the season.
“We just have to work on getting better every night out,” he said, “and progressing throughout the year.”
Pastachak said displaying a hard-nosed work ethic of putting pucks in deep and going in on the forecheck is all he can do to show the younger guys what it takes to win in the league. He said each of his teammates has picked up on it through the first half of the season and his hope is everyone keeps it up through the second half and into the playoffs.
“We want to win it all of course, but it’s just coming in game in and game out (with) guys working hard,” said Pastachak. “That’s really all you can ask from each other.”
