The offensive firepower of the Estevan Bruins' first line was on full display Saturday as they won their third game in their last four, a 6-3 victory over the Melfort Mustangs.
After a poor first period that suggested the Black and Gold were on their way to another loss against a weak team, they bounced back and earned an emphatic win.
On last week's episode of The Beef Bar Bruins Banter TV, head coach Keith Cassidy said that "we're learning to push back when that happens. We're not folding, we're not going away."
That was certainly the case against Melfort. With the Bruins down 3-1 after the first period, the trio of Dylan Smith, Alex Cote and Cole Olson suddenly took their game to mach speed and the Bruins never looked back, for the most part dominating the final 40 minutes.
I don't believe that would have happened earlier this season.
For most of the year, the Bruins have been down on themselves. They've had no confidence, and when they fell behind by two or three goals, more often than not they didn't have it in them to come back.
It has been a different story lately.
Saturday's win was another example of the swagger this team seems to have in recent weeks.
Part of it is the return of a bona fide sniper in Smith. Part of it is a renewed confidence snowballing into wins.
Smith himself illustrated the difference after the win over the Mustangs. He said that when he spoke to some players before the Jan. 10 deadline about coming back, they were down on themselves.
Then he said he'd never been part of a team so fired up after a win as the Bruins have been lately.
Suddenly the Bruins have all the momentum on their side.
The Kindersley Klippers are fading badly. They've lost five games in a row and seven of their last 10. A team that few people expected to hold down fourth place is now in jeopardy of missing the playoffs.
The Weyburn Red Wings aren't exactly thriving lately either. They're 3-6-0-1 in their last 10.
The Bruins are tied with Kindersley with two games in hand, and the two teams are going in opposite directions right now. They are also six points ahead of the Wings with a game in hand.
While it would be foolish to guarantee Estevan a playoff spot now with three weeks left in the season, they sure look like a good bet and would have to collapse down the stretch to miss the post-season.
I don't see it happening with the way they've been playing of late.
Not so long ago, I wouldn't have said that. But this is a different team we're watching.
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Look, without getting too deep into Derek Nernberg's ability to officiate a game, he should not be allowed to work Bruin games.
It's got nothing to do with a few bad calls against the Bruins, or goals called back against them.
It's as simple as this: Nernberg was cut by the Bruins twice. Whether he's conscious of that during games or not, it's the responsibility of the SJHL to prevent potential situations where bias or conflict of interest could come into play.
I'm not saying Nernberg has any ill will toward the Bruins. I don't know the man. All I know is that the SJHL could take that possibility out of the equation altogether.
Yes, I know he's based in southern Saskatchewan, and I know the league is trying to cut down on travel wherever possible. But if the SJHL wants to be professional and be taken seriously, it needs to take whatever steps it can to prevent any possible bias.
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Tyler Bozak's disallowed goal against Carolina on Monday night due to a phantom kicking motion was a complete and utter travesty. That is all.
Contact Josh Lewis at 634-2654 or [email protected]. A 34-minute power outage during a hockey game at the Civic, or during a brawl in Piestany? Sure. At the freaking Super Bowl???
