Three games.
That's how long it's been since the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins posted a win, with the last one being against their Highway 39 rival Weyburn Red Wings. This weekend, the boys will look to turn things around as they get set for a home-and-home stretch against the Melville Millionaires.
"A little bit of a tough go over these last three games, but, you know, [it's] a long season. There are 56 games and you're bound to find some adversity. I always say it's not about losing some games; everybody's going to lose some games. It's always about how you respond from those tough losses. For the Bruins, they have an excellent opportunity here against their division rival in the Melville Millionaires," shared Bruins marketing director and play-by-play host Marty Martinson.
The Melville Millionaires are third in the Viterra Division and seventh in the SJHL overall. So far, they've only played against the Bruins four times, with the Mills winning three games. Boasting a 13-12-2-1 record so far, they are looking to be a tough opponent for Estevan.
"Anytime you're playing those divisional games, they're just that added importance. These are the teams you see most on the schedule. You look [at] the Bruins, they're just outside kind of that playoff picture. They got to string some wins together to get back inside that top 8. Melville's one of those teams, currently in seventh place heading into the weekend, that they're going to have to try and catch up to. I think this is a great opportunity here -- four points on the line with the two separate wins."
Not for a lack of trying
Right after winning three games at the end of November at home, they lost three on the road. The two games against the Nipawin Hawks were especially interesting because they're relatively close matches, something that Martinson attributes to the team's depth.
"You look at Ben Polhill, the streak he's been on here as of late. He started ten straight games for this Bruins hockey club and had a .914 save percentage over the month of November there. While the teams may [have] struggled a little bit to start December, he's putting up 30-plus stops a night. So, he's one of those guys when you get that stabilizing presence. Then up front, you got your game breakers. You got Luke Hogan who just on the last road trip came back in a lineup and scored his second game back. He's physical. He's aggressive. He's one of those guys that's a box office player. Safe to be said for a guy like Kent Moores. Every time he steps on the ice, he's making things happen. He's finding his open teammates and he's one of those guys as well, I would say, he's worth the price of admission because of his ability to make everybody on the ice dangerous when he steps out there."
Bruins' Achilles' heel
Martinson recognizes the teams' depth and work ethic are there, but there is one issue that's plaguing the black-and-gold - consistency.
"I really think that they've shown some good things. It's just about finding that consistency. That's really been a little bit of the Achilles heel for this Bruins team this year. You know, they're playing some good parts of games and it's just about bringing that together over a full 60 minutes," he said.
Marty recalled the team's strong start against the Nipawin Hawks on December 7. After falling to 5-3 the night before, Estevan rallied for a strong showing in the first and second periods. The Bruins were up 3-1 by the end of the second period, but two goals from Nipawin in the third forced an overtime period. The Hawks would then find the net and with the match 4-3. "You don't want to be giving up a multi-goal lead [in] that third period. If they could play the way they did through 40 minutes in their last contest, they're gonna be winning a lot of hockey games. They're gonna be closing that gap, getting right back in that playoff picture."
Playoffs for the Bruins squad is not out of the question yet. Sitting at tenth in the league with a record of 9-11-3-1, the black and gold has a lot of ground to make to be part of that conversation. These four points over the weekend are crucial. The series starts in Estevan tonight, with the puck drop slated at 7:00 pm inside Affinity Place. Then, the rematch is scheduled for tomorrow at the CN Community Centre in Melville.