The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins have taken on all opposition they can find and have beaten them fairly easily.
In the pre-season's last three games, they outscored their opponents 21-6. In the first two regular season games, they outscored them 9-3. Even in the Gerry Aspen Cup game between the Bruins and the Bruins, it took till overtime for the Bruins to defeat the Bruins.
The Bruins enter the season with a roster with two good scoring lines and rookies eager to make an impression with their bottom six. Their defence has played well enough to stifle a lot of chances for the opposition and the same players are on the power play, creating offence and moving the puck well.
The goaltending hasn't needed to be brilliant but the saves are coming and the team hasn't been hampered by the lack of experience in net.
Some are waiting for the other shoe to drop in Prince Albert as Curtis Meger takes a shot at making the WHL's Raiders, but the three that are here now can each at least handle a few SJHL games without too much bother. Meger himself isn't a silver bullet to stop all teams but he does have more Junior A experience than his current Bruins counterparts.
So with a team as good as they are in such limited action, what does that mean for the rest of the season? No one can be sure. But here's what we do know:
First, the Viterra Division (which includes Melville, Yorkton and Weyburn) will be the Bruins' opposition for over a third of the season. The Bruins just defeated Melville twice in a row with only a hiccup in the very first game of the season. They chased starting goaltender Colby Entz in the second game with three goals in the second period. Games against Melville, Yorkton and Weyburn will be crucial to win the division, which with this team should be the first big goal this season.
Second, the rest of the league has teams that have been a thorn in the side of the SJHL for a few years in the Battlefords Stars and the Flin Flon Bombers. Both of these teams have gotten off to equally good starts, but the Battlefords provides their own incentive because of the way last year's playoffs ended. The desire to make up for last year's playoff sweep will be an important one as the Bruins play them twice next week – once in North Battleford and the next time a couple of days later in Saskatoon at the SJHL Showcase. This will give the Bruins the opening to forget the college scouts for a moment and think about the chance to get the team that beat you in the second round last year. If you think they're not thinking about that, you may be surprised.
Thirdly, an eye will be kept on the national rankings. Maybe not by the team itself but the people around it will be reminding them. While everyone dismisses them when they're not on it (and the Bruins were one of 11 SJHL teams that weren't on the pre-season ranking; only the Battlefords made it) the Bruins have a chance to either be in the top 20 in Canada or at least secure an honourable mention early this year. Victories over the Battlefords next week will help but the consistency of play will be another factor. It's about respect and it can be a motivating factor whether you're on or off of the list, depending on how you use it.
So get yourself a seat and enjoy the season – it could be a very good one with a lot of interesting angles. Â
