The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins return to action Friday night at Affinity Place, as the team plays host to the Viterra Division foe, Melville Millionaires.
The Bruins enter play fourth in the Viterra Division and 10th overall in the SJHL standings with a 4-6-2 record through 12 games, the fewest yet in the league this season. The team will be hungry to snap a three-game skid, which included a pair of one-goal losses to league heavyweights Melville (third overall) and Melfort (second overall), followed by a 4-2 defeat to Yorkton (fourth overall) in the midst of an especially difficult stretch in the schedule.
Melville enter play second in the division and third overall, with a 10-5-1 record through 16 games. The Millionaires will also be eager to get back on the winning track after dropping back-to-back games for just the second time this season, falling to La Ronge 3-2 and then Humboldt 6-3.
Front and center Friday will be a matchup of two of the elite two-way centers in the league this season, in Kent Moors of the Bruins and Caden Drury of the Millionaires.
Both offensive cornerstones for their team, the two right-hand shot, defensively sound pivots each play big minutes in all situations for their teams meaning the pair are likely to see a lot of each other throughout the night’s contest.
Drury leads all players this season with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 16 games, while Moors leads the Bruins with eight goals and 13 points in 12 games, coming off a monster two-goal performance last weekend against Yorkton.
Special teams
Both teams have seen similar results on on the power play, sitting seventh (MLV – 20.2 percent) and eighth (EST – 19.4 percent) in mad-advantage efficiency, respectively. On the penalty kill, the Millionaires sit fifth at 81.0 percent effectiveness and the Bruins’ eighth (78.3 percent).
Goaltending
Between the pipes, Kyle Kelsey will make his first start in three games, after recovering from the flu. In five games this season Kelsey is 2-2-1 with a 2.77 goals against average and shimmering .931 save percentage.
Melville are likely to start Nick Genette, who has posted a 2-3-0 record this season through seven games, along with a 2.94 goals against average and .908 save percentage on the season.
Friday night’s game will be available on FloHockey and for free on the Official Bruins’ YouTube Livestream. The Room By Room Pregame Show will begin at 6:45 p.m. with puck drop to follow at 7 p.m.
For tickets, click here.
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Marty Martinson/Estevan Bruins PxP & Marketing Director
On X: @MartyMartyPxP1
