The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins return to action this weekend with a neutral-site game in Carlyle, for their first meeting of the season with the Notre Dame Hounds.
A Look at the Numbers
The Bruins enter play fourth in the Viterra Division and 10th overall in the SJHL standings with a 7-9-3 record through 19 games. Fresh off a weekend sweep of the Battlefords, the Bruins will be looking to stay hot, in search of a third straight as they continue their pursuit to get back in the playoff hunt.
The Hounds enter play fourth in the Nutrien Division and 11th overall in the league standings with a 7-16-1 record through 24 games, also looking to build on a 4-3 win over Humboldt Wednesday.
Players to watch
Forwards Ewan Rennie and Cole Robertson headline the Bruins’ players to watch heading into Friday’s contest.
Rennie is coming off OT heroics in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Battlefords, and leads the B’s this season with 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) in 19 games. Robertson scored his first as a Bruin and added an assist in Friday’s win over the North Stars, also showing some incredible offensive creativity Saturday, on a pair of dazzling solo chances late in the third and overtime that showcased his quick hands and power game.
Notre Dame’s offensive attack is led by a lethal one-two punch on the backend, in defensemen Liam Hunks and Vincent Palmarin.
Each coming off a multi-point game against the Broncos, Hunks’ 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 24 games are T-3rd amongst all blue liners and second-most on his team, while Palmarin’s 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 18 games are sixth at the position and lead the Hounds on a per-game basis (0.94 points/gm).
Special teams
The Bruins will have to be mindful of a Notre Dame power play that ranks top-five in the league, clicking along at 22.7 percent (4th overall). A huge part of the Hounds’ attack, the man-advantage has contributed 17 of the team’s 68 goals this season, or 25 percent of their total offense.
The Hounds and Bruins are next to identical on the penalty kill, ranking eighth (ND – 79.4 percent) and ninth (EST – 79.1 percent) on the kill this season.
Goaltending
Between the pipes, surging goaltenders Benny Polhill (Bruins) and Spencer Borsos (Hounds) are expected to start for their respective teams, each playing their best hockey of the season of late.
Polhill is coming off a dynamic weekend performance, stopping 60/62 Battlefords’ shots in back-to-back wins that included his first career SJHL shutout, to earn SJHL MVP of the Week honours. On the season, Polhill is 2-6-1 with a 3.34 goals against average and .903 save percentage in 11 games played.
Borsos is coming off a 35-save effort in his team’s win over the Broncos, which included a number of high-quality stops to lead his team to victory. In 23 games, Borsos is 7-15-1 with a 3.76 goals against average and .895 save percentage.
Where to catch the action
Friday’s game will be available on the Bruins’ Official YouTube Livestream. The Room By Room Pregame Show will begin at 6:45 p.m. with puck drop to follow at 7 p.m. Due to it being a neutral site game, it will not be broadcast on FloHockey.
—
Marty Martinson/Estevan Bruins PxP & Marketing Director
On X: @MartyMartyPxP1
