Just two days after a disappointing loss to the Notre Dame Hounds, the Estevan Bruins defense was the big story of the game against the Melville Millionaires on Friday, November 16. They were the deciding factor in the game in more ways than one.

The Bruins held Melville to a paltry 12 shots on goal, all of which Grant Boldt stopped, and four different defensemen scored for them in a 6-0 rout of the Mils. Kade McMillen scored his first two SJHL goals, and Jayden Davis, Austin King-Cunningham, Jake Heerspink, and Johnny Witzke also scored. 

“I thought we did really well on our back-check principles,” said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood of his team’s stingy defensive play. “We understood who we were supposed to go to and we communicated well and worked hard at it.”

Less than five minutes into the game, Davis started the scoring as Tom Sweeney tipped a pass through and sent him in alone. Davis snuck one between the legs of Berk Berkeliev to be the only forward to score all night. 

Then, McMillen began to take over. On an odd-man rush, the puck came free to him at the left circle and McMillen wired his first career goal past Berkeliev.

“It feels great,” said McMillen with a big grin. “I’ve been waiting for that one and finally got it.” 

King-Cunningham took a shot from the right point that found the top corner to make it 3-0 before McMillen struck again. Joining another odd-man rush, the 18-year-old opened up for a one-timer but rather than just unload the puck he waited that extra second and rifled the puck into the opening. 

“It was a nice pass from Eddie there,” said McMillen of his second of the night. “He fed it through the seam, I looked up and saw top corner and put it where I saw net.” 

By then the game was all but out of reach for a Millionaire’s squad that mustered next to no offense despite five power plays. Jake Heerspink struck on the Bruins man advantage in the second, sniping a shot high-blocker to make it 5-0. Then, late in the period at four-on-four, Johnny Witzke went end-to-end and finished upstairs to round out the scoring.

A dejected-looking Millionaires team mustered just two shots on goal in the third, one from outside the blue line as the Bruins locked things down. Estevan moves to 13-12-1 on the year and gets right back in action on Saturday night against the Yorkton Terriers. Puck drop is 7:30 from the neutral site of Canora.

GAME NOTES:

Grant Boldt becomes the first Bruins goalie to post a regular season shutout since Bo Didur on December 2 of 2017. The Bruins have just six shutouts in the last four regular seasons.

Eddie Gallagher posted his first three-point game as a Bruin. He sits with 10 points in 16 games on the year to be second in team rookie scoring. Tom Sweeney also had his first two-assist game.

Jake Heerspink established a new career high in goals with six on the year, and Johnny Witzke tied his career high with seven. Witzke leads all defensemen in that department, and Heerspink is second.

The Bruins are now 3-0 against the Millionaires on the year and 5-0 against the Viterra Division overall. They have outscored divisional opponents 30-11 in those five games and have not given up more than two goals in a game against the Mils or Yorkton Terriers since opening weekend.