As the hockey season reaches midpoint for the Estevan Midget Bruins, they look back on a new set of coaches, and a battle against early adversity.

"It's been good. My coaching role has gone pretty smoothly, Dustin (Stepp) and Jordan (Cooney) have done a good job as they're helping out. As far as the team, I thought we were a little inconsistent at times at the start of the year, but we're getting a lot better now. It definitely helps, too, that we've avoided injuries lately. That was definitely a headache to deal with at the start of the season, but once we're full swing here with a full roster, we like where we're at," said Head Coach Riley Hengen, who took over from Robin Ulrich before the season began.

Looking back, he notes that there aren't any major standout highlights from the first half of the season, though several players have had big games. 

As they move into the homestretch, including playoffs, Hengen says their goal is the top four in the division standings.

"When our team is playing defensively sound, that's when we're at our best. We've got two good goalies back there, and a good group of D-men, so whenever we can lock down our own end and limit the goals against, and bury our offensive chances when they come, that seems to be when we have the most success as a team."