In late November of 2017, the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins were searching for a veteran presence who could come into their crease and solidfy their goaltending position before the stretch run of the SJHL regular season.
Cue the music and enter 20-year-old netminder, Bo Didur.
The Bruins acquired Didur from the British Columbia Hockey League's Salmon Arm Silverbacks for a player development fee. Not having to give up a roster player or prospect in the deal was a big win for the Bruins, who got a goaltender with close to five years of experience in the Junior 'A' ranks. Coming to the team with an oppourtunity and a fresh slate, Didur hit the ground running with the Bruins and helped lower the club's goals against, while giving his teammates in front of him a ton of confidence.
"It's better than I ever expected. It's been unreal, I love the organization, I love the town and the guys have been great since I got here, just because of all that it's made playing hockey a lot easier," explained the West Vancouver native.
Since joining the black and gold, Didur started 19 regular season games for the club, putting forward a 5th best 2.46 goals against average and 3rd best .920 save percentage. Following his performance in the Bruins first round sweep of the Kindersley Klippers which saw Didur make a number of key stops including a blocker save in the final seconds of game four to keep the game at 3-2, the veteran goaltender will look to do the same against a team in the Battlefords North Stars, who swept the Bruins in last year's SJHL semi-final.
"It's exciting, since I've been here we've found some success against them in the three games I've played in. Everyone is excited to get the series going and we just want to see where it takes us. As a team they help me out a lot, everytime I make a save, guys are there to either clear the rebound or keep guys away from the front of the net so they make my job easy and it gives me confidence to play my game."
Didur has been named runner-up as SJHL goaltender of the week for four straight weeks and has quietly stabalized the Bruins crease on a nightly basis. Bruins Head Coach and General Manager Chris Lewgood echoed the importance of a player like Didur and the calming influence him and other veterans alike have on the rest of the team's roster.
"You need your goaltender to be good in playoffs, we need Bo to stand tall just like all of our leaders and veterans have to show up and lead by example," Lewgood said.
"We're really lucky to have two good goaltenders and Bo is playing really good hockey. Some of those statistics are a reflection of our team defense, but the last line of defense is your goaltender and our's has been good for us, we have a lot of confidence in Bo."
As for the easy going Didur, he's just enjoying his time with the black and gold, hoping to get one more shot at winning a championship.
"I remember my first day as a junior hockey player and now I'm out here growing grey hairs and a long beard so it's been a long road and lot's of fun. I'm just trying to enjoy every moment. Trying to make sure that even though it's playoff time, not to take things to seriously and enjoy the ride and every moment you get."
Beyond this season, Didur doesn't quite know where his hockey career will take him, but isn't putting too much stock into his future at the moment, with his focus remaining on game one against the North Stars on Friday night in the Battlefords.
"Hopefully there's guys watching, I know Chris(Lewgood) and the coaching staff are doing their best to help me out right now so I just have to focus on playing hockey and not worry about that kind of stuff," Didur concluded.
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