The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins season is over, but head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood is still pleased with the strides taken by the team this season.
The Bruins dropped a 6-1 decision to the Battlefords North Stars on April 4 at Affinity Place. The Battlefords swept the best-of-seven Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League series in four straight games, and outscored the Bruins 23-8 in the process.
Strong starts helped carry the North Stars to victory, as they scored 13 of 23 goals in the opening frame. Game 4 was no different, as they led 3-0 after 20 minutes.
Michael McChesney scored the only goal in Game 4, and has been named the Bruins playoff MVP. The 18-year-old American forward had six goals and a team-leading nine points in nine postseason games.
“For him to contribute offensively and play such a key defensive role as a young player was an outstanding influence on this team,” said Lewgood.
The game marked the end of the junior hockey careers for seven players: goaltender Nathan Alalouf, defencemen Josh Rieger and Evan Scott, and forwards Levi Barnstable, Matt McNeil, Jason Miller and Lynnden Pastachak, who was the team’s captain.
“They’re all good people,” said Lewgood. “That’s the best thing about them. This was a memorable season because we had some success, but it’s more memorable for the people we had in the room, and who we shared that success with. And it started with our 20-year-olds.”
Alalouf spent the last two seasons with the club, making him the first goalie to play two full seasons with the Bruins since Billy Gerry from 2000 to 2002.
“It was especially fun to watch him grow from the player and person he was when we got him here at the start of the 2015-16 season, to the veteran and leader he was when he left,” said Lewgood.
Scott was acquired from the Valley Wildcats of the Maritime Junior A Hockey League just before the Jan. 10 trade deadline. He proved to be everything the Bruins wanted.
“We needed to add some size and grit and experience at the back end, and what we weren’t sure about was what we were getting for a person,” said Lewgood. “His biggest attribute was his leadership.”
As for Rieger, the third-year defenceman was named the top defenceman and the top player for the Bruins, and the Viterra Division this season. He has committed to play for the University of North Dakota in 2016-17.
“He literally couldn’t have done much more for this program,” said Lewgood. “On and off the ice, he was the heart and soul of the team and in the community.”
His work in the classroom and the gymnasium, and on the ice, were always done to the best of his ability, Lewgood said.
Lewgood referred to Barnstable as “the quintessential unsung hero.” Barnstable scored 10 goals during his three seasons with the club, but he was a very valuable player.
“He’s somebody who embraced his role on our hockey club, and was proud of his role on our hockey club, and every day he came to the rink to make himself better,” said Lewgood. “In doing so, he also made his teammates better.”
Miller and McNeil came to the club from the Drayton Valley Thunder of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before the season. Lewgood never could have imagined how good they would be.
“I underestimated their skill levels, and moreover, I think their initial questions about coming here led me to believe they wouldn’t contribute emotionally,” said Lewgood. “The big picture is what they did for our hockey team. They were big assets for us this year.”
McNeil led the team with 31 goals and 69 points in 58 games in the regular season, and added four goals and an assist in nine playoff games.
Miller, meanwhile had 26 goals and 59 points in 56 games, and added seven goals in nine games in the post-season.
Lewgood and Pastachak came to the Bruins at the start of the 2013-14 season. Lewgood said they have been through a lot of wars together, and he’ll always have a lot of fond memories of Pastachak.
“He’s done a lot for this hockey team in his time here, and he’ll be remembered for that for a long time,” said Lewgood.
This season saw the Bruins win 37 games, their highest total since the 1998-99 season. They won the Viterra Division for their first division title since 2007, and beat the Yorkton Terriers in the quarter-finals for their first playoff series victory since 2005.
