Border Bruins make two road wins over the weekend; coach says it's right on target
By Shara JJ Cooper
The Grand Forks Border Bruins had two road wins last weekend after competing against the North Okanagan Knights on Friday and the Kelowna Chiefs on Saturday.
The Friday game ended with a 5-3 finish and Saturday’s game ended with a score of 6-4.
Both games were a collective effort that started long before they even got on the ice, according to Flather.
“We were back training before any other team,” he said, adding they were back at work by Dec. 28.
The training included six hours of intense work every day both on and off the ice. It was part of a long-term strategy that Flather had planned since the start of the season.
“I knew that even after the nine-game skid, once we got our boys back we’d be fine. We just had to make it past Christmas,” he said.
Several of the team’s players have been away due to injury or suspension and all but one are back this year, including Captain Jackson Pervus.
“It was great to have our captain back; our leader back,” said Flather.
Part of Flather’s strategy included taking a bit of a gamble that the other teams wouldn’t get back in training early after the holiday break. He also anticipated that they wouldn’t work as hard because they were playing against the underdogs, but when the Bruins hit the ice neither teams were expecting it.
“They couldn’t keep up with us,” said Flather, adding they were frequently trailing behind or suffering when they took a break on the bench.
Now that the new year is here, the team is ready to take off. All but one player — Dakota Skittle — is back and ready to play. Skittle is recovering from a shoulder injury and is expected to be back in the next few weeks.
“We are really finding our rhythm,” said Flather.
He is even confident he knows how the season will end.
“We are definitely making it to the playoffs,” he said. “There is no doubt in my mind. There never was.”
The Games
Friday’s game against North Okanagan started off strong as soon as the players hit the ice. There were a lot of good chances for goals, but the team got a “bit sloppy” in the second period, according to Flather.
He called a time-out and reminded them of what they were working for.
“They had worked so hard. Some of them could hardly walk (during training). I reminded them what needed to be done to get those last two goals,” he said.
After that, the team were able to “put the nail in the coffin” and finish with a win.
Saturday’s game against the Kelowna Chiefs was similar. It started off strong but Flather said they missed a lot of chances and could have had two or three more goals in the first period. One of the key moments was when the other team took a run at their captain.
“When they took a run at Pervus… they just jumped right in front,” said Flather. That enraged the team enough that they wanted to fight for the win.
“They willed that win,” said Flather. “They just willed it more than the other team.”
Game Stats
Friday: The Bruins scored two goals in the first period, one in the second and two in the third. The Knights scored one goal in the second and one in the third. The Bruins took a total of 41 shots and the Knights took 51.
Saturday: The Bruins scored three goals in the third period and three in the third. The Chiefs scored two in the first, one in the second and one in the third. The Bruins made 36 shots and the Chiefs made 47.
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