ESTEVAN - An Alameda hockey product was part of the Estevan Bruins team that won the SJHL championship on May 6.
Cody Davis is in his third year with the team. He had 11 goals and 21 assists in 56 regular season games this season, and added two goals and three assists in 16 postseason games.
“It’s something I’ve been dreaming about, and it’s good to do it in my hometown of Estevan, so it feels good,” said Davis.
It was particularly special to win the clinching game on home ice. The Bruins defeated the Flin Flon Bombers 2-0 in the seventh and deciding game of the league final on May 6 at Affinity Place.
“It definitely felt better, I think, at home in front of all the fans and in Game 7. There was a little bit of nerves, but overall it was a great experience and definitely better,” said Davis.
Game 7 was one of his best of the playoffs. He hit the post early in the game when the contest was still scoreless, and he formed a relentless checking line with Keagon Little and Bruins’ captain Eric Houk.
“I thought we did really well,” said Davis. “We just went out there and we had a role to do to shut down the (Drew) Kuzma line, and we went out there and we did that, and we generated some offence.”
He believes the fan support was a big difference-maker in Game 7. So was the move back to the larger ice surface at Affinity Place.
“We played more of our game in our barn, and that was a game-changer,” said Davis.
Davis is the younger brother of former Bruins’ captain Jayden Davis, who played for Estevan from 2016-2020. Jayden Davis was on the Bruins’ team that lost to the Nipawin Hawks in Game 7 of the 2018 SJHL final.
Cody Davis has been in constatnt communication with his brother this year.
“He told me that it [Game 7] would be a good game and to just play your best and don’t worry about anything. Just do what you can do,” said Cody Davis.
Also on the team was Arcola’s Carson Birnie, who was called up for the postseason by the Bruins after Birnie’s U18 AAA season came to an end. Birnie played for the Bruins in Game 4 of the league final
The Bruins will be the host team for the 2022 Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship, presented by Tim Hortons, from May 19-29 in Estevan. They will be joined by the Bombers and the eight league champions from across the country.
Estevan’s first game is May 20.
He hopes to see a healthy contingent of fans from Alameda and elsewhere in the southeast for the tournament.
“I’m super excited. There’s nothing better than to be the host for Centennial Cup,” said Davis.
