Four days after being eliminated from the SJHL playoffs, members of the Estevan Bruins gathered to say their goodbyes at the team's annual awards banquet on Sunday at the Days Inn Plaza.
The Bruins handed out 17 awards and also recognized their three graduating 20-year-olds, forwards Matt Dochylo and Derek Whitehill and defenceman Dominic Perrault.
Bruins forwards Josh Jelinski and Cole Olson shared the team's MVP award.
For Jelinski, the honour was one of four awards he received on the night, including the prestigious Bill Shinske Ethics Award.
The Bruins' captain also shared the Mr. Hustle award with linemate Dochylo and won the Rocky award.
Olson earned three accolades himself, along with the MVP distinction, he was also named the team's most sportsmanlike player and shared the Iron Man award, given to the player appearing in the most games, with Tyler Kauk.
Several other players were multiple winners, including Kauk, who was named the team's top defenceman.
Goalie Steven Glass and winger Taylor Reich shared the rookie of the year award. Glass also earned the playoff MVP award, while Reich won the team's community involvement award.
Dochylo, in addition to a share of the Mr. Hustle honour, was also named the team's most popular player.
Whitehill won the Abe Berday Memorial Scholastic Award and the Bruins Training Staff Heart Award.
Other award winners were Dylan Smith (top scorer), Tyler Poskus (most improved), Connor Milligan (most underrated) and Chad Saxon (volunteer of the year).
Dochylo, Whitehill and Perrault were lauded for their leadership and dedication in their final season of junior hockey.
"If you want to take a look at what heart and soul means, you can take a look at the three 20-year-olds we have on our club," said head coach Keith Cassidy after the team's season-ending loss on Wednesday.
"I'm very, very proud of all three of them. It's a very tough job to assemble a team like we have and be as committed as those three 20-year-olds were to our program. They could have wanted to be elsewhere, seeing that we were going with a young group. They didn't. They wanted to be here. They dedicated themselves to being here and that's true leadership right there."
Whitehill, who played one season with the Bruins after spending time playing in Winnipeg and Alaska, said it was a memorable team to be part of.
"It was a tight group. This is hands-down my favourite group of teammates I've ever been a part of. There were no cliques."
He said he'll miss being around his two fellow 20-year-olds as well.
"Doch is always the first guy in the morning to greet you with the biggest smile and give you a hug for no reason.
"As for Dom, great player on the ice, same thing. He's always there to lend a helping hand and be that guy in the room who's there for leadership, support, whatever you need."
Perrault played two years with the Bruins after being acquired from the Battlefords North Stars at the beginning of last season.
It didn't take long for him to single out his favourite memory in a Bruins' sweater, that being his Game 5 overtime goal to win their series against Melville in last year's playoffs.
He said he'll look back fondly on being part of the first Bruins team to play at Spectra Place, including the team's dressing room hand-crafted by trainer Gerry Aspen.
"The facility is amazing and the people that volunteered and sponsored that rink and the people that have put in countless hours Gerry put in thousands of hours. That's something that you're never, ever going to forget," Perrault said.
Dochylo, who was acquired from Melfort at mid-season last year, expressed his gratitude to the team and the city for giving him a place to play.
"(At the banquet), we learned how many people, how much effort it takes to keep this hockey team afloat. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best organization I've been a part of.
"For the city of Estevan, I appreciate everything they've done for me and (the way they've) treated me and my family. This was my second home, so that's important, especially when you're seven or eight hours away from home."
Dochylo expects big things for linemates Jelinski and Tyler Paslawski as 20-year-olds next season.
"Those are going to be players next year that are going to be talked about quite a bit in the league. They're good core guys with good morals. They've got good beliefs and I think that's what's important, not only (being) a good hockey player but a good person," he said.
All three grads have their sights set on playing at the post-secondary level next year. Perrault appears to be headed to Mount Royal University in Calgary, while Dochylo is tentatively planning to attend York University along with former teammates Mark Cross and Ryan Andersen.
Whitehill's plans are still uncertain, but he is aiming to play university or collegiate hockey.
