The Bruins have two games at home this weekend, tomorrow against the Nipawin Hawks and Sunday against the Battlefords North Stars. Steven Glass will return to the lineup, though it's unclear whether he'll get a start. Glass will back up Tyler Ross tomorrow and could start Sunday.
With the Bruins playing well lately, there's still no rush to get Glass back between the pipes. He's played a fair amount this year for an 18-year-old rookie, and the time off will no doubt help him stay fresh for the playoffs.
As reported in yesterday's Mercury, Eric Baldwin has a sprained ankle and likely won't return until mid-February.
Meanwhile, In the race for the top three in the Sherwood Conference, Yorkton and Melville both won last night, after losing on Tuesday. Yorkton has now played all their games in hand on the Bruins, and are five points ahead. Melville is two points ahead but still has three games in hand. Here's a breakdown of the remaining schedule for all three teams.
ESTEVAN BRUINS - 10 games left - 6 home, 4 away
vs. Nipawin, vs. Battlefords, at Kindersley, at Battlefords, at Kindersley, vs. Yorkton, vs. Kindersley, vs. Humboldt, at Weyburn, vs. Weyburn.
The good news is they have three games against the rock-bottom Kindersley Klippers. But they also have five games against the three teams a cut above the rest: Humboldt, Battlefords and Weyburn. They are a combined 4-8 against those teams this year. They also only have one four-point game, that being Feb. 8 against Yorkton.
MELVILLE MILLIONAIRES - 13 games left - 8 home, 5 away
at Melfort, vs. Kindersley, vs. Flin Flon, at Humboldt, at Notre Dame, vs. Melfort, at Weyburn, vs. Battlefords, at Nipawin, vs. La Ronge, vs. La Ronge, vs. Humboldt, vs. Notre Dame.
The Mils have five games against sub-.500 clubs and four against the "big three". If they can get through a very busy next two weeks - with only 10 healthy forwards at the moment - they have a four-game homestand to finish the season. They're banged up and Yorkton has a better schedule, but I like them to take second because of their games in hand.
YORKTON TERRIERS - 10 games left - 7 home, 3 away
vs. Kindersley, vs. Kindersley, vs. Flin Flon, vs. Melfort, vs. Battlefords, at Estevan, at Notre Dame, vs. La Ronge, vs. La Ronge, at Notre Dame.
The T-Dogs have a five-game homestand starting tomorrow, with three of the games against Kindersley/Melfort, plus a slumping Bomber squad. If they play their cards right, they could all but sew up a top three spot by the time they hit the road next. They also have two games in the final week against the Hounds, a team that will likely have nothing to play for standings-wise.
In other news, the SJHL has renamed its championship trophy. The Credit Union Cup is now the Canalta Cup. The naming rights are part of a 10-year deal between the SJHL and Canalta Hotels that will see the chain contribute over $600,000 to the league. The news release is on the league's website right here: http://www.sjhl.ca/news_item.aspx?news_id=2338
