The Eagle Drilling Estevan Bruins wrapped up exhibition play over the weekend and are now looking forward to their regular season opener tomorrow night in Melville.
It has been well documented that the Bruins have high hopes for this year after a disappointing season a year ago. Head coach Karry Biette has gone on record in the past, saying that if his team isn't among the top three teams in the league at Christmas time, he should be fired, and he is standing by that statement.
"If we're not in the top three at Christmas, and I think we should be, but if we're not and the executive wants to get rid of me, I'll be happy to walk out the door and hand over everything to the next guy, with no hard feelings," said Biette.
Those kinds of words from the head coach leave no doubt that the Bruins are looking to have a very successful year, and with the team they have put together, there is no reason why they shouldn't do exactly that.
The Bruins have a wealth of junior A experience at their disposal, but a lot of those players are new to the team, and with so many new faces in the dressing room, jelling as a team may take some time.
"I think it will take some time to get things going the way we want them to go," said Biette. "But I think we've got enough experience and enough depth to sneak out some wins until we find our feet and get these guys used to each other."
Forward Troy Hunter is one of the experienced players brought in over the off-season, and Biette said the coaching staff collectively agreed to make him the club's captain for the 2010-11 season.
"He plays with his heart on his sleeve and he goes hard every night, and demands the same out of his teammates," said Biette. "He's big and strong, and he's a stand-up guy, who's won a league championship and gone to an RBC Cup, so he knows what it takes to win."
Biette left it up to the players to vote in the team's three assistant captains. As many as 14 players received at least one vote, but at the end of the day, Ben Findlay, Kyle Johnson and Mark Cross won the honour to wear letters.
With Joel Danyluk named the club's starting goaltender before camp, the battle for the back-up spot came down to Shea Cooper and Alex Sirard. The two goalies split time between the pipes through exhibition play, and Cooper ended up earning the job, outplaying his counterpart.
"The problem that Alex had was the fact that the dressing room just didn't have a whole bunch of confidence in him after last year," said Biette. "I like Alex, he's a good goalie and he's going to continue to play junior A. He just lost the confidence of the dressing room, and Cooper seemed to grasp that right off the bat, and that was a big factor in our decision."
On defence, Biette said he likes the size and physicality of his players but the team may have some mobility issues that need to be addressed. He's also looking for someone to step up and quarterback the powerplay. While he believes he can resolve that issue with the players he's already got in the fold, Biette didn't deny that he is willing to make some moves if need be.
"I'm in negotiations everyday to improve this hockey club. I don't want a revolving door in here with guys coming and going, but at the same time we have to improve a little bit, and there may be some player movement in the first three weeks," he said.
Like on defence, the Bruins are big and strong at forward. They have plenty of depth up front and should have no problem finding the back of the net this season.
The Bruins season opener against Melville tomorrow night will be televised live on Access Channel 7.
Their home opener goes Saturday at 7:30 p.m. as the ladder half of a home and home with he Millionaires.
