The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins won 3-2 in overtime over the Kindersley Klippers Wednesday night but also made news off the ice in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action.
Ryder Pierson, an Estevan born and raised player with the Yorkton Maulers of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League forward, made his SJHL debut by getting a few shifts in the game. The 6'0", 183 pound Pierson has nine goals and nine assists in 31 games with the Maulers this season.
Johnny Witzke’s goal at 3:35 of overtime had the Bruins celebrating. Michael McChesney and Matthew Chekay also scored in the game, and the Bruins had an apparent goal called back early in the third period. Bo Didur made 20 saves in the Bruins’ net for the win.
It’s not often that a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team can pick up a player with future Memorial Cup experience, but the Bruins did just that at the trade deadline in their only move of the day.
On major junior and junior A trade deadline day, the Bruins picked up the rights to Bryce Platt of the Regina Pats from the Canmore Eagles of the Alberta Junior Hockey League for a player development fee but the player will stay with the Pats for the season and the Memorial Cup.
The 6’2”, 188-pound Platt scored 20 goals and 15 assists last year for the Eagles in 50 games, and picked up 128 penalty minutes. Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood said the move was made with an eye for Platt playing in Estevan next season.
That was the only move the Bruins made but there was another Bruin’s rights on the move during the trade deadline day. Austin King-Cunnignham, 17, had his rights dealt from the Vancouver Giants to the Tri-City Americans for a conditional draft pick. King-Cunningham, one of eight defencemen on the roster for the Bruins, will stay in Estevan until the Bruins’ season is done, at which point he will join the Americans.
King-Cunningham has eight games of WHL experience over the past two seasons, accumulating an assist and seven penalty minutes.
