BENNY WALCHUK:
Emery, starting with Friday night’s game in Melfort — it was a back-and-forth affair, but you came out on the wrong end of it. What were your takeaways from that matchup?
EMERY OLAUSON:
Yeah, Melfort’s just way too good of a team to spot two goals to, and we coughed up a couple right in the slot in the third period. Their forecheck got to us late, and any time they score first and last — especially in pairs — you’re in trouble. Overall, we didn’t play a bad game, but four of their five goals kind of came as bookends, and that makes it tough to sustain momentum through that middle stretch of the game. We responded well though. Special teams were a factor again — I think we only had one or two power plays and made good use of them, but Melfort’s power play was also really sharp. It’s a tough building to win in, and they showed again why they’ve been such a dominant team the past couple of years. If you slip up, they make you pay.
BENNY WALCHUK:
A nice bounce-back performance on Saturday though, with a shutout win. Your goaltender, Callum Craig, was excellent, and defensively the group looked really solid. That had to be a nice response to see.
EMERY OLAUSON:
For sure. Our power play got us the one goal we needed — a big one — and Quinn Tavender, back in the lineup, buried it for the game-winner. It was great to see him contribute right away. And for Callum, that was a really strong bounce-back. He’s a guy we have a lot of trust in. We know he’s going to be a big part of our success this year, and he showed again why he’s one of the better goalies in the league. It’s a results-driven business, and sitting around .500 isn’t where we want to be, but the encouraging part is how much better we’re playing. We’re starting to see that scoring depth come through, our goaltending is stabilizing, and the D-core is rounding into form. Holding a team like Melfort to just 14 or 15 shots through most of the third period says a lot about our defensive structure.
BENNY WALCHUK:
Now you turn your attention to the Flin Flon Bombers, who come back to town Friday night — a team you just faced last week. You had a good result at home, so being familiar with them, is an advantage, or can things change quickly in a week?
EMERY OLAUSON:
I think things will change a bit. They’re getting Ewen back in their lineup, and that’s a proud franchise — they don’t like losing. They’ve been on a bit of a skid, so I’d expect them to come in hungry. But looking at our schedule, I have to give our group some credit. The strength of schedule has been relentless — Weyburn three times, Humboldt twice, Melfort twice, Melville twice, and now Flin Flon again. There really haven’t been any easy nights. Those are all top teams year after year, and our guys have been battling hard through a tough stretch — six games in twelve days against that level of competition. We’re looking forward to things balancing out a bit after November, and the goal is just to keep improving every day.
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