Bruins win a game to close their season
By Michael Wirischagin
Although it may not have been the season that all the Grand Forks Border Bruins fans had been hoping for, it was at times very entertaining, but now it is over. The Bruins finished off their 2010/2011 season play this past weekend with games in the East Kootenays, but before that they played a few games here in the Kootenay/Boundary area. On Feb. 4 the B’s welcomed the Spokane Braves to the Grand Forks Arena in a Kootenay Conference: Neil Murdoch division showdown. Grand Forks took a 2-1 lead into the third period of play however Spokane scored three straight in the third stanza to win the game 4-2. Randy Tosoff and Yan Kalshnikov tallied the two GF goals. The following night, Feb. 5, Grand Forks travelled to Fruitvale to take on the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in another Kootenay Conference contest. Grand Forks did not look strong in the game, losing 9-2 to ‘Hawks, and in the process were outshot 38-24. Kale Erickson and Gary Mahesh registered the two Bruins’ markers. On Sunday, Feb. 6, the Bruins headed south to Spokane to play their third game in as many days and their third straight inter-conference game. Spokane put up a second straight nine spot on GF and the Braves won the game 9-3. Joey Cormano, Zachary Thompson, and Yan Kalshnikov scored the three Grand Forks goals. The Castlegar Rebels were next on the schedule as they journeyed over the Paulson Pass to play the Bruins in Grand Forks on Feb. 9. Grand Forks once again gave up nine goals and lost the game, 9-3. Thompson scored twice in the game while Artsiom Kalashnikov scored once for Grand Forks. As the Bruins season crept to a close, Grand Forks hopped a bus and headed out East to finish things off and to play their last two games of the year. First stop Golden and the Golden Rockets on Feb. 11. The Border Bruins took a 4-2 lead into the third period of play where Golden was able to score two of their own to tie the game at 4’s, but Thompson showed some late game magic to give the B’s the lead and the 5-4 win. This is was the Bruins first win of the calendar year 2011. Both Kalashnikov brothers scored goals, as did Thompson and Tosoff. Grand Forks Border Bruin affiliate player and Grand Forks native Jeremy McGregor also scored in the game. It was McGregor’s first Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) goal. The Bruins suited up for the last time this season this past Saturday in Invermere taking on the Columbia Valley Rockies. Grand Forks scored once while the Rockies scored five times, and the team from Invermere won the game 5-1. Yan Kalashnikov scored the lone Grand Forks goal. With the Bruins season now in the books they now have to begin looking towards next season. First and foremost, the Bruins need to find a new coach and, secondly, they need to find a way to win many more games. Grand Forks is in a good position in terms of players as, for a second straight year, the Bruins will not be losing players due to be over-age.
The Border Bruins finished the season with an 8-win 41-loss 0-loss 1-overtime loss record and was good enough for 17 points- a better finish than the year previous.
