The Innovex Estevan Bears opened their 2026-27 season over the weekend with a pair of games against the Contacts in Saskatoon.
Rylen Daviduk got the start in goal for the season opener and was the star of the game for the Bears. The Contacts carried play for the majority of the game, opening the scoring in the first 10 minutes. Saskatoon continued applying pressure but Daviduk stood tall in net keeping the Bears in the game until the final minutes. That’s when Landen Andrusiak finally got the Bears on the board with 3:55 remaining as the rookie fired a shot gloveside to make it 1-1 and force overtime. The Bears had the better chances in OT but couldn’t find the winner forcing a shootout. The goalies continued to hold the fort for both teams as no goals were scored in the shootout until round six. Saskatoon finally beat Daviduk, and the Bears Taren Anderson was unable to score on his ensuing attempt resulting in a 2-1 win for the Contacts.
The Bears had a better start in Saturday’s rematch, outshooting Saskatoon through the first 10 minutes. But after that, the Contacts resumed carrying the play from the night before for the rest of the game. Saskatoon scored on an early powerplay to make it 1-0 after the 1st period. The Contacts then added to their lead making it 3-0 before the Bears got on the board. Leyton LaBreche deflected home a shot from Reid Kosior to cut the deficit to 3-1, however Saskatoon capitalized on another powerplay late in the 2nd period to make it 4-1 heading into the final period. The Bears could not muster a comeback in the 3rd period, going down 5-1 early in the frame. Andrusiak would pounce on a turnover midway through the period to make it 5-2 with his second goal of the weekend. But that would be as close as the Bears would get as Saskatoon swept the weekend series.
