With 15 games left on the Power Dodge Estevan Bruins 2017-18 regular season schedule, they sit 25-14-3-1 at the top of the Viterra Division.

On a team loaded with offensive fire power, the Bruins have the makings of a club who could make another deep run into the SJHL playoffs. Although the on ice product has been outstanding at home where the Bruins have gone 16-5-1-1, attendance numbers haven't necessarily reflected the on ice product according to Bruins President, Cory Prokop.

"We were below budget for season ticket sales, not by a ton but we didn't meet our expectations from that standpoint," Prokop explained. "Attendance figures have been decent for the year, given the performance of the team it's been a bit disappointing from the business side. Friday's crowd was certainly an exception and was nice to see the number of people come out to support the team, certainly when ever we're playing the Weyburn Red Wings that seems to be the case. With six games remaining it's import to continue supporting the team, we have one of the top teams in the league and have shown we can play and compete at a high level."

When Estevan hosted Weyburn on Friday, January 19th, Affinity Place saw the SJHL's highest attended game of the season with 1,426 spectators taking in a 6-1 Bruins victory. With six games left on the Bruins home schedule, they have seen the highest number of spectators in the SJHL come through Affinity Place at 19,507. Averaging 848 fans per game has Estevan sitting with the second highest average in the league, only behind the Battlefords who have seen 937 visitors per game.

Many factors come into play when discussing the day to day operations of a Junior 'A' hockey club, which should be known that it isn't a cheap venture.

"I was at the governors meetings in Melfort and looking at statistics league-wide over the last ten years, attendance has continued to trend down. Unfortunately, ticket sales is a big part of every teams revenue stream. Our operating costs are maybe a bit higher than some because of our travel from the south east corner. I don't think people realize that a team like this has a budget of $650,000 - $700,000 per season to operate in the league."

Although the SJHL has seen a decline in attendance over the last decade, Prokop did say that the league is exploring all avenues to try and market the league properly to it's fans. Along with marketing the league, the SJHL has also encouraged teams to up the ante on game day production.

"There's a lot of different things that happen during a game that make it fun for families besides the hockey. Having a competitive team helps, but you can't always depend on that. We're very lucky that we have the number of volunteers to help make those game nights what they are. You can travel around the league and it doesn't take long to see that we do have one of the top facilities by far, along with top production and in game activity for fans to enjoy. Given the size of our community and quality of product on the ice, it would be nice to see consistent crowds of fourteen to fifteen-hundred but we're lucky that we do tend to be right at the top of the league in attendance," Prokop concluded.