The Estevan Bruins overcame a shortened bench on Wednesday, November 22 to pull out a 5-3 victory over the La Ronge Ice Wolves in La Ronge.

Estevan had five different goal scorers, as the offense came back to life after abandoning the team temporarily in Nipawin. Jake Tesarowski scored the winning goal with just 2:46 to go in the third period, and added an assist in the first period to give him six points in 10 games in a Bruins sweater.

Arthur Miller, Jake Heerspink, and Jake Fletcher also scored, with Hayden Guilderson adding the empty netter. Matt Lukacs made 32 saves on 35 shots and the Bruins moved to 1-1 on the road trip.

HIGHLIGHTS:

La Ronge got the scoring started under a minute into the game, burying his sixth of the year with 54 seconds gone in the first frame. That was as much as the Ice Wolves accomplished in the opening frame however, as the Bruins, undaunted, roared back with three goals of their own before the period was out.

Jake Heerspink got things started with 11:47 still to go in the first. Heerspink joined the rush after a power play expired and took a tape-to-tape pass in the slot from Kaelan Holt, who took a hit to make the play. Heerspink rifled a shot to the glove side that Ice Wolves goalie Jordan Frey bobbled, and as Heerspink drove to the net after the rebound he swept it in.

Just over a minute and a half later, with the Bruins down a man, Miller and Michael McChesney busted in on a two-on-one shorthanded. McChesney fed Miller in the neutral zone, and Miller kept it and took the shot himself, rifling it high glove to give the Bruins their first lead of the night.

The Bruins weren’t done in that first period, as Tyson Manz shot for a rebound off the rush and got one with Fletcher driving to the net to cash it in.

The Bruins watched their two goal lead slip away, and watched their roster deteriorate over the next period and a half. Holt and Matthew Chekay had to leave the game with ailments, and the Bruins, who were already missing TJ Irey with the flu, were down to three forward lines. With Heerspink done for the night after a fighting major, they were down a defender as well.

Perkins scored again for the Ice Wolves in the second, and in the third they got a goal from Mitch Zambon, his first in a La Ronge sweater to tie the game. Zambon’s goal was a bizarre one, as he shot from a bad angle and then banged away as the puck was under Lukacs. Lukacs fell back and the officials lost sight of the puck as the goal light went on. The Bruins insisted the puck never crossed the line, but after a conversation between officials it was ruled the puck crossed the line.

The Bruins were on their heels a bit with running three lines, but they pushed back and took control of the shot clock. By the end of the game they’d not only put 45 pucks on the La Ronge net but also took the lead. Tesarowski joined the rush and took a feed from Tanner Manz, rifling it over the outstretched glove of Frey to give the Bruins a late lead.

After that, the Bruins bled out the clock until Guilderson and Jayden Davis had a two-on-one at the empty net and Davis drew the defender to him and slid it over to Guilderson for a wide-open look at the empty net. Guilderson tapped it in and finished the game off.

The Bruins move to 16-8-1 on the season and will resume their road trip in Flin Flon on Friday night on Rock 106.

GAME NOTES

Kaelan Holt and Matthew Chekay left the game after the first period. Whether either will be available for the game in Flin Flon remains to be seen.

Arthur Miller’s goal was his eighth in just his eleventh game as a Bruin. He has four assists as well for twelve points on the year since joining Estevan.

Matt Lukacs’s 32 saves tonight gave him 76 saves over the last two games on back-to-back nights.

The Bruins are now 4-0 against La Ronge this season, and 2-0 at the Mel Hagland Arena.