The last two seasons in a row, the Estevan Bruins and Battlefords North Stars have met in the postseason. Another series between the two teams may be looming, and if the game at Affinity Place on Saturday, February 23 was any indication, it will be a tightly contested playoff matchup.

Jayden Davis and Eddie Gallagher scored for the Bruins in regulation, but it wasn't enough as the North Stars earned a 3-2 shootout victory. Owen Lamb scored the only goal of the shootout in the fifth round, while Austin Becker and Ryan Gil scored during regulation.

"Defensively we were pretty tight tonight," said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood. "I thought we did a good job. We made them look good defensively, passing up a lot of shooting opportunities, a lot of two-on-ones where we didn't get a shot on goal, lots of wide open nets where we hit the post or didn't get a shot on goal. I think that was the difference in the game.

Tyler Szturm, making his second consecutive appearance, turned aside 27 of 29 shots he faced and four of five shooters in the shootout, while Joel Grzybowski kicked out 32 of 34 shots thrown his way and five shooters of his own. It was just Szturm's second career start overall, and he echoed his coach's thoughts about the Bruins defense.

"I felt comfortable in there," Sztrum said. "The team played well in front of me in the defensive zone and kept pucks to the outside, cleared away my rebounds. They made my night pretty easy and made me feel comfortable in there." 

Sztrum was perfect through the first period before Becker beat him in the second on a broken play. With a delayed penalty coming, Becker exposed a rare hole in the Bruins coverage and lifted a backhand past Szturm's outstretched pad from the bottom of the right cirle. 

Before the second period was done, the Bruins had a lead of their own. First, Davis caused havoc on the forecheck during a North Stars power play, finally lifting the puck away from two backcheckers and outwaiting Grzybowski for his fourth shorthanded goal of the year and 13th overall. Then, off a cycle, Gallagher took a drop pass from Ryder Pierson and wired it under the armpit of a screened Grzybowski.

Though not the offensive output the Bruins were used to, it seemed for a while it would be enough. With just 32 seconds left, however, Gil collected a bouncing rebound and fired it past a sprawled out Szturm.

Overtime solved nothing, and the first nine shooters of the shootout had no luck, owing to some acrobatic saves from Szturm. The fifth shooter for the North Stars was Lamb, and he had enough patience to outweight Szturm as he cut to the forehand and ripped it under the bar.

"I like it," said Lewgood of the potential playoff matchup. "I think they're a very good team but we know we're going to play a good team, it's not that there's any easy route. I like the way we played against these guys tonight, and I think simplifying things with the puck and staying the course gets us a win. We were below our best as far as personnel tonight and at the end of the day you hope to be healthy and ready to go."

GAME NOTES

A point gained by the Bruins and a loss by the Yorkton Terriers gives the Bruins a five point lead atop the Viterra Division with only three games left for Yorkton. A victory by the Bruins in either game against Weyburn in their upcoming weekend series, or a loss by the Terriers in any of their three remaining contests would clinch a third straight division title. 

Michael McChesney had a six-game point streak snapped. The longest streak by any Bruins player belongs to Bryce Platt with nine. 

Jayden Davis's four shorthanded goals are the most by a Bruin since 2015-16, when Jake Fletcher scored five. Davis has scored four of his 13 goals, or nearly one third, shorthanded.