For the eighth and final time in 2018-19, the Estevan Bruins and Yorkton Terriers fought to the finish on Tuesday, February 5 in Yorkton. As had been the case for much of the season series offense dominated the day and the home team emerged on top.

Chantz Petruic scored twice and added two assists, while Colby Brandt scored twice as well as Yorkton eked out a 6-5 victory over the Bruins. The win pulled the Terriers within two points of the Bruins atop the Viterra Division and gave them the win in the season series. 

Turner Ripplinger, Bryce Platt, TJ Irey, Devan Harrison, and Tyson Manz provided the Bruins offense while Kadin Kilpatrick allowed six goals on 31 shots in the defeat. Ryan Ouellette stopped 33 of 38 shots for Yorkton.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Petruic began the scoring less than two minutes into the game, a sign of things to come as his backhand from the slot snuck between Kilpatrick’s pads. Irey replied minutes later for the Bruins, starting a two-on-one with Ripplinger and burying the rebound of Ripplinger’s shot. 

The Bruins offense roared to life in the middle part of the first on the power play, with Ripplinger wiring home a feed across the crease from Platt and Harrison’s shot tipping off a Terrier past Ouellette to give Estevan a 3-1 lead. Before the period was out, however, Yorkton was back within one as Brandt took a feed from Petruic to go alone in tight and finished the play off on his backhand.

The teams traded goals in the second with the Bruins maintaining their lead until the end of the frame. Petruic sniped home a shot from distance to tie the score at three, then Platt finished off a feed from Irey by cutting to his backhand to give the Bruins the lead back. Cody Bruchkowski re-tied the score on the power play, tapping home a puck that squeaked past Kilpatrick, and the Terriers had another power play and a chance to take the lead.

On that advantage, however, two Terriers collided at the blue line and Tanner and Tyson Manz took the puck two-on-none the other way. Tanner slid the puck to his brother, who finished it off to give the Bruins the lead.

By the midway mark of the third, however, the Terriers had the lead back. First, Mason Mullaney took a backhander from the bottom of the right wing circle that went off Johnny Witzke and in. Then, after Kilpatrick failed to cover the puck off a shot to the glove side, Brandt swept in and deposited the rebound past him for his second of the night. 

The loss halts the Bruins season-high seven-game winning streak. They fall to 3-3-2 against Yorkton on the year and lose the season series.

GAME NOTES

Turner Ripplinger pushed his point streak to seven games. His goal and assist make him the first Bruin to get over the 50-point mark in 2018-19. 

Kadin Kilpatrick had a personal four-game win streak snapped. His last loss came on December 12 against the Melville Millionaires. 

For the third game in a row, the Bruins scored a shorthanded goal. The goal by Tyson Manz was the fourth shorthanded goal in that span. Jayden Davis (2) and Bryce Platt have the others. 

Aigne McGeady-Bruce added an assist on Ripplinger’s goal that gives him seven assists in his last eight games. He now has a career-best 16 assists on the year. 

The Yorkton Terriers move within two points of the Bruins for first place in the Viterra Division. They hold one game in hand and now own the tiebreaker.