The Estevan Bruins played another back-and-forth game with a tough opponent on Saturday, January 6 and just as they had Friday against Melfort they came out with the short end of the stick.

Jaxon Joseph scored late in overtime to lift the Broncos to a 2-1 win over the Bruins. Michael McChesney scored the Bruins only goal in a game where their league-leading offense was unnusually quiet.

"Friday night's game we played really well except for four or five shifts," said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood, "and out of those four or five, two pucks ended up in the back of our net. Tonight we just didn't play well enough. We played about half the game well. Even when we skated hard, we were disorganized in completeing passes and just generally not sharp."

The Bruins started the game off strong, as McChesney opened the scoring late in the first period. The second-year-forward parked himself in front of the net on a delayed penalty to Humboldt and tipped in Raihan Kheraj's point shot to give Estevan the lead.

"We've got to work on the little things right now," McChesney said after the game. "Those one or two shifts we take off are really hurting us right now so we've got to focus on playing a full sixty."

That lead would survive the second period intact despite a five-minute penalty kill for the Bruins after captain Jake Fletcher was ejected for a hit from behind. 

"It was a huge kill, an excellent effort on the kill," Lewgood said. "Usually you build on those things and capitalize shortly after but we certainly didn't do that."

"I don't expect to have him in the lineup on Wednesday," Lewgood added of Fletcher, noting that there is a minumum suspension for hits from behind.

In the third period, Humboldt started quickly, scoring a power play goal in the opening minute and pressing hard. They limited the Bruins to just a handful of shots in the third, and the Bruins didn't get their first shot until there were fewer than six minutes on the clock. Despite this, the Bruins limped to overtime, largely on the back of goaltender Bo Didur. 

The two teams traded chances in the extra frame, but it was Humboldt who cashed in on their 2-on-1 with Joseph banging in a rebound off a Logan Schatz shot to earnt the visitors the win. 

The Bruins will get back in action on Wednesday night as they host the Kindersley Klippers for the first time all season. The two teams haven't played since September, where the Bruins lost 7-5 in Kindersley. Puck drop is 7:00.

GAME NOTES

Estevan's Kaelan Holt had his scoring streak snapped at three games. He sits second on the Bruins with 22 goals on the year. 

Michael McChesney scored in back-to-back games over the weekend, bringing his season total to 19. He is third on the Bruins in that department.

Jake Fletcher faces a minimum suspension for his check from behind on Derek Patter. Patter was shaken up on the hit and had to leave the ice, but did return to finish the game.

The losses over the weekend allowed the Weyburn Red Wings to gain ground on the Bruins atop the Viterra Division. Estevan still leads by four points.