The Estevan Bruins started out strong and peaked in the second period in a 5-1 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds on February 7. The Bruins and Hounds had played four times in the season, with the home team winning all four before tonight.

Hayden Guilderson got the scoring started on the power play for Estevan and Arthur Miller got it finished shorthanded as the Bruins cruised to the 5-1 win. Tyson Manz, Jerzy Martin, and Michael McChesney added tallies at even strength to round out the scoring, and Bo Didur made 23 saves in the win.

Guilderson got the Bruins off to a lead they never relinquished with 11:07 gone in the first period. With the Bruins on the power play, Guilderson took a slap-pass from Jake Heerspink at the side of the net and tapped it past Jack Ryan to break the ice.

Late in the first period, Estevan extended their lead as Max Salpeter blew a tire at centre ice. Seizing his chance, Jayden Davis turned on the jets and busted into the Hounds end 2-on-1 with Tyson Manz, who finished the play by going to the top corner on the blocker side of Ryan.

Estevan led 2-0 at the start of the second, but really blew things open during the middle frame. McChesney, temporarily playing with Martin and TJ Irey, jumpstarted the line on the cycle. After working it around the Hounds zone, McChesney threw the puck out from behind the net to Irey, who finished from in tight to extend the Bruins lead to four. Not long after, McChesney finished one himself on a wraparound to give the Bruins a 4-0 lead.

The highlight of the game, however, came with the Bruins shorthanded. With 9:37 left in the second, Miller took a puck in the middle of the ice and stopped up at the top of the left circle in the Notre Dame end. Outwaiting a sprawling defender with a picturesque toe drag, Miller then pulled it to the backhand around Ryan to tuck in a beautiful shorthanded tally.

That rounded out the scoring for the Estevan Bruins as the Hounds held them goalless in the third. Chaz Smedsrud spoiled Didur’s shutout on a power play marker midway through the third, but that was as much offense as Notre Dame could muster. The game petered out with a few skirmishes and unpleasant words, but no more scoring on either side.

Estevan now takes a week off to prepare for a Valentines Day date with the Weyburn Red Wings. Estevan holds a 5-point lead on the Red Wings in the Viterra Division standings as of this writing.

HIGHLIGHTS:  

GAME NOTES

Michael McChesney’s even strength marker was his 25th of the year. He is the third Bruin to get 25 goals this season. No other team has more than two, and only the Battlefords North Stars have more than one.

Estevan’s win was the first win by a road team in the season series between these two squads. Estevan moves to 3-1-1 on the year against the Hounds, including two wins at Affinity Place.

Jerzy Martin’s two-point night gives him ten points total on the year. He is the 16th Bruin (not counting traded players Isaac Embree and Nolan Ferguson) to get to double-digit point totals.

Despite getting five different goal scorers and nine different players with points, Estevan’s top two scorers, Kaelan Holt and Zach Goberis, were held without points in the victory.