Before game six against the Humboldt Broncos began on Sunday, March 24, the Estevan Bruins were bracing themselves for what they expected would be a furious charge by the Broncos early. Instead, it was the Bruins who rocketed out of the starting gate, building a lead they would never surrender. 

Grant Boldt turned in his finest performance of the playoffs with 34 saves on 35 shots, and Johnny Witzke, Will Koop, Devan Harrison, and Bryce Platt all scored for the Bruins as they downed the Broncos 4-1. Brayden Camrud scored for Humboldt, who got 28 saves on 31 shots from Rayce Ramsay. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

Witzke led off the Bruins scoring just 2:22 into the game. At the side of the Broncos goal, the Bruins fought for a puck and won it out front. Witzke pinched in from the point and fired the puck five-hole on Ramsay.

Just over three minutes later, the Bruins got their first two-goal lead of the series. Koop won the draw back to Jake Heerspink at the point and then went straight to the front of the net. He tipped Heerspink’s shot over Ramsay’s pad and put the Bruins up 2-0. 

The Bruins then had to weather the storm they feared was coming. For 2:58 both Jayden Davis and Tanner Manz were in the penalty box, but thanks to some timely shot blocks, and a few spectacular saves from Boldt, they killed it off. On another penalty kill, later in the period, Davis and Harrison escaped the zone and went away 2-on-1. Davis waited for the defender to sprawl out and then fed Harrison for the one-timer, on which the young defenseman made no mistake. 

The Broncos pushed back in the third, taking the lead on the shot clock and, for the first time in the series, held it. Despite a short-side snipe by Camrud midway through the third, however, the score clock stayed 3-1 for the Bruins until late in the third. With the Broncos net empty, Platt got into a footrace with Josh Patrician, beat him to the puck, and found the empty net. 

The win forces a decisive seventh game back at Affinity Place on Tuesday, March 26. The game will air on Rock 106 at 7:30.

GAME NOTES

The Bruins now have seven goals from their defense in the series. Jake Heerspink leads the way with three, while Johnny Witzke and Devan Harrison have two apiece. 

The Bruins beat the Broncos at Elgar Petersen Arena for the first time since November of 2016. They had played three regular season games and two playoff contests in a five-game losing streak.