The Estevan Bruins gained a small measure of revenge, and moved to .500 on both the year and their homestand, with a win over the Nipawin Hawks on Saturday, October 20 at Affinity Place. The Bruins got goals from four different players in the win.

Grant Boldt made 32 saves, and Will Koop scored and added an assist in his Bruins debut. Bryce Platt, Johnny Witzke, and Turner Ripplinger also scored. 

The Hawks replied with a third period goal from Jordan Simoneau at 5-on-3 and got 34 saves on 38 shots from Declan Hobbs, but they still fell 4-1 to a Bruins team rejuvinated by a recent win over Melfort and by the return to the lineup of Michael McChesney, who had two assists.

"It was a really good game," said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood. "I thought we played 60 minutes. All facets of the game were solid tonight, it was a good effort."

The good effort led to an outburst of scoring in the opening frame as Platt and Koop, playing together for the first time, scored a goal each. Koop threw the puck into the crease and Platt banged away at it for his third of the year just 4:37 in, and Koop redirected Platt's shot past Hobbs just under four minutes later for an early 2-0 lead for the Bruins.

"It was exciting," said Koop of meeting his brand new linemates. "You're just talking before the game, trying to get a little bit of a game plan and really just trying to be very vocal on the ice. We'd never really met each other before today but I think we found some instant chemistry right off the hop."

Koop's coach, who acquired him in a five-team blockbuster late Friday night, seemed to agree.

"You take their skill sets and we had to try to find good fits just based on who they are as players. Those guys seemed to be good fits and when you get two good guys that think the game really well they're going to find some chemistry."

The Bruins added one more in the first, this one on the man advantage by Witzke. Witzke faked a shot at the line before jumping into shooting position and firing a wrister through traffic that nicked off Hobbs's glove and in. 

The two teams locked it down in a physical second period, one that saw Jayden Davis and Arik Breton drop the gloves after Breton hit Ripplinger from behind. In the third, Simoneau fired a shot from the right circe during 5-on-3 play to beat Boldt for the first time and cut into Estevan's lead.

Simoneau taunted the Bruins bench following the goal, making as if to show them his championship ring, but the Bruins got the last laugh as Platt fed Turner Ripplinger at the back side of the net off the rush to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead late. From there, the Bruins hit cruise control for the final minute and took the win.

Estevan and Nipawin won't have to wait long to renew their rivalry in a game that saw some bad blood. The two teams will meet in Nipawin on Tuesday, October 23, at 7:30. The game will air on Rock 106.

GAME NOTES

A night after posting the best statistical game of any Bruins goalie on the year, Grant Boldt outdid himself with 32 saves on 33 shots. He has surrendered just four goals in his last three starts.

Bryce Platt and Will Koop combined for two goals and five points in their first game together. Koop was credited with what turned out to be the game winning goal. 

The Bruins scored four goals on Declan Hobbs for the third time in a row at Affinity Place. The Hawks netminder had not surrendered four or more goals since giving up five against Kindersley on October 2.