The Estevan Bruins rolled into Humboldt for the second time in five days on February 3, ending their road trip where it began. Unfortunately they achieved the same result as at the start of the road trip, dropping a 5-2 contest to the Humboldt Broncos.

Bryce Camrud scored the winner and added an assist, while Parker Tobin turned aside 31 of 33 shots to seal the win. Estevan got goals from Arthur Miller and Hayden Guilderson, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Humboldt.

Evan Thomas got the scoring started, heading in on a breakaway after Bryce Fisk dodged a pinch and sent him in alone. Thomas made some shifty moves and outwaited Matt Lukacs for his fifth of the year. Not long after, Broncos leading goal scorer Jaxon Joseph took a rebound of a partially blocked shot and tapped it past Lukacs for a 2-0 lead.

Miller cut into the Broncos lead on the power play, taking a pass at the top of the left circle, stepping in and firing one high short-side on Tobin for the first goal for the Bruins in Humboldt all year. The Broncos restored their two-goal lead less than two minutes later, however, as Camrud fired the eventual winner through traffic and under Lukacs.

Guilderson went in on a breakaway early in the second, going top-shelf on the backhand to get the Bruins within one, but that was as close as they got. In the third period Tobin took over, stopping Jayden Davis on a shorthanded breakaway and Jake Fletcher on a 2-on-1 with a highlight-reel pad save. Logan Hunter scored the Broncos fourth goal on another goalmouth scramble, and the Bruins never closed the gap. Nick Shumlanski scored the empty netter to salt the game away.

The loss drops Estevan to 1-2-1 to close out the four-game road trip over five days. They next play on Wednesday, February 7 in Wilcox against the Notre Dame Hounds. Catch that game at 8:00 on Rock 106.

HIGHLIGHTS:

GAME NOTES

Kaelan Holt had his point streak snapped at two games. He sits second on the Bruins in both goals and points.

Estevan did not have leading defensive scorer Johnny Witzke in the lineup due to an upper-body injury. His prognosis for the next game against Notre Dame is unknown.

The loss, coupled with a Weyburn Red Wings win, moves the Wings to within three points of Estevan for the division lead. Weyburn holds two games in hand.

The road trip was the final multi-game road trip of the season for Estevan. They finished 6-8-2 on their four-game road trips this year.

The Bruins were penalized eight times, including four in the second period, to just three by the Broncos. The Bruins killed off every Bronco power play.