The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins completed a sweep of their home and home with the Weyburn Red Wings by defeating the Red Wings 6-3 at Affinity Place on Saturday night.
For the second straight night, the Bruins (21-20-2-1) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on Weyburn. Kade McMillen scored on a power play midway through the first, and then Isaiah Thomas and Will Koop tallied 97 seconds apart late in the first for a three-goal advantage.
The Red Wings’ Rhett Frey scored the only goal of the second to cut the Bruins lead down to two.
Ryder Pierson and TJ Irey scored less than two minutes apart in the first six minutes of the third to give the Bruins a 5-1 lead. The two teams combined for three goals in the final eight minutes, with Tyson Manz scoring for Estevan, and Connor Pyne and Eric Soar getting the Weyburn goals.
The Bruins finished the game with 50 shots on goal. Cody Levesque stopped 44 of them for Weyburn.
Kadin Kilpatrick stopped 26 shots for the Bruins.
“We got ourselves on a good roll there,” said Irey. “Tonight we played a hard 56 minutes. We had a little lull there going into the last four (minutes), but other than that, going into this week with no games, and then coming back for two games, it was really big.”
Saturday’s game wasn’t as chippy as he thought it would be. Three Bruins – Austin King-Cunningham, Bryce Platt and Tristyn DeRoose – were suspended for Saturday night’s contest following incidents Friday night in Weyburn.
Bruins head coach and general manager Chris Lewgood was particularly pleased with the performance of the fourth line with Thomas, Pierson and Eddie Gallagher.
“It’s been a few games in a row here where those guys have been excellent, and to see them get some bounces was really good,” said Lewgood.
The Bruins win, coupled with the Yorkton Terriers (22-19-1) 5-3 loss to the Flin Flon Bombers, left the Bruins and the Terriers tied for the Viterra Division lead. The Terriers have two games in hand.
The Bruins next game will be Friday night at home against the Melfort Mustangs. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
