ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins picked up their first win of the 2024-25 SJHL regular season Saturday night with a 4-2 victory over the Flin Flon Bombers.
Kent Moors gave the Black and Gold an early lift with a goal 23 seconds into the game. Luke Hogan added to the lead just over nine minutes later with his first goal in the SJHL. The Bombers had a chance to pull within one on a Ryder Ringor penalty shot with 3:23 to play in the period, but he was foiled by Bruins' goaltender Liam Hallet.
Flin Flon recovered in the second, firing several shots at Hallet in the opening 90 seconds of the frame. Evin Bossel broke through when he scored 6:47 into the period.
The Bombers' best chance to tie the game came during a two-man advantage for 1:44, but Hallet and the Bruins' penalty killers came through.
Estevan retook the two-goal lead early in the third on a terrific short-handed goal by Odin George, as he fended off a Flin Flon defender and then beat Bombers' goalie Jake Torget. Cade Kennedy sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with less than two minutes remaining.
Carter Cormier had a late goal for the Bombers to round out the scoring.
Hallet made 41 saves for the Bruins, including 17 in each of the second and third periods.
"There was just one unlucky bounce," said Hallet. "Other than that, I think I saw everything. The defence did a really strong job in front of the net, and that helps out a lot."
Torget had 20 saves for the Bombers, most of them coming in the first period.
Hallet said it was great to pick up the first win of the season, and his first victory in the SJHL.
"It's really exciting for all of the guys here. First one of many … and I'm looking forward to more," said Hallet.
Head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic said the club had a really good first period, but got away from what they needed to do in the second when Flin Flon came out strong.
"I think the big thing for us in that period was that 5-on-3 kill. That was huge, so give the guys credit," said Tatarnic.
The coach thought the Bruins did what they needed to do in the third to win.
The night before, the Bruins rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the third period to tie the game, only to lose 5-4 in overtime to the visiting Nipawin Hawks.
Kaelan Whittingham opened the scoring 2:24 into the first period for the Bruins, but Mark Lafleur tied the game midway through the period and Carter Anderson put the Hawks ahead with 26 seconds to play in the first.
Finley Radloff and Will Whitter scored power-play goals 66 seconds apart to put the Hawks up by three, leading the Bruins to insert Hallet in goal in place of starter Benny Polhill.
Moors and George scored short-handed goals for Estevan 2:03 apart early in the third. It remains a 4-3 game until Whittingham scored on a power play with 94 seconds to play.
Anderson scored the winner 66 seconds into overtime.
Polhill (17 saves) and Hallet (13 saves) shared goaltending duties for the Bruins. Endall had 41 saves for Nipawin.
Tatarnic said they had so many chances to score against Nipawin and could have had "eight or 10 goals" in the game, but they didn't convert.
"Give the guys all the credit in the world. We talked between the … second [and third] periods, and I said 'You guys dug yourselves a hole. Now you can sit in the hole or you can dig your way out and make a game of it, and they did."
Up next for the Bruins (1-3-1) is their first northern road trip of the season. They will visit the Humboldt Broncos on Oct. 9, and the Kindersley Klippers on Oct. 11 and 12.
(Videos courtesy of IKS Media)
