ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins latest trip to Kindersley and the Battlefords had some similarities to their last one.
The Bruins went 1-1 on the mid-week northern jaunt, losing 7-2 to the Battlefords North Stars – the top-ranked team in the country – on Tuesday night, but winning 3-2 in a shootout over the Kindersley Klippers on Wednesday.
When Estevan visited those teams earlier in the month, they won in Kindersley but then lost in the Battlefords.
The Bruins’ Cody Davis opened the scoring 6:57 into the first period on Tuesday in North Battleford, but goals by Riley Girod, Jake Southgate and Zane Florence gave the Stars a 3-1 lead after the first period.
Bradley Blake and Kian Bell added to the Stars’ lead in the second. Kade Runke gave the Bruins a little bit of life with a second-period goal that left the score at 5-2 for the Stars after 40 minutes.
Evan Waldie and Tanner Gold scored 88 seconds apart in the third for the Stars.
Cam Hrdlicka started for the Bruins and stopped 14 of the 18 shots he faced. Jackson Miller came in after the Stars’ fourth goal and made 25 saves on 28 shots.
Justen Maric stopped 38 of the 40 shots he faced for the Stars.
Davis opened the scoring for the Bruins again on Wednesday night with a short-handed goal 6:43 into the game, but Aidan Taylor responded with a power-play goal 87 seconds later.
Kayden Ostrom’s goal for the Klippers would be the only tally for either team in the second, and Kindersley held the 2-1 lead until Alex Blanchard scored for the Bruins with 5:39 to play in the third.
Neither team scored in overtime, and the shootout was scoreless until the fourth round when Runke scored for Estevan.
Hrdlicka stopped 32 of 34 shots he faced and all four attempts in the shootout for Estevan. Cody Jaman made 37 saves for Kindersley.
It was the Bruins sixth straight road game.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Saturday when they host the Notre Dame Hounds at Affinity Place. The game will start at 7 p.m.
The Stars, meanwhile, will host the Humboldt Broncos on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in a showdown between the top two teams in the league.
