FLIN FLON, Man. - The Estevan Bruins' season came to an end Tuesday night in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Flin Flon Bombers in Game 7 of their SJHL quarter-final series.
The two teams were scoreless after the first period. Kade Runke opened the scoring for Estevan with 9:02 to play in the second period. But 90 seconds later, Flin Flon tied the game on a goal by Ethan Mercer.
Both teams had chances to take the lead after Mercer's goal.
The best chance for the Bruins in the third came with less than 10 minutes to play, when Evan Forrest was stopped on a breakaway. But the Bruins have had other opportunities, and the Bombers had their chances, too.
The Bombers outshot Estevan 41-26. Cam Hrdlicka (Estevan) and Harmon Laser-Hume (Flin Flon) are the goalies.
The Bruins were assessed a penalty early in overtime, but it was a fluke goal by Cole Duperreault that proved to be the winner on the power play. Duperreault dumped the puck in, and it took a funny hop and went in the net. Hrdlicka had come out of the net to play the puck.
This was the second straight year the two teams met in a Game 7 of a postseason series. Last year Estevan defeated Flin Flon 2-0 in Game 7 of the SJHL final.
Flin Flon will play the Humboldt Broncos in the next round of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, seven players will graduate from the Bruins. forwards Kade Runke, Cody Davis, Mitch Kohner and Daniel O'Neill, and defencemen Aleksa Babic, Owen Miley and Robbie Stewart. Kohner and Stewart didn't play due to injury, while O'Neill was suspended.
