ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins played a home game Saturday for the first time since Dec. 15, and came away with a 5-3 victory over the Kindersley Klippers.
Estevan jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, as Kade Runke and Eric Houk scored 70 seconds apart in the first five minutes of the opening frame. Andrew Schaab’s goal pulled Kindersley to within one, but Eric Pearce scored late in the first for a 3-1 Bruins’ advantage.
Kindersley had the edge in play in the second, and goals by Coletyn Boyarski and Matthew Mazzocchi tied the game. Mazzocchi’s goal with 1:41 remaining was a short-handed goal, and he batted the puck out of the air on a rebound after Boston Bilous made the initial save.
Mikol Sartor scored for the Bruins 6:10 into the third to give the Bruins the lead for good, and Houk added the insurance goal a few minutes later.
Estevan outshot the Klippers 41-20. Boston Bilous made 17 saves for the Bruins, while Brett Sweet stopped 36 for Kindersley. Thirteen of Kindersley’s 20 shots came in the middle frame.
The Bruins will be back on the ice Wednesday night when they host the Weyburn Red Wings. That game was rescheduled from Dec. 30. Then they will host the Yorkton Terriers on Thursday – a game that was initially supposed to be played on Jan. 15.
Both games start at 7 p.m.
