ESTEVAN - A game between the Estevan Bruins and the Flin Flon Bombers seems to be a guarantee for excitement and intrigue.
Olivier Pouliot scored twice, including the winner while the Bruins were shorthanded late in the third period, in the Bruins’ 3-2 victory Friday night at Affinity Place.
Prior to Pouliot’s winner, Bombers’ goalie Cal Schell came out of the net to play the puck, but Pouliot intercepted the pass, and shot it into the net, past a Bombers defender who was covering for Schell.
It was the final meeting of the season between the Bruins and the Bombers - two of the top teams in the league. Estevan won three of the four meetings of the season between the two teams, but all four games were close-fought contests.
Estevan grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the first period. Dayton Deics opened the scoring 2:34 into the game and Pouliot doubled the lead about six minutes later.
The Bruins had chances to extend the lead early in the second, but Schell made spectacular saves off of Cody Davis and Mikol Sartor.
Bruin goalie Boston Bilous came up with a stellar save of his own a few minutes later off of Zak Smith while the Bruins were killing off a five-minute Flin Flon power play.
With a little more than eight minutes to play in the second, Xavier Lapointe put the Bombers on the board when his screened point shot evaded Bilous.
Jaeden Mercier tied the game with about seven minutes to play in the third, and the game seemed destined for overtime until Pouliot scored.
While it was a spirited contest throughout, the physicality ramped up midway through the second after Bruins defenceman Kian Calder was assessed a five-minute major for head contact. The two teams combined for 91 minutes in penalties during the final two periods.
Bilous finished with 32 saves on the night, while Schell came up with 29.
The Bruins will visit the Yorkton Terriers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and the Notre Dame Hounds Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Estevan can clinich the Viterra Division title with a regulation win over Yorkton.
Flin Flon will be at the Weyburn Red Wings Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
