WARMAN - The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Showcase is an opportunity for the Estevan Bruins and other teams to showcase their talents, but victories at the event continue to elude the Bruins.
The Black and Gold lost both of their games at the annual gathering in Warman, falling 5-1 to the Battlefords North Stars on Monday night and 6-1 to the Flin Flon Bombers on Tuesday.
In Monday's game, the Stars jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the 11-minute mark of the first period on goals by Marshall Light and Jackson Allan. Allan added his second of the game early in the second period for a 3-0 Battlefords advantage.
Keagon Little scored for the Bruins midway through the frame to pull the Bruins to within two, and the goal seemed to give the Bruins some life. But goals by Ben Portner and Rylan Williams in the third put the game away. Williams' goal was into an empty net.
Alex Izyk had four assists in the game for the Battlefords.
Jackson Miller stopped 30 shots for Estevan, while Justen Maric made 30 saves for the Stars.
Flin Flon jumped on the Bruins early as well, with Justin Lies and Anthony Piccininno scoring two minutes apart in the opening six minutes for a 2-0 Bombers' lead. Jacob Vockler added to the lead before the period was out.
Carter Anderson scored the Bombers' lone goal in the second, into an empty net while the Bruins were on a power play.
Vockler and Anderson scored in rapid succession in the third to add to the Bombers' lead. Felix Allard scored with 48 seconds to play in the third for Estevan's lone goal of the night.
Cam Hrdlicka made 43 saves for Estevan, while Harmon Laser-Hume stopped 22 shots for the Bombers. Flin Flon outshot Estevan 49-23.
The Stars are the reigning SJHL champions, while the Bombers are the top-ranked team in the country.
Estevan has now lost 10 straight games at the Showcase, dating back to the 2017-18 edition of the event, back when it was in Saskatoon.
The Showcase started Monday night and will wrap up Thursday afternoon. All 12 SJHL teams play twice. A large contingent of scouts from post-secondary programs, the NHL and other leagues are in attendance.
The Bruins (9-8-0-2) will be back on the ice on Saturday night when they visit the Melville Millionaires.
