Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League

Game Highlights – vs Estevan

courtesy of Steven Wilson, discoverweyburn.com

 

The Weyburn Red Wings scored three times in the third period and had all the momentum heading into overtime, but key saves from Estevan Bruins netminder Matt Lukacs, and a shootout, gave the Bruins a 5-4 win. Despite the loss, the Red Wings are now tied with the Notre Dame Hounds for sixth in the SJHL overall standings but are just one point up on the Kindersley Klippers.

The Bruins came out firing to start the game and jumped out to an early lead when TJ Irey scored a power-play goal just three and a half minutes into the game. Estevan added to the lead less than four minutes later, when Zach Goberis scored his 30th of the season. Jerzy Martin rounded out the scoring in the opening frame, giving the Bruins a 3-0 edge when they went to the locker room.

Weyburn responded in the second period. Jessie Young notched his eighth of the campaign, set up by captain Mike Eskra. The Bruins restored their three-goal margin just moments later, though, as Jake Tesarowski beat Arik Weersink.

In the third period, the Red Wings came out firing on all cylinders. The scoring started with 7:09 left on the clock, as Connor Pyne, set up by Dexter Robinson and Ty Brown, notched his 4th of the year. Just over a minute later, while the Wings were on a power play, Cade Kowalski, the league-leading rookie scorer, beat Lukacs from the left faceoff circle with a one-timer. Ben Hiltz and Brown assisted on the goal.

The Wings kept throwing everything they had at Lukacs, and it paid off with 1:17 remaining. With Weersink on the bench in favour of the extra attacker, Hiltz beat Lukacs for his team-leading 26th goal, tying the game up at 4. Kowalski and Sean Olson were credited with the assists on the goal.

In the 3-on-3 overtime, the two teams went back and forth at a frenetic pace, each getting quality chances. In the end, though, neither would allow a goal, forcing a shootout between the two rivals.