The Estevan Bruins stumbled out of the gate on their four game road trip, falling 2-0 to the Humboldt Broncos on January 30 in the opening game of a four-in-five-days spread.

HIGHLIGHTS 

Conner Lukan scored the winner on a power play late in the first period, and Parker Tobin made 24 saves and pitched a shutout, blanking the Estevan Bruins for the first time all season.

The Bruins got off to a flying start, with Zach Goberis ringing one off the goal post from in tight early in the first. Shortly after, Kaelan Holt went in alone on a shorthanded breakaway, but Tobin turned his cross-body backhander aside with his right arm.

That was about the sum of the offense for the Estevan Bruins, who mustered just 24 shots all game long. Bo Didur did his best to keep the Bruins hopes alive, making 36 saves on 38 shots and allowing them to stay in the game, but the Bruins netminder’s performance wasn’t enough to earn his team two points.

Lukan got the scoring started with just over a minute and a half to play in the first. On the power play, Lukan took a perfectly placed cross-seam feed from Nick Shumlanski and one-timed it from the bottom of the right circle past Didur. It would stand as the game winner.

Immediately after the one minute mark of the second, Jacob Leicht gave the Broncos all the insurance they would need as he slapped home a backdoor pass from Graysen Cameron. Cameron cut across the high slot off the rush, drawing both back-checking Bruins to him, and slipped the puck down to Leicht, who was all alone at the back post and smacked it past Didur for the final tally of the hockey game.

Estevan resumes play on Wednesday, January 31 in Kindersley where they do battle with the Klippers. Estevan is 1-2 against Kindersley on the year and will look to earn a season series split at 7:30 local time. Catch that game on Rock 106.

GAME NOTES

The Weyburn Red Wings also lost on January 30, keeping the Bruins atop the Viterra division standings by four points.

This was the first time all year the Bruins have been shut out. Excluding their victories over Weyburn, the Bruins have scored just eight goals in their last seven games.

Estevan falls to 1-1-1 against Humboldt on the year. They will face the Broncos again at the end of the road trip on February 3.