The Estevan Bruins made their final trip of 2018 to Horizon Credit Union Centre on March 7 and despite a few third period hiccups emerged victorious over the Melville Millionaires.

Estevan got goals from Zach Goberis to start the scoring and wrap it up, and Jake Tesarowski, Jake Fletcher, and Hayden Guilderson in between. Bo Didur made 22 saves in the 5-3 win.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Goberis kicked things off at 9:48 of the first period, dropping his shoulder and pushing through a pair of Millionaires’ defenders and rifled a shot low-glove past Brandon Wells.

Estevan expanded on their lead on the power play with just under four to play in the first. Fletcher spotted Tesarowski sneaking in from the point and threaded the needle to the former Millionaire, who made no mistake and slapped it past Wells.

Melville broke their goalless drought in the second period while shorthanded. Fletcher hit the crossbar with a shot in the Melville end that ricocheted out to Clayton Eisler, who skated it up ice 3-on-1 before sliding the puck to Dayton Heino. Heino took a couple of whacks at it before poking it between Didur’s legs with just enough force to hit the back of the net.

The one-goal spread held until early in the third. Kaelan Holt won a battle along the boards and flipped it to an onrushing Fletcher. This time when the Bruins captain hit a bar it went down and in for Fletcher’s 23rd of the year.

Melville chipped away at the Bruins lead slowly but surely, starting with a goal by Logan Foster with just 4:13 remaining in the third. Eric Soar took a shot that bounced in and out of Didur’s trapper, and Foster pounced on the rebound.

Soar got a goal of his own with Austin King-Cunningham serving a minor for checking from behind. Soar one-timed a pass from Eisler past Didur to square the score at three.

The tie game lasted all of 24 seconds. Hayden Guilderson fired a puck toward Wells from the wall and Wells, trying to steer the puck out of play, instead steered the puck directly into his own net. Guilderson watched as the Millionaires netminder ramped the puck up his own stick and into the top corner, restoring the Bruins lead.

This time there was no comeback for Melville. Arthur Miller passed on an opportunity of his own to slide the puck to Goberis for the empty netter to salt the game away, and Estevan emerged winners by a 5-3 count.

The Bruins will wrap up their regular season against the same Melville team on Friday night at Affinity Place. Puck drop is 7:30 and the game will air on Rock 106.

GAME NOTES

Zach Goberis scored goals number 34 and 35 on the year in the game. He now sits just one back of Layne Young for the league lead.

Kaelan Holt’s assist on Jake Fletcher’s goal was his 150th career SJHL point. He has 30 goals and 37 assists on the year, both career highs.

The Bruins win moves them within one point of the Humboldt Broncos for fourth overall in terms of points. The difference between fourth and fifth would be most important in the second round if the Bruins and Broncos both make it that far.