The Estevan Bruins and Kindersley Klippers met for the second time in four days on Saturday and this game had all the hallmarks of the first game except the most important one: a Bruins win.

Estevan fell 2-1 to Kindersley in a tight-checking, uncoordinated game that didn't see its first goal until the second period was nearly in the books. Kindersley got that marker with just 25 seconds to go in the middle frame when their captain Tanner Thompson picked off an errant pass and walked in on a breakway, beating Bo Didur with a backhand-forehand move to the glove side.

The sloppy game saw breakaways both ways, but only Thompson converted on his. Zach Goberis, Kaelan Holt, and Jayden Davis all had full or partial breakaways for Estevan, but couldn't solve Justen Close. 

"I thought we sort of fell into their game plan a little bit," said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood. "They're good at that, just dragging it out and playing heavy hockey." 

"With teenagers and young men, the urgency isn't always there," he added. "But as the game gets older and older and we're trailing behind that urgency builds naturally and you could see it as the game went on."

The Bruins urgency came too late to steal the win, however. After Thompson opened the scoring in the second, the Klippers added some insurance in the third on a power play. Brody Ryberg fired a shot from distance that bounced off Tanner Manz and pinballed its way past Didur for the eventual game winner.

The Bruins got within one as Arthur Miller fired a backhand over Close's glove from the high slot. That goal, however, came in the dying minutes and it was as close as the Bruins would get. 

"We've been having some trouble scoring goals lately," said second-year defenseman Jake Heerspink. "I think we just need to work harder, get more pucks to the net and bear down that little extra to put it through."

"It wasn't the tightest hockey game," Heerspink added. "There was a lot of ping-pong going on out there back and forth, lots of turnovers. That's not our hockey, we've got to skate together and play 200-foot hockey."

The Bruins and Klippers will both take a few days off for the SJHL/MJHL showcase, The Bruins have six players at the Regina-based event on Januaru 15 and 16. Heerspink and Johnny Witzke are the two defensemen along with Zach Goberis, Kaelan Holt, Michael McChesney, and Hayden Guilderson up front.

Estevan and Kindersley next meet on January 31 in Kindersley. Catch that game at 7:30 on Rock 106.

GAME NOTES

Michael McChesney's goal scoring streak came to an end at three games. McChesney had scored in every game since coming off a one-game suspension served on January 1 against Weyburn. 

Jake Fletcher missed both games for the Bruins, serving a two-game suspension for a hit-from-behind on Humboldt's Derek Patter. He will return to the lineup on Friday night against Weyburn. 

Zach Goberis's assist on Miller's goal gives him 60 points on the year. He's the first Bruin to hit 60 points this year, and just the second player in the SJHL. 

Johnny Witzke posted a goal and two assists in two games against Kindersley to move his totals to 31 points in 41 games this year. He leads all Bruins defensemen in scoring.