Four different suspensions left the Estevan Bruins shorthanded before the puck even dropped on the game against the Weyburn Red Wings on Saturday, January 19. The Bruins younger players picked up the slack, however, and steered them to a 6-3 victory.

Six different Bruins scored as they peppered Red Wings goaltender Cody Levesque with 50 shots. Kadin Kilpatrick made 26 saves in the win, while Eddie Gallagher pitched in two assists. Rhett Frey, Connor Pyne, and Eric Soar answered for Weyburn. 

"There were some ups and downs but for the most part this was a pretty consistent effort," said Bruins head coach and GM Chris Lewgood. "Guys came to play this weekend. They wanted it, they faced a little bit of adversity over the weekend."

The Bruins opened the scoring on the power play off a goalmouth scramble, something that would prove a running theme of the Bruins goals. Kade McMillen crept in from the point and, with the puck loose in the Red Wings crease, he pushed it through the pile to give Estevan a lead they never really came close to losing. 

The line of Isaiah Thomas, Ryder Pierson, and Gallagher was next to strike. Gallagher pursued the puck into the offensive zone and drove wide, feeding it into the middle where Thomas batted it between Levesque's legs.

"We were just working hard," said Gallagher, who drew three penalties in the game. "We chipped pucks out, chipped pucks in, just grinding our way. And the puck was bouncing right for us today."

Will Koop put the Bruins up by three late in the first, finding the puck in a sea of bodies in front of Levesque and chipping it past him. The Bruins finally gave up a goal midway through the second as Kilpatrick made a sterling first save on Frey, but the Red Wing forward followed up and forced it past him.

Early in the third, the Bruins put their foot on the Red Wings throats and broke away, and again it was the Thomas-Pierson-Gallagher line that scored. Gallagher carried the puck from the top of the point all the way around the Red Wings net and fed it out front to Pierson, who made no mistake from in tight. 

"I'm so happy to have a line now," Gallagher said, as his linemates have juggled througout the year. "You get to build chemistry. Chemistry means that instead of taking that second to hesitate you know where they're going to be."

"I think they played just as well last night as they did tonight," said Lewgood of his fourth line. "A few games in a row now those guys have been excellent. To see them get some bounces here was really good."

Another push to the net, this time led by Thomas, turned into TJ Irey's 14th of the campaign as he pushed it over the line. The Red Wings again struck back, this time on the power play thanks to Connor Pyne, but it wasn't long before the Bruins answered right back. A dump in that handcuffed Levesque came right back out to Tyson Manz and, with most of the net to look at, Manz made no mistake.

With just over three minutes to play, Eric Soar prettied up the scoreboard with his seventh of the year, but it was only an aesthetic change as the Bruins locked things down and cruised to a 6-3 win. They next play another home game against the Melfort Mustangs on Friday, January 25. 

GAME NOTES

The Bruins win puts them in a tie with the Yorkton Terriers for first in the Viterra Division. The Terriers hold two games in hand.

Eric Soar's goal was his third of the weekend, and his fourth against the Bruins on the year. He has scored a point-per game since joining the Red Wings 16 games ago. 

Since returning from injury, TJ Irey has put up three goals and three assits in four games. Will Koop, meanwhile, has added two goals and two assists in five games since his return.

With suspensions to Tristyn DeRoose, Bryce Platt, Austin King-Cunningham, and Jayden Davis, the Bruins called up Cal Caragata. "I think I got better as the game went on," he said. "It's a little faster than I'm used to but it's a great opportunity." Caragata was the Bruins first round pick (second overall) in 2017. He has 28 points in 24 games with the Regina Pats Canadians of the SMHL.