It took a scrambly, back-and-forth third period and the first shootout of the year at Affinity Place, but the Estevan Bruins got some of their own back with a 6-5 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds on Wednesday night.

Jake Fletcher scored two goals and the shootout winner while Max Sidelnik stopped all four Hounds shooters to earn the win. The victory halted a three game losing skid for the Bruins.

"I think there's a bit of relief to be honest," said Bruins head coach Chris Lewgood following the game. "I think the guys understand we need to be better and it's going to take some hard work in practice to get there."

The game was anything but pretty for both teams, especially on the penalty kill. Estevan went three-for-four with the man advantage while Notre Dame rifled off four goals on six attempts. 

The Hounds got the scoring started in the first period with Zach Goberis off for interference. Their leading scorer, Chaz Smedsrud, picked up the puck at the side of the net and banged away at it before slipping it past Sidelnik.

The Bruins got a response on a power play of their own. Jake Heerspink one-timed the puck on net and his booming shot produced a huge reboud, which Fletcher was only too happy to tuck past Hounds netminder Jacob Standen.

The Bruins fell behind in the second period thanks to two more power play tallies by the Hounds, but got another power play goal of their own when Brendan Mark's slap pass found Zach Goberis wide open at the side of the net for a quick tap in. Then, in the third period, Arthur Miller burried a loose puck off a scramble to get his first in a Bruins uniform. 

"I got a lucky bounce there," Miller said after the game. "It popped out in front in the slot and the goalie, I don't even know where he was, and I just kind of threw it on net and it went in. It was a big goal to tie it up there."

Not long after, Fletcher took a back-door feed as he drove the net and scored the first even strength goal of the game. It was also the first time all year the Bruins have led the Hounds. 

The lead was erased when Mark Edmands turned the puck over close to his own net and Curtis Wiebe was the benneficiary, banging home a backhand as he caught Sidelnik off guard.

From there Kaelan Holt and Semdsrud would trade goals to send the teams to overtime. The three-on-three solved nothing, so the teams went to a shootout where Fletcher, the Bruins' fourth shooter, was the only man to score.

"He took it upon himself to get the bench going," Lewgood said of his captain, who was named first star. "I thought he was not more vocal, but a different kind of vocal tonight and he certainly backed up his words with actions."

The Bruins are next in action on Sunday against the Nipawin Hawks at Affinity Place.

GAME NOTES:

-Jake Heerspink picked up two assists on the night. He continues to lead the Bruins defense in points and goals.

-Zach Goberis's goal was his league-leading 18th of the year.

-Arthur Miller also picked up an assist on Goberis's goal to give him two points in two games in a Bruins sweater.

-Max Sidelnik stopped 30 of 35 shots in the win, which included two huge saves in overtime, one on a breakaway by Hounds captain Chance Longjohn.

-The Hounds had a chance to move past Estevan in the standings with the win, but instead Estevan moves to 11-5-1, two points up on Notre Dame.