Since the turn of the calendar, the Estevan Bruins have been rolling their way to being the hottest team in the SJHL. Entering the game against the Notre Dame Hounds on Tuesday, February 12, they were 10-3 in 2019. When the dust settled in Wilcox, they had moved to 11-3.

Will Koop, TJ Irey, and Bryce Platt scored, while Kadin Kilpatrick stopped 20 of 21 shots as the Bruins controlled the pace all game long en route to a 3-1 win. Marshall Wilton scored the Hounds only goal, while Riley Kohonick was besieged all game long, stopping 36 of 39 shots.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Wilton started the scoring just over two minutes into the affair when he cut his way into the middle of the offensive zone and ripped a shot past a screened Kilpatrick low to the blocker side. That was all the offense the Hounds would produce on the night, however, as Kilpatrick and the Bruins collectively shut the door. 

Koop knotted the score on the first power play of the night for the Bruins, bouncing a cross-crease shot in off a Hounds defender for his ninth of the year. The Bruins owned the period from then on, outshooting the Hounds 15-4 and hitting two crossbars but coming up short of the go-ahead goal.

That goal came just under six minutes into the second period. As the Bruins cycled the puck around the offensive zone, Devan Harrison’s dump pass bounced off the boards to Irey, catching Kohonick off guard just long enough for Irey to snap home his 19th

Though the Hounds had plenty of power play chances, including a brief 5-on-3, the Bruins kept them from getting any dangerous chances. When the Bruins next had a power play, midway through the third, they made it count. Turner Ripplinger and Bryce Platt crisscrossed as they entered the Hounds zone, and Ripplinger dropped it off to Platt, who wired a shot over the trapper of Kohonick for all the insurance the Bruins would need. 

The win stakes Estevan to an eight-point lead atop the Viterra Division over the Yorkton Terriers. They host the Flin Flon Bombers on Friday, February 15 at Affinity Place.

GAME NOTES

In the Bruins recent 10-1 run, the line of Bryce Platt, Turner Ripplinger, and TJ Irey have combined for 43 points, even though Platt missed two games with a suspension. They sit second through fourth on the Bruins in goals with Ripplinger having 24, Irey at 19, and Platt at 18.

Kadin Kilpatrick moves to 9-3 on the season and 5-1 in his last six. He leads all SJHL rookies with two shutouts. 

Platt’s goal and assist give him a nine-game point streak (excluding games missed due to suspension). It is the longest point streak by a Bruin this year. 

The Yorkton Terriers can finish with at most 67 points on the year. The Bruins currently have 59 with six games remaining. Because Yorkton owns the season series, the Bruins will need to beat them by at least one point to take the division title.