The Estevan Bruins played a textbook game for the first 40 minutes against the second-best team in the SJHL. And then it all came crashing down.
The North Stars scored four times in a 10-minute span in the third period to beat the Bruins 5-3, snapping their four-game winning streak.
Tanner Quinn scored the winner at 13:44, not long after Blake Tatchell scored back-to-back goals on scrambles in the slot. It was clear that the Stars' plan was to throw everything at the net, including themselves, and it worked.
Ryne Keller would seal the deal with 1:57 to play, tipping a point shot past Tyler Ross.
The Bruins had taken a 2-0 lead after the first period on goals by Tyler Poskus and Derek Whitehill. At 14:26, during a crazy sequence around the net that saw Graham Hildebrand make some ridiculous saves, Poskus finally jammed in a rebound to open the scoring. Four minutes later, Whitehill tipped a Connor Milligan point shot past Hildebrand, who was outstanding in the first.
Jordan Ethier got the Stars on the board midway through the second on a power play goal that crossed the line just as the net was knocked off. I couldn't tell if it was a good goal or not but the Bruins certainly weren't happy.
Less than three minutes later, though, Dylan Smith scored his 34th on a power play to restore the Bruins' two-goal edge.
The intensity went up a notch or two in the second period, with a lot of big hits. One of them saw Tyler Kauk lay out Tanner Schwab in a way that reminded me of Dion Phaneuf's hit on Stephane Da Costa earlier this year. Kauk got a questionable 2 and 10 for hitting to the head, giving the Stars a 5-on-3 for 1:42. Ethier's goal came near the end of the 5-on-4 portion.
Yorkton lost to Kindersley in a shootout, so the Bruins blew an opportunity to pick up a point in the Sherwood race. Instead they lose a point and now sit six points behind the Terriers with only eight games to go.
Post-game interview with Keith Cassidy:
