The Estevan Carlyle Motor Products atom tier one Bruins played a solid first and third period against the Swift Current Tarpon Energy Broncos at the Civic Auditorium on Sunday, but a second period lapse proved the difference in the 9-8 loss.
“Estevan is a great team,” said Broncos coach Kyle McIntyre, noting the only reason they made it to the game is through the generosity of the Bruins’ parents who came to their aid after their bus froze that morning. “It was very exciting, back-and-forth, real old time fire-wagon hockey. The last (team) to score was going to win.”
The Bruins jumped to an early first period lead against the Broncos when captain Nathan Wagstaff blasted a shot top corner from the bottom of the circle two minutes and 15 seconds in, only to see Swift Current’s Anthony Wilson reply a little over a minute later with a backhand to the low glove side of Estevan netminder Chloe Sorenson after deking through three defenders in the slot. Estevan got that one back on a spin-around marker by Ty Hoste a little over a minute later and then went up two while shorthanded with 11:26 remaining when Carson Birnie cleared the puck out of his end only to retrieve it in the neutral zone and skate past two defenceman before backhanding a shot into the top corner of Bronco goalie Tyler Olfert’s net.
After Jordan Marcotte put Estevan up 4-1 a minute-and-a-half into the second, the Broncos’ Hudson Darby, Rylan Williams, Wilson and Theo McGuire lit the lamp to give them a 5-4 lead a little more than halfway through the frame. Estevan’s Hoste and Wagstaff replied before the third began, but Swift Current’s Wilson scored twice more and Connor Choo Foo notched another to make it 8-6 Broncos heading into the period.
The Bruins got their forecheck and drive to the net going early in the final period and tied the game up once again on markers from Hoste and Kersey Hollingshead. Swift Current’s Choo Foo put the away side up for good with 10:30 remaining when he whacked a puck into the low glove side from in close.
The Bruins’ 9-8 loss comes on the heels of a 7-4 defeat to the Broncos at Affinity Place one day earlier. Estevan coach Derek Wilhelm said they put up a better effort in the Sunday match, but just fell asleep in the second making a comeback attempt in the third a little too far out of reach.
Wilhelm said the loss is an example of the many one-goal defeats the team has suffered this season, which shouldn’t be the case considering how well they’ve played. He said they’ve lost five games by one goal so far and if they can find a way to win those matches they’ll be in good shape moving forward.
McIntyre said both teams play a similar game and are fairly evenly matched, so their next date Jan. 30 and 31 in Swift Current should be fun. He said judging by these games it’ll be high scoring and they’ll be ready.
“We owe them two losses in their barn,” added Wilhelm. “We’re going up to win two hockey games. That’s the only thing that will be acceptable.”
