The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins had one last final push to win the Canalta Cup semifinal against their traditional playoff rivals with a 6-2 win over the Battlefords North Stars in Game 5 of their semifinal last week.
The Bruins went down 2-0 in the first period to the North Stars in the game only a couple of days after losing their first game of the playoffs, with Matt Lukacs in net in place of an injured Bo Didur. But the Bruins weren't deterred, scoring the next six goals unanswered, including a pair of empty net markers.
Hayden Guilderson, returning from an injury suffered in the last game against the Kindersley Klippers, scored before the end of the first.
Then in the second period, Tanner Manz tied the score and in the third, captain Jake Fletcher scored in the third to give the Bruins the lead at 11:11 of the period, Kaelan Holt scored from Guilderson at 14:25 and then added the first empty net goal unassisted.
Zach Goberis rounded out the scoring with a final empty net goal at 19:45 pf the third.
Lukacs ended up making 31 saves on 33 Battlefords shots.
The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League has put the rest of the playoffs on hold as the league and its players and coaches deal with what to do after the Humboldt Broncos' bus was involved in a crash only hours before their Game 5 was scheduled Friday in Nipawin. There were 15 members of the team, including players, coaches and off-ice personnel, who died in the crash. The league has scheduled a conference call with the league's governors Wednesday to talk about whether or not to go on with the rest of the playoffs.
