The Estevan Bruins had plenty of motivation tonight, and they put it to good use.
The Bruins scored four times in the first period and defeated the Kindersley Klippers 6-3 to clinch a playoff spot.
With the victory, the Bruins also kept their hopes of finishing in fourth place alive. They now trail the Klippers by three points with a game in hand, and will face them in the survivor series.
"They handed us a pretty solid beating over there (last weekend), so we wanted to return the favour. The boys were ready for this one," said Bruins centre Alex Cote, who scored twice.
Dylan Smith, Matt Brykaliuk, Connor Milligan and Wyatt Garagan had the other Estevan goals. Kyle Davies, Beau Stewart and Bradley Buckingham replied for Kindersley, with all three goals coming in the final 23 minutes of play.
It took only 1:22 for the Bruins to get on the board with a power play goal. Kauk's shot from the point resulted in a goal credited to Smith on a tip, although Smith said he didn't touch it so it may have been Kauk's goal.
Less than two minutes later, Taylor Reich fed Brykaliuk with lots of space in the slot, and he slipped a backhander between Tyrell King's legs to make it 2-0.
Midway through the period, Milligan scored his first of the year on a point shot that went off the iron and in on a power play.
"It's exciting, especially for a guy like me who doesn't put too many in," Milligan said. "Actually, the first thing I said to Brykaliuk was, 'Did you touch that?' just to make sure that it was mine."
Garagan sent a rebound over a sprawling King later in the period to make it 4-0 after one.
Only 2:17 into the second, Hudson Morrison's pass attempt hit a defenceman and Cote buried the loose puck to extend the lead.
Late in the second, Nick Egan coughed up the puck at the blueline, giving Davies a breakaway. Egan pushed Davies into the net on the breakaway, which resulted in a penalty shot. Davies beat Curtis Martinu with a backhander to get the Klippers on the board.
Cote scored again 1:30 into the third, stealing the puck from Justin Schoffer and firing it off the post and in.
Stewart cashed in a Mitchell Schwark rebound four minutes later, and Buckingham scored on a scramble on a 5-on-3 with three minutes left.
Although the Bruins took their foot off the gas after the first period and got into penalty trouble in the third, allowing the Klippers to narrow the scoreline in garbage time, they got the start they needed and sent a message to their upcoming playoff opponents.
With three games left, two against Weyburn and one against Notre Dame, the Bruins still have a shot at getting home ice in the survivor series. That could play a crucial role, with both teams having terrible road records.
With the SJHL Hall of Fame induction ceremony and Bruins awards taking place on March 1, the series would likely start the next night if Kindersley has home ice. If Estevan gets it, there will be an issue. The Hard Knocks 31 card is on March 2, meaning the series would have to begin on Sunday, March 3, at the earliest. That would either compress the schedule even more in a series with lots of travel, or have it run later than the SJHL would like.
