A late third period breakdown cost the Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins a stranglehold on a first overall finish in the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League (SSMHL) and a win over the Highway 39 rival Weyburn Streamline Oilfield Wings.
The Bruins (28-4-3) gave up two goals in the final 4:07 of the third period to draw 4-4 against the Wings (25-6-4) at Affinity Place on Sunday. The tie moves the Black and Gold one point ahead of the Yorkton Kinsmen Terriers (27-4-4) for first place overall with each club having one game left to play in the regular season.
“It’d be an excuse if you said (fatigue) played a factor,” said Bruins head coach Blake Jamieson, whose team rattled off wins in Wilcox against the Notre Dame Hounds and at Affinity Place versus the Melville Millionaires in the previous 48 hours. “Just mistakes on the penalty kill cost us twice tonight.”
Bruins centre Dalton Schrader opened the scoring against the Wings seven minutes into the first period by driving to the net off an offensive zone faceoff and wiring the puck five hole on Weyburn goaltender Josh Dubiel. The Wings battled hard for the equalizer through the remainder of the frame and the early part of the second period with Mitchell McDonald enjoying a quality opportunity on a short-side attempt along the goal line late in the first stanza and Luke Niemegeers almost finding the back of the net on a blast from the point early into the middle frame.
A strong Bruins power play helped put the game further out of reach thanks to a shot from the half wall by Jacob Palmer that found its way through Dubiel 5:24 into the second period. Red Wings forward Rhett Nikolejsin answered shortly afterwards deflecting a centering pass from McDonald between Bruins goalie Ethan Veroba’s legs at the 8:29 mark before accomplishing the same feat off a Jake Roettger shot from the point with less than five minutes remaining in the period and his team enjoying a man advantage opportunity.
Bruins wing Liam Rutten got his team back into the lead by banging home a rebound with the Black and Gold on a power play late in the second period before Schrader notched his second of the night a little over two minutes into the final stanza to restore the two-goal advantage. The 4-2 Bruins lead looked like it would hold until Braden Birnie and Nikolejsin, on the power play, once again tied the contest late.
The Terriers can take the lead back in the SSMHL standings with a win over the Lumsden/Bethune Lions (8-21-2-0-2) on Thursday, so the Bruins may need a victory over the Millionaires (20-9-3-0-3) on Friday at the Horizon Credit Union Centre to capture first place.
“We want first,” said Jamieson. “If we win on Friday we get first place, if we lose we get second. Simple stuff.”
