MICHAEL MCCHESNEY SCORED TWO OF ESTEVAN’S SIX 3RD PERIOD GOALS
The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins delivered knockout blow after knockout blow in the final period of their first of ten regular season meetings against their rivals: the Weyburn Red Wings.
The Bruins pulled away with six goals in the 3rd period on Saturday night to take round one of the ‘Highway 39 rivalry’ by an 8-2 score in Weyburn.
Both teams entered the game coming off big losses and hoped to get back on track before the Christmas break. In fact, just hours before puck drop, the Red Wings fired their Head Coach Wes Rudy as Weyburn entered play outside of the playoff picture with just 23 points in 32 games.
The Bruins opened the scoring midway through the first period as Turner Ripplinger banged home a rebound on the powerplay at 10:09 to make it 1-0. Jake Heerspink and Bryce Platt assisted on the goal. The Bruins would take a 2-0 lead into the intermission as Ryder Pierson buried his 3rd goal of the year with 46 seconds left in the period. Tristyn Deroose and Tyson Manz assisted on the goal.
The Bruins would spend the majority of the 2nd period on the penalty kill, allowing Weyburn back into the game. Both Jordan Kazymyra (9:39) and Jordan Piller (15:42) scored on the powerplay for the Red Wings to tie the game at 2-2 after 40 minutes.
But the final period would belong to the Bruins as they scored early and pulled away as the frame went along.
Deroose restored the lead for Estevan with a power move in the crease to jam home his 4th of the season to make it 3-2 at the 2:08 mark. Pierson drew the lone assist.
Then at the 7:30 mark, Platt drove the middle of the ice and then drop a pass into the slot for Michael McChesney who picked top corner to make it 4-2. Ripplinger also assisted on the goal.
The Bruins would get a key insurance goal with less than six minutes to play as a patient pass from McChesney found the stick of rookie defenceman Devan Harrison who blasted the puck past Weyburn’s Cody Levesque to make it 5-2 at the 14:22 mark. Ripplinger added an assist on the goal, Harrison’s first ever SJHL goal in only his second game.
Just over a minute later, a nice passing play from Jayden Davis and Tyson Manz ended up finding Heerspink who fired the puck off the water bottle for his 8th of the season to make it 6-2 at the 16:03 mark.
Weyburn took a few penalties late in the game, and the Bruins would keep the goals coming. Ripplinger potted his second of the game from Platt and Heerspink at 19:04 for his 16th goal of the year to make it 7-2. Then just 16 seconds later, McChesney buried his second of the period and team-leading 17th goal of the year from Platt and Heerspink to round out the scoring at 8-2.
Grant Boldt was stellar when called upon once again, stopping (26/28) for his 8th win of the season. Levesque (36/44) was tagged with the loss and on the hook for all 8 goals, as regular starter Riley Lamb left the Red Wings following their loss on Friday night.
The Bruins finished at (3/7) on the powerplay, while Weyburn executed (2/7) on the man advantage.
The Bruins play one more game before the Christmas break, hosting the Yorkton Terriers at Affinity Place on Tuesday, Dec. 18th at 7:00pm in a crucial divisional matchup. Meanwhile, Weyburn breaks for Christmas and will return to action in a home-and-home against the Bruins starting December 30th in Estevan.
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