The Estevan Bruins and Melville Millionaires kicked off this most unusual SJHL season in 2020-21 over the weekend with a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday.
The road team ended up victorious in both games, with the Bruins earning a 4-3 comeback win in Melville on Friday and the Millionaires responding with a 6-3 win in Estevan on Saturday.
FRIDAY – 4-3 Win for the Bruins
Cole Fonstad opened the scoring with his 1st of the season just 7:04 into the game. But Melville would tie the game at 1-1 after 20 minutes, then take a 3-1 lead after scoring twice in the 2nd period.
The Bruins began their comeback 5:53 into the final frame as Fonstad scored his 2nd of the game. Then just moments after a penalty kill, Ryder Pierson popped the waterbottle off at the 12:11 mark to tie the game at 3-3. The Bruins then got a lucky bounce with only 37 seconds remaining as Nolan Jones threw the puck towards the net from the corner and had it bounce off a defender and into the net for the 4-3 win. Emerik Demers (25/28) earned his first win with the Bruins in net.
SATURDAY – 6-3 Loss in Estevan
Melville would avenge the loss on Saturday night as they never trailed in the Bruins home opener at Affinity Place. The Millionaires scored twice in the 1st period and would carry a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period after a scoreless 2nd. Melville would score twice in the first four minutes of the 3rd period to jump out to a 4-0 lead. The Bruins would get goals from Mason Strutt, Devan Harrison and Eddie Gallagher late in the game, but Melville would also add two more goals and skate to a 6-3 win. Demers (23/28) was tagged with the loss as backup Eric Clark (2/2) replaced Demers for the final ten minutes of the game.
Next action for the Bruins is a home-and-home weekend series with the Humboldt Broncos on November 13th and 14th. Friday’s game will be in Humboldt before the teams return to Affinity Place in Estevan on Saturday.