Bruins Tame Hounds 3-1 In Notre Dame

The Power Dodge Estevan Bruins took another huge step towards securing another Viterra Division title on Tuesday night, going on the road to Wilcox and leaving with a 3-1 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds.

VIDEO: Game Highlights Of Bruins 3-1 Win Over Notre Dame

The Bruins had struggled away from home against Notre Dame, losing both games (5-2, 2-0) at the Duncan Memorial Arena earlier in the season. But the story was notably different in this game.

The Hounds would get the scoring started just 2:01 into the game, as leading scorer Marshall Wilton cruised into the high slot a fired a shot past Estevan’s Kadin Kilpatrick to make it 1-0 for Notre Dame.

The Bruins would tie the game shortly thereafter thanks to the powerplay. Will Koop received the puck down low in the corner and his pass attempt cross-crease ended up bouncing off a Hounds defender and past Notre Dame goaltender Riley Kohonick, evening the score at 1-1 with Koop’s 9th goal of the season. Johnny Witzke and Michael McChesney assisted on the goal, which was the 150th point of Koop’s junior career.

It remained 1-1 heading into the 2nd period when the Bruins would take their first lead of the night at the 5:56 mark. Devan Harrison’s point shot went wide but bounced off the boards and back out in front, where TJ Irey found the puck and fired in his 19th goal of the season to make it 2-1 for Estevan. Bryce Platt also assisted on the goal and it stayed at 2-1 until the final period.

The Bruins would earn a much-needed insurance goal 8:38 into the 3rd period, once again on the powerplay. Turner Ripplinger entered the offensive zone and patiently held the puck in the high slot until Platt came racing down the wing. Ripplinger fed Platt and he snapped a perfect shot past Kohonick to increase the Bruins lead to 3-1 with his 18th of the year. Irey also assisted on the goal.

Notre Dame’s attempt to chip away at the Bruins lead in the final ten minutes would fall short as Kilpatrick and the Bruins stout defence would shut things down to secure a 3-1 victory.

Kadin Kilpatrick (20/21) earned his third straight win in goal, while Riley Kohonick made 36 saves in the loss for Notre Dame.

The Bruins’ special teams helped lead them to a huge road win, with the powerplay going (2/4) and the penalty kill shutting down the Hounds powerplay (0/6) all night long.

Estevan (28-21-2-1) now leads the Viterra division by 8 points over the idle Yorkton Terriers, who have two games in hand. The Bruins will host the Flin Flon Bombers on Friday night and welcome the Weyburn Red Wings on Saturday night, while Yorkton plays a weekend home-and-home series with the Melville Millionaires.