FLIN FLON, Man. - The Estevan Bruins came away with a split in their weekend road games with the league-leading Flin Flon Bombers.
Estevan defeated the Bombers 4-3 in a shootout on Friday night. Joey Lies opened the scoring for the Bombers seven minutes into the opening frame, but goals by Felix Allard and Brady Wilson 2 1/2 minutes apart put the Bruins ahead by one after the first.
Ilia Chmelevski's power-play goal midway through the second period put the Bruins up by two, but the Bombers fought back. Alexi Sylvestre scored on a power play before the period was finished, and added the tying goal with four seconds to play in the third, also on a power play.
Neither team scored in overtime, and the Bruins outscored the Bombers 3-2 in a shootout.
Jackson Miller stopped 50 shots, including 21 in the first period, for the Bruins, while Harmon Laser-Hume made 37 saves for the Bombers.
The Bombers responded with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night. Carter Anderson opened the scoring for the Bombers with a power-play goal 2:32 into the game, but Carsyn Dyck replied for the Bruins midway through the frame.
Sylvestre put the Bombers ahead with a short-handed goal early in the second, but less than a minute later, Zachery Burns notched a power-play marker to tie the game again.
Lies scored what proved to be the game-winning tally early in the third for the Bombers. The Bruins thought they had tied the game at the end of the third, but the officials ruled time had expired. Several Bruins were assessed penalties at the end of the game as they expressed their displeasure with the referees' decision.
No disciplinary action was immediately announced.
Jackson Miller stopped 42 shots for the Bruins, while Kenneth Marquart had 31 saves for the Bombers.
Estevan (24-24-2-2, 52 points) sits tied for seventh in the SJHL standings with four games remaining. They will clinch a playoff spot for the 13th straight season if they get one more win.
The Bruins will visit the Humboldt Broncos on Wednesday night.
