ESTEVAN - The first meeting of the 2022-23 SJHL season between the Estevan Bruins and the Flin Flon Bombers ended just like the final meeting of the 2021-22 season between the two clubs: with a Bruins victory.
Estevan defeated the Bombers 8-6 on Wednesday night at Affinity Place in the first meeting between the two clubs since Game 7 of the 2022 SJHL final on May 6 - a contest the Bruins won 2-0 for their first championship in 23 years.
Of course, Wednesday night's game was far more wide open than what fans in both cities were treated to in the 2022 league final.
Kade Runke and Mitch Kohner each had hat tricks for Estevan.
Jacob Vockler opened the scoring for Flin Flon just before the seven-minute mark of the first period, but Runke tied the game 90 seconds later.
Former Bruin defenceman Alex Von Sprecken - who was dealt to Flin Flon on Oct. 4 - restored the Bombers' one-goal lead with a tally late in the first period. Von Sprecken, who hails from Estevan, also assisted on Flin Flon's sixth goal. He received applause from local fans during the game.
Runke added his second of the period 85 seconds after Von Sprecken's goal.
Kohner had his first of the game 47 seconds into the second period, and then Kohner and Runke tallied 2:01 apart to give Estevan a 5-2 lead. Jeremi Tremblay and Cole Duperreault scored power-play goals for Flin Flon 70 seconds apart to pull the Bombers to within one, but then Liam Lucas scored for Estevan with 2.7 seconds to play in the middle frame for a 6-4 Estevan advantage after 40 minutes.
Duperreault and Matt Egan scored in the opening 4:03 of the third period to tie the game. Kohner notched his third of the night midway through the period to put the Bruins ahead for good, and Cody Davis finished the scoring with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Cam Hrdlicka made 34 saves in the Bruins' net, including a penalty shot off of Tremblay in the first period. Harmon Laser-Hume stopped 31 of the 38 shots he faced.
The win was the Bruins sixth straight. It was the Bombers' first loss in regulation since Sept. 17.
The Bruins (7-6) will play their next six games on the road, starting Friday night when they visit the Kindersley Klippers. Then they will be at the league-leading Battlefords North Stars on Saturday.
The Bombers (7-2-1-1), meanwhile, will continue their southern road swing with a game at the Weyburn Red Wings on Friday night.
