Monday night's battle at the Civic Auditorium left the Estevan Bruins down 2-1 in their opening series with the Melville Millionaires.
The two opponents played almost the equivalent of two hockey games when Michael Rogoschewsky slipped by a couple of Bruins defenders, walked in alone and tapped a shot off the post, banking into the net off the back of goaltender Shea Cooper. The goal came at 13:46 of the third overtime period.
The Bruins had outscored their opponent 7-2 in first periods thus far, but fell behind 2-0 in the opening frame of game three. The Bruins got into penalty trouble taking five minors, while defenceman Dominic Perrault was ejected following a checking to the head penalty. The Millionaires scored once on the man advantage.
"Emotionally, I think in the first period, we didn't show much," head coach Chad Leslie said after the game. "We didn't play with much emotion. We made some mistakes and we didn't work hard. We got outworked by this team before tonight, for six periods. We matched their work ethic in the second and third and overtime, we just have to do that consistently."
That two-goal deficit held until Troy Hunter banged in the Bruins first goal on the power play with 7:12 left in the second. Matt Szpak followed up that effort, firing home from the point less than two minutes later.
Just 33 seconds after the Bruins tied the game at two, the Millionaires came back firing and regained the lead. The home team, however, would not go quietly into the night as both Hunter and Szpak collected their second goals of the evening. Hunter got an assist on Szpak's second, as well as Ty Ariss, which came shorthanded.
Heading into the third period up 4-3, the Bruins once again were not able to hold a lead in the final frame. With less than seven minutes left, the Millionaires tied it up. From there the goalies were the show.
Cooper made 58 saves over the course of the game, and some of his finest came during the three overtime periods. Two back-and-forth sudden death periods were not enough to solve either goalie, but both teams had their chances.
A puck sliding across the Estevan goal line had Bruins fans holding their breath, and the Millionaires rang a shot off the post, missing a yawning cage.
The winning goal came against a Bruins team that had been missing Perrault since the first period as well as forward Josh Jelinski since the third, after an awkward collision with an opposing player sidelined him.
Leslie said if his team hadn't played the way they did in the first period, there would have been no need for overtime, and added that their power play units underperformed, going one for seven.
"Our inability to score on the power play hurt us. We did a real good job (penalty) killing though."
Leslie is optimistic going into game four, with backs against the wall in a do-or-die game.
"We just have to regroup tomorrow, and I have no doubt in my mind we can bounce back. There's not one doubt in my mind we're in our own beds tonight, those guys have to travel three hours to get home, so by all means, I really feel confident."
Aside from a quick start from the Bruins in the first period of game one on Friday night, that was about all that went well for the team. Opening the series with a first period for the ages, Mark Cross scored a hat-trick, leading the Bruins to a 4-1 lead after the opening period.
He first scored on the power play 3:40 into the period, and followed up with a goal at the 15:30 mark, capping it off with his third with one minute left.
Ben Findlay scored a power play goal as well, from Dylan Smith and Chris Daniels, with 47 seconds left in the first.
After the first period offensive explosion for the Bruins, the Millionaires slowly chipped away at that lead one goal at a time. The Millionaires made a goalie change, starting Alex Sirard in the second.
The second period remained scoreless until the Millionaires knocked one in with less than three minutes remaining.
The Bruins then allowed a goal early in the third period and spent the rest of the period defending their one goal lead. That lead was spoiled when the Millionaires tied it up with just under three minutes left in the game.
With the momentum shifted entirely towards the visitors' side of the bench the Bruins were able to hold onto the tie and let the game go into overtime.
The opening minute of overtime was all that was necessary to find a winner. After a close call in front of Danyluk at the Bruins end, Troy Hunter found Jelinski streaking through centre ice, and he fired past the Millionaires goaltender, sending the fans home relieved.
Game two was a similar story. The Bruins worked their way into a lead, but then failed to hang on, allowing Melville to get back in the game. This time it cost them the game.
Findlay opened the scoring for the Bruins five minutes into the first period on a feed from Ryan Andersen. Melville tied it at one, but Jelinski followed up the tying goal with another go ahead score just 18 seconds later.
Joel Kot pounded in a power play marker before the end of the frame and the Bruins, with another strong opening period, led 3-1 going into the second.
The Bruins dropped a goal while shorthanded in the second, but regained the two-goal lead off Matt Dochylo's third period goal. The Millionaires got it back to within one just over a minute later on the power play.
The Bruins were leading 4-3 with less than two minutes left, but the Millionaires tied the game at four with 1:34 left on the clock. With 1:03 remaining in the third, the Millionaires completed the comeback with a 5-4 win.
The series' winner will play the Yorkton Terriers in the quarter-finals.
Results of game four played Tuesday night in Melville were unavailable before press time. Check www.estevanmercury.ca for the latest.
