The La Ronge Ice Wolves scored late in the second period to carry a one-goal lead into the third and hung on for a 6-4 win over the Estevan Bruins on Friday at Spectra Place.
Matt Dochylo scored twice for the Bruins, who also got goals from Matt Brykaliuk and Cole Olson. Pat Tran had three points for the Ice Wolves, including two goals, and they also got markers from Marc-Andre Carre, Franklin Cook, Nathan Boyer and Skyler Hladun.
The Bruins opened the scoring at 6:25 of the first when Tyler Paslawski fed Josh Jelinski at the blueline while taking a hit, then Jelinski's shot was tipped by Dochylo.
La Ronge would rebound with two goals in six minutes. Boyer fed Carre in the slot to finish off a tic-tac-toe goal at 8:40 on the power play, then Tran beat Tyler Ross five-hole.
Brykaliuk would tie it two minutes after Tran's goal with a beauty, taking a great cross-ice pass from Derek Whitehill on a power play, waiting just long enough and then wiring it over Alex Rajotte.
Dochylo scored again just seven seconds into the middle stanza from the side of the net, handing the Bruins their second power play marker of the contest.
The Bruins held that lead for nearly nine minutes until Franklin Cook scored from the red line on what can only be described as a brutal goal. The slap shot was marked for the bottom right corner, Ross played it with the glove and it went off his glove and in.
Nathan Boyer made it 4-3 with 33 seconds left in the period, on the power play, when Carre missed a great chance but fed it back to Boyer in the high slot for a goal.
Tran scored his second with less than eight minutes left in regulation, making a nice move to beat his man inside the blueline and then snapping a low shot past Ross.
Olson made it a one-goal game again with 3:35 left, beating Rajotte with a wrister from the slot, but Skyler Hladun responded just 20 seconds later to pretty much wrap it up for the Ice Wolves.
I thought the lines of Dochylo-Jelinski-Paslawski and Reich-Whitehill-Brykaliuk were both tremendous tonight. Whitehill in particular used his speed to give the Wolves fits all evening, and set up Brykaliuk's goal with a great feed. He may have been Estevan's best all-around player.
Midget AA Bruins goalie Levi Eiteneier backed up Ross tonight, as Steven Glass continues to sit out with a minor knee injury sustained last Sunday in Humboldt. He's considered day-to-day. Tanner Froese also missed the game with an injury but will likely be in tomorrow. The bright side for him was Lanny McDonald used his stick during the shoot to win contest in the second intermission.
In what has become an annual event, the Bruins and Baker Hughes brought Lanny in for the game to sign autographs and make appearances. He also visited Spruce Ridge School this afternoon and spoke at the Days Inn Plaza after the game.
In other news, no word yet on whether Zach MacLellan or Trevor Tracy will report to the Bruins. MacLellan is apparently still in B.C.
Post-game interviews with Matt Dochylo and Keith Cassidy:
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