ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins delivered a second straight strong effort Saturday night to defeat the La Ronge Ice Wolves 5-2 at Affinity Place.
Estevan played well early, but the Black and Gold weren't rewarded for their efforts until Owen Barrow scored midway through the first period. The Ice Wolves then ran into penalty problems, and the Bruins capitalized, with Zach Burfoot and Alexander Papaspyropoulos scoring 63 seconds apart for a 3-0 advantage.
Burfoot has now scored in all four games the Bruins have played in 2024, while Papaspyropoulos' goal came in his Bruin debut.
Gabriel Filion added to the lead 2:01 into the second period, and Keagon Little made it a 5-0 game before the 10-minute mark of the second. While the Bruins didn't score the rest of the game, they didn't sit back, either, as La Ronge had just 16 shots on goal at the midway point of the third period.
The Ice Wolves generated some chances in the second half of the third, and La Ronge's Sage Roberts scored with less than five minutes to play. Jacob Huffy finished the scoring with six seconds remaining.
Miller finished with 21 saves on the night, while Eric Kahl made 29 saves for the Ice Wolves. The Bruins dealt Kahl to La Ronge earlier in the week for forward Raine Hodge.
Estevan (15-16-0-2) have a busy week ahead. They will visit the Kindersley Klippers on Jan. 16 and the Battlefords North Stars the following night, and then they will host the Melfort Mustangs on Jan. 19 and 20. The home games will start at 7 p.m.
