ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins wrapped up the preseason with a 3-2 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds Saturday night at Affinity Place.
The Bruins were down 2-1 with less than two minutes to play in the third period, and tied the game on a goal by Owen Simmons. Then, in the final seconds of the game, defenceman Kaelen Whittingham was hauled down while he was breaking in Notre Dame goaltender Jesse Pye and was awarded a penalty shot.
Whittingham deked out Pye to score the winner with roughly five seconds remaining.
Liam Bell had the other Estevan goal.
Davis Sato and Liam Hunks had the Notre Dame goals.
Cam Hrdlicka stopped 23 shots for the Bruins in the victory, while Pye made 33 saves for the Hounds.
On Friday night, Estevan defeated the Virden Oil Capitals 3-1. Virden opened the scoring on a goal by Joey Bielik, and held a 1-0 lead until late in the first period, when Daniel Tokariwski and Jack Piper scored just over two minutes apart for a 2-1 advantage.
Gabriel Filion tallied in the second.
Hrdlicka was in goal for Estevan and made 29 saves, while Owen LaRocque stopped 19 shots for Virden.
The Bruins other game was an 8-0 blowout over the Hounds Wednesday night in Wilcox. The Bruins led 1-0 after the first period on a goal by Garrett Zasitko, and 3-0 through two, with Dillon Jackson and Ilia Chmelevski scoring in the middle frame.
Then they scored five times in the third. Filion scored twice and Jackson added his second of the game, while Owen Barrow and Madden Wallis also scored.
Jackson Miller made 21 saves to get the shutout for Estevan, who outshot Notre Dame 58-21. Johann Tremblay-Kau and Owen Pettipas shared the goaltending duties for the Hounds.
Estevan won their final five exhibition games and finished with a 5-1 mark in the exhibition games. They allowed just nine goals in six contests.
The Bruins will open the 2023-24 regular season Friday night when they host the Melville Millionaires. Game time will be at 7 p.m.
