ESTEVAN - For the second straight night, the Estevan Bruins fell behind in the first period and suffered a lopsided loss against the Melfort Mustangs.
Melfort scored three times in 1:44 late in the first period in a 6-1 triumph Saturday night at Affinity Place.
Boston Maxwell scored on a power play 6:17 into the first period to give Melfort a 1-0 lead.
A key point came a couple minutes later.
Bruins forward Cody Davis was brought down by Mustangs’ defenceman Leyton Holoien as Davis cut towards the Melfort net. He went head-first into a goalpost and was down for some time before being helped off the ice. He didn’t return.
Holoien – one of the top defencemen in the SJHL – was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct, but the Bruins couldn’t convert on the power play.
Less than a minute after Holoien’s penalty ended, the Bruins were assessed a penalty and Mefort’s Dawson Leroux scored on the power play for a 2-0 lead. Ryan Duguay and Zac Somers scored 31 seconds apart shortly after Leroux’s goal for a 4-0 advantage.
Logan Belton had the only goal in the second period to give Melfort a 5-0 advantage.
Alex Blanchard scored on a Bruin power play 90 seconds into the third to put Estevan on the board, and Ashton Taylor scored for Melfort with 88 seconds to play to round out the scoring.
Jackson Miller stopped 22 of the 28 shots he faced in the loss. James Venne had 22 saves for Melfort.
Melfort beat Estevan 6-2 Friday night.
The Mustangs’ next game will be Wednesday night when they host the Weyburn Red Wings at 7:30 p.m.
The Bruins, meanwhile, will have their next game on Friday when they visit the Melville Millionaires.
