The Estevan Bruins used a big night from their big line to defeat the Kindersley Klippers 6-3 on Friday night at Spectra Place.
Dylan Smith scored a hat trick, Calder Neufeld had three points and Brandon Stone made 23 saves, some of them spectacular, to lead the Bruins to their 16th win of the year.
The Klippers opened the scoring only a minute into the game when the puck went off a skate and bounced to Jesse Mysiorek in front, and he made no mistake.
But the Bruins rebounded with three goals before the end of the frame, beginning with Michael Hengen's second in as many games off a Klipper turnover at 12:23.
Less than three minutes later, the Bruins got a fluky one that appeared to be knocked in by the Klippers. Taylor Reich got credit for the goal.
Then, with only 26 seconds to play in the frame, Neufeld fed a power play feed across the crease to give Smith a shot at a wide-open net.
Each team scored twice in the second period, starting with Tanner Kissick's goal for Kindersley nine minutes in on a play that began with a crushing hip check by Bruins defenceman Tyler Kauk.
The Bruins restored their two-goal lead at 12:48 when Neufeld banged home a pass from the doorstep on the power play. But Kindersley responded exactly a minute later when a bad breakout pass was intercepted by D. Jay McGrath, who made a slick feed to a wide-open Austin McDonald in front, and McDonald beat Stone over the glove.
Smith made it 5-3 with only 31 seconds to go in the middle frame, taking a last-second pass from Neufeld on an odd-man break and beating Klipper goalie Justin McDonald. Smith would complete the hat trick with less than six minutes left in regulation, seizing on a turnover at the Bruins' blueline for a breakaway and scoring on a backhand.
The shots were 40-26 for the Bruins.
