SJHL’S CANALTA CUP TIED UP AT 2-2

ESTEVAN – The tail end of Game 4 of the Canalta Cup Final had to have reminded the Estevan Bruins of Game 3, but this time they hung on, staving off a Nipawin comeback with a 5-3 win, tying up the Best-of-Seven championship series at 2-2 Wednesday night.

On this night the Bruins stormed out to a 4-0 lead, with two first period goals and two more in the second.  Kaelan Holt (1g-1a) and Jake Fletcher (1g-1a) got things going in the first period, before Tyler Hengen and Michael McChesney doubled up the lead in the second.

Logan Casavant and Michael Grant would quickly respond and cut the lead to 4-2 before the middle frame was up, and it looked like deja vu when Josh McDougall got the Bruins within a goal with 4:20 remaining, and the Hawks got another powerplay in the last two minutes.  This time, while short-handed, Zach Goberis (1g-1a) potted an empty-netter to let the hometown faithful breathe.  Bo Didur turned away 31/34 shots in the win.  Declan Hobbs made 19/23 saves at the other end before being replaced by Jake Anthony around the midway point, he stopped all eight shots he faced in his first action of the playoffs.

The series is tied, now a Best-of-Three, with Game 5 going Friday in Nipawin and Game 6 now a sure thing for Sunday in Estevan.  Should they split those two, they’d decide the whole thing in Nipawin with Game 7 on Tuesday.

(Craig Stein/SJHL.ca)