ESTEVAN - The Estevan Bruins certainly appeared to get a lift from the crowd during Wednesday afternoon's Hooky for Hockey game at Affinity Place.
The Bruins scored five times in the opening nine minutes of the game in an 8-5 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds.
The club distributed free tickets to local school students to attend the game. Announced attendance for the game was 2,106 spectators, with 1,373 school students expected to attend the game. Teachers and other staff members were also present.
The young people were loud throughout, cheering on the Bruins when they made their way onto the ice for each period, after they scored each goal and when they were prompted to by the centre-ice scoreclock. They sang along with songs and chanted throughout the contest.
As for the game itself, Blake Heward, Kaelen Whittingham, Tristan Dussault, Ilia Chmelevski and Zachery Burns scored the Bruins' goals in the first half of the first period. Cyprus Smith-Davis put the Hounds on the board with less than nine minutes to play in the opening frame, but Owen Barrow scored with 21 seconds to play in the opening frame to leave the Bruins up by five.
Whittingham added his second of the game 38 seconds into the second period for a 7-1 advantage. Vincent Palmarin and DJ Freigang scored for Hounds to make it a 7-3 game after two periods, and MacLean Cooney's goal midway through the third pulled the Hounds to within three.
Zach Burfoot responded to make it an 8-4 game and dashed any hopes of a miracle Hounds' comeback. Kyle Kalamaras scored for Notre Dame with 77 seconds to play.
Chmelevski added four assists for a five-point game on his 19th birthday.
Cam Hrdlicka (27 saves on 31 shots) and Jackson Miller (five saves on six shots) split the goaltending duties for Estevan. Jesse Pye (four saves on eight shots) and Johann Tremblay-Kau (22 saves on 26 shots) were in goal for Notre Dame.
The Bruins (10-9-0-2) will be back on the ice Saturday when they host the Weyburn Red Wings. Game time is at 7 p.m.
