After 19 days without playing a game, the Kindersley Jr Klippers returned to action against one of the top teams in the league in the Estevan Bruins Wednesday night, and the Klippers didn't show too much rust. Despite end to end action and the Klippers at times even setting up well in the offensive zone, they couldn't solve Cam Hrdlicka and fell 1-0.

In the opening frame, the game started slow with the both teams putting just a single shot on each in the first two minutes. Six minutes in, the first penalty of the game was called when Charles Obobaifo entered the zone and turned on the jets between two defencemen and drew a hooking call from Billy Sowa. On that man advantage, the Klippers put up four shots and looked like their powerplay had found their lanes, but couldn't put anything through.

Three minutes later, the Klippers got to show their penalty kill prowess when their newly minted captain Jaxon Georget went to the box for slashing, and despite three quick shots in tight to the net at the start of the penalty, the Klippers for the most part had the Bruins stuck in their own zone and at centre ice. After leaving the box, Georget set up one of the most dangerous plays of the game with a one handed tap towards the net for Noah Lindsay that was swallowed up by Hrdlicka.

Coletyn Boyarski was nabbed for four minutes on a high sticking call, but the Klippers killed over a minute of the penalty before the Bruins took a penalty of their own for too many men on the ice. The 4-on-4 saw the Bruins control the puck for a while but had trouble sneaking past the blueline trap of the Klippers, but when the Klippers did get the puck they had a couple chances at the goal, still nothing getting through.

After 1: Klippers 0 - 0 Bruins, shots 15-13 Klippers

The first three minutes of the second period was the worst stretch the Klippers played all game, and it didn't last very long but it had an affect on the game. Caught in their own zone, Liam Bell was caught on a hooking call and it took the Bruins just over a minute to score. Mark Rumsey from the right side of the blueline found a lane to shoot around four bodies in front, and Pesenti didn't see it in time to make the stop for the game's first and eventual only goal.

The trail to the penalty box continued for the Klippers with a less than favourable hooking call on Charles Obobaifo after he was tripped twice on the same shift, but the Klippers killed that one off. At this point, the Klippers were down 13-1 in on the shots during the period, but once they got back to 5-on-5 near the halfway mark of the period, they started to find their legs again.

Obobaifo had one of the best chances of the period when he chased down a loose puck and bust up the ice right through centre and a Bruins defender on either side of him, and in the midst of the sticks and pressure on either side he still managed to get a shot off that was stopped by Hrdlicka.

Matt Mazzocchi drew an interference call in front of the Bruins net later in the period to give the Klippers their third powerplay of the game, and while they did earn a few shots, this seemed like their worst man advantage of the game as the Bruins kept them out to centre.

The period ended with some more 4-on-4 that carried over to the third after a Klippers powerplay was cut short just on a one of the tightest interference calls you'll see when the puck was tapped past Nathan Degraves who played the man to create some separation before picking the puck up at centre. 

After 2: Klippers 0 - 1 Bruins, shots 16-9 Bruins in the period, 29-24 Bruins in total

The third period seemed to favour the Klippers with the initial 4-on-4 as they kept the Bruins in their own zone for the beginning of the shortened Bruins powerplay afterwards, but the Klippers got an extended 5-on-3 early after a goaltender interference call on Keagon Little and a hooking call on Dayton Diecs.

With a two man advantage for a full two minutes, the Klippers got set up and put a lot of pressure on Bruins goaltender Hrdlicka with shots coming from a number of different angles. When Little's goaltender interference penalty ended, he rejoined the play and nearly stole the puck from one of the Klippers from behind, and while they stayed in the offensive zone it disrupted the Klippers enough that they never got really set up again for the rest of their powerplay.

The Klippers gave up a couple powerplays themselves after, another iffy call on Liam Bell for high sticking, and a questionable holding call on Georget, and the Klippers killed both penalties fairly easily but they weren't able to get much for offense going.

After a Josh Pufahl highstick, the Bruins made it 4-on-4 once again with an interference call on Aleksa Babic. With two seconds left in Babic's penalty, Bruins captain went to the box on what was likely a makeup call from some of the others in the game for tripping, and the Klippers would finish the game with a 6-on-4 powerplay after pulling Matt Pesenti. After a quick scare where the puck was sent down the length of the ice and nearly on net, and the Klippers came back to pour on the pressure around Cam Hrdlicka's net, but they still could not get anything through and drop a tight game against one of the league's best.

FINAL: Klippers 0 - 1 Bruins, shots 12-4 Bruins in the period, 41-28 Bruins in total

Game notes:

Playing his first game as the Klippers captain, Jaxon Georget was noticeably one of the best players on the ice. His speed and grit caused lots of turnovers in the offensive zone and he managed a couple of good chances on the rush both with his shot and setting up his teammates.

Matt Pesenti made 40 saves on 41 shots in his first game back since December 11. He had some solid saves on the night, particularly one in the first period where his defence were caught on a 2-on-1 and he kicked the pad out while sliding across to make a huge save.

Also returning were defenceman Josh Pufahl and Josh Morton. Pufahl's presence was felt by bringing some stability to the defence and had one particular game saving play on a penalty kill when he turned around and dove to stop a cross ice pass, while Morton was under the skin of the Bruins from the beginning of the game as they seemed to try and wind up the 6'3 defenceman, but he kept up with some smooth passing and some big hits throughout the game.

After being acquired from the Melfort Mustangs earlier this year, 16 year old Unity native Karson Blanchette made his SJHL debut and playing on a line with Georget and Lindsay, he put up some big minutes and created chances as well. A stand up defensive moment for him came in the second period when, at the end of his shift, he went up against the league's second leading score Mark Rumsey at centre ice and managed to strip the puck from him. Blanchette should be in the lineup in the Klippers next game.

The Klippers were without Logan Linklater, who is out temporarily with an upper body injury.