It was all heading in the right direction through 40 minutes, then all hell broke loose.
The Nipawin Hawks scored three goals in a span of less than two minutes early in the third period on Sunday to hand the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins a 5-2 loss at Affinity Place.
The Bruins (5-11-0-3) led 2-1 after the first two periods.
"We let them back in the game. We were going to the third with a 2-1 lead and 19 minutes on the clock and we're down a goal. We've gotta do a better job of keeping pucks out of our net," said Bruins head coach Chris Lewgood.
Brandan Arnold and Evan Mignault beat Bruins starter Brett Lewchuk nine seconds apart in the first minute of the third.
Shortly after that, Eric Bolden put one past Lewchuk off the rush, which resulted in Tyler Gutenberg entering the game between the pipes.
Following the three goals, the Bruins enjoyed eight minutes of power play time, but couldn't capitalize, despite getting some chances.
"It was very frustrating," said Lewgood. "Early on, I thought the problem with the power play was we weren't penetrating the seams very well and creating chances and getting pucks to the net.
"We made some adjustments and started getting some shots, and unfortunately we weren't firm enough to get rebounds. Our zone time on the power play tonight was really good. Our puck movement was really good. Our execution on finishing plays wasn't very good."
Keegan Kjargaard added an insurance marker with four minutes to play, scoring glove side.
"We gotta be better. It should have been a 2-0 win today. That's the way I saw the game," said Lewgood.
"There are things we can improve on all the way around. Our team cannot allow five goals. You can make any excuses as to why we did, but the bottom line is if we're in the offensive zone on the cycle, the other team's not going to score."
The Bruins took an early 2-0 lead in the first period.
First, R.T. Rice got around defender Nicholas Reimer, went in alone and went forehand on Hawks starter Logan Flodell.
Shortly after that, Levi Barnstable was tripped up by Hawks defenceman Stefan Wood, but got the puck on net. Moments later, Barnstable flipped a shot off Wood, up over Flodell and in the net.
Garret Lockeridge got the Hawks on the board with 35 seconds left in the period off the rush.
Lewchuk allowed four goals on 23 shots, while Gutenberg allowed one on four shots.
The Bruins outshot the Hawks 34-27.
Top prospect Riley Woods, 16, joined the Bruins as an affiliated player despite forwards Adam Canepa, Ryan Duret and Mahlon Head being healthy scratches.
"I thought he was good. I thought he had some breakdowns, but that's to be expected. I thought he fit in nicely 5-on-5 with a couple of pretty good hockey players (Keegan Allison and Lynnden Pastachak). He complemented them very well. On the power play, he made some things happen," said Lewgood.
"I wish he had a little more confidence in himself to shoot. As a 16-year-old coming in as an AP, you kinda want to dish the puck off. You don't want to be caught overhandling it. So I think he passed up on a couple of opportunities to shoot where he was probably the best guy to take the shot."
On Nov. 4, meanwhile, the Bruins edged the Melville Millionaires 2-1 on home ice.
All three goals were scored in the first period.
Rookie forward Taylor Ross got the Bruins on the board less than four minutes in with his first SJHL goal.
The Millionaires drew even at the 12:38 mark on a goal by Ben Mack.
The Bruins reclaimed the lead for good less than three minutes later on a power play goal by Darcy DeRoose.
The Mils outshot the Bruins 33-30, with Lewchuk making 32 saves. Melville goalie Troy Trombley stopped 28 shots.
Bruins forward Jason Duret took a puck to the face in that game and required minor surgery on his nose on Monday. He is expected to miss about 10 days.
The Bruins are last in the SJHL in goals by a significant margin, averaging less than two goals per game.
"The ideal scenario is you get more goal scorers. But realistically, we just gotta stick to it. The guys work hard on scoring in practice. It's something we've spent time on in practice. Our guys are not missing the net in practice. If they are, they're doing pushups. Our guys are committed to finishing better and putting the work in to be a better team. You just gotta stick with it and as a general manager, you've gotta try to add some scoring touch," Lewgood said.
The Bruins were scheduled to visit the Weyburn Red Wings on Tuesday afternoon. They are on the road this weekend, visiting the Hawks for a rematch on Friday and the Melfort Mustangs on Saturday.
