This is not the way the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins wanted to come out playing after the Christmas break.
A pair of losses to the Melville Millionaires on the weekend stretched the team's losing streak to four games, dropping the Bruins to a record of 12-21-2.
Their only saving grace was that the Weyburn Red Wings lost all three of their road games and remain two points back in the race for the final playoff spot in the Sherwood Conference.
A few days after Jackson Schneider scored with 0.2 seconds left to give the Wings a sweep of the annual New Year's Day clash in Weyburn, the Bruins lost 4-3 to the Mils on Friday at home and 9-4 in Melville the next day.
On Friday, the Bruins matched the Mils for most of the game, but Christian Magnus's goal midway through the second period was the winner.
Sean Aschim tipped a shot into the net only 88 seconds into the game to kick off a choppy, high-scoring first period.
"It was kind of a weird game in terms of the ebb and flow because there really wasn't much of an ebb and flow," said Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy. "It was kind of a choppy, we'll have a whole bunch of opportunities here, you'll have a whole bunch of opportunities there (game)."
Hudson Morrison replied for the Bruins at the 6:18 mark on a deflection that went up and over Mils goalie Alex Wakaluk.
Morrison agreed with his coach that it was an odd game with not much flow and some curious officiating at times.
"It was a different game. It was hard to play in because of sloppiness and (the) ref's getting in your head. I think we played well, but didn't come out with the outcome we wanted," Morrison said.
Taylor Reich gave the Bruins the lead midway through the first period, pouncing on a turnover right in front of the Melville net to score a shorthanded goal blocker side.
Aschim would tie it one minute later on his second of the period, putting in a rebound off a scramble in front of the net.
Melville scored the only two goals of the second period. The first came 11 minutes in when Magnus skated down the right wing and fired a shot over Bruins starter Curtis Martinu's left shoulder from the faceoff circle.
Russell Trudeau added to the Mils' lead with 28 seconds left when, on a power play, he sent a floater through traffic that got past a screened Martinu.
Cassidy said he felt the Bruins "dominated" the third period, but it resulted in only one goal when Nick Weiss banged in a rebound at the side of the net at the 7:52 mark.
The Bruins had several other notable scoring chances, one coming shortly before Weiss's goal when Tanner Froese missed a mostly empty net.
"We had a couple of chances where we could've buried them and put them in the back of the net, but we didn't. That cost us in the end," said Morrison.
On Saturday, the two teams were again knotted 2-2 after one period, but Melville scored four times in the second period and three more in the third.
Weiss (2), Morrison and Tyler Paslawski scored for the Bruins. Ian McNulty (2), Lucas Froese (2), Aschim, Colin Mospanchuk, Daniel Orsborne and Kevin Woodyatt supplied the Mils' offence.
The Bruins will be without left winger Wyatt Garagan for four to six weeks with a dislocated elbow and concussion suffered Jan. 1 against Weyburn.
Meanwhile, the SJHL trade deadline is on Thursday and Cassidy said last week that the team will be looking to add two forwards, with the team only having 11 healthy right now. He added that an impact defenceman is a priority as well.
"If there's a player out there that can help us get to where we need to be, we're certainly interested. Age isn't an issue for me at this point."
However, Cassidy's comments after Friday's game were less bullish.
"I'm not leaning one way or the other. I believe in the work ethic of the guys in there. I guess we'll sit back and analyze whether or not we actually have the talent to do what we want to do," he said.
"I think as evidenced by pretty much our entire season so far, we're looking for goal scorers. More importantly, I'm looking for guys ready to play from the drop of the puck to the final buzzer."
The Bruins are on the road this weekend, playing the Battlefords North Stars on Friday and the fourth-place Kindersley Klippers on Saturday.
