Cole Olson scored with 16 seconds left in regulation to give the Estevan Bruins a 4-3 win over the Yorkton Terriers Sunday and snap a seven-game losing streak.
The Bruins had not won since Nov. 18, a stretch that included a 7-4 loss to the Nipawin Hawks on Saturday at Spectra Place.
Sunday's win helped the Bruins (17-15-0-1) hold off the Terriers and move into sole possession of second place in the Sherwood Conference.
"It's nice to know you can still win. The guys in the dressing room certainly were in a fragile state of mind, so there were some grins back on people's faces and guys were a little looser and feeling a little more confident about things," said Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy. "That's one of the biggest things they gotta learn is that they are good and they gotta go out every night and prove it."
Olson's game-winner came on the power play, one of three Bruin goals scored with the man-advantage.
"It was a nice feed in front and he got in there and battled hard and put it in," said Cassidy.
A Tanner Froese goal eight minutes into the third had given the Bruins a two-goal lead, but the Terriers got markers four minutes apart from Brenden Poncelet and Nathan Murray to tie the game.
"That was tough. We were playing some good hockey and again, a couple of mistakes ended up in the back of our net. The one thing I was impressed with is nobody's head went down, nobody was upset, we just went out there and tried to respond to what happened, and we did."
Dylan Smith and Derek Whitehill scored earlier in the game for the Bruins, with Ryon Sookro scoring for Yorkton in the first period.
Steven Glass stopped 31 of 34 shots for the Bruins, with Terriers netminder Warren Shymko saving 12 of 16.
On Saturday, the Bruins recovered from a bad start with two goals late in the second period, giving them a 3-2 lead, but Stuart Holland scored for Nipawin 12 seconds later in what was likely the turning point of the game.
The Hawks regained the lead early in the third period and never looked back, with four goals in the frame.
"Our reaction right after a goal has to be better. We've talked about that. We had a bit of rhythm going there. We finally caught a break on a line change where we were on the right side of it," said Cassidy of the Holland goal. "I think we thought we were off to the races there. There was a good bit of energy. To have them come back and stuff it down our throats right afterward, it messes with the head a little bit."
Holland, Brady Zerr and Darius Cole each scored twice for the Hawks, with Keenan Martens adding a single. Calder Neufeld, Smith, Michael Hengen and Matt Brykaliuk scored for the Bruins.
Several players were facing their old teams for the first time on Saturday, including Ryan Ostertag, who was traded to Nipawin on Thursday and made his Hawks debut at Spectra Place. Former Bruin Jesse Bernard earned his first point of the season on Zerr's first goal, and Bruins winger Tyler Paslawski was also facing his former team for the first time.
With only four healthy defencemen, the Bruins called up Ryan Curzon and Scott Morrison from the Assiniboia Southern Rebels of the Prairie Junior Hockey League for both weekend games.
"I think both of them skate very well, both of them kept the game simple. Curzon has quite a bit of experience and I like his attitude. He brought a little bit of jump to the room and the bench and he wasn't scared to get in there and mix it up with the guys," Cassidy said.
With a road-heavy schedule over the next two weeks, including a trip to Flin Flon and Nipawin this weekend, the Bruins will need to build on Sunday's win.
"There's no doubt we can get back to believing in one another," said Cassidy. "There's a lot of talent in there and there are good people."
On the injury front, Tyler Poskus (concussion) was expected to be a game-time decision for last night's game in Melville. Connor Milligan (concussion) could return to the lineup this weekend.
