It's all over but the soul-searching.
The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins saw their season come to an end on Saturday, losing 6-3 to the Yorkton Terriers in Game 5 of their Sherwood Conference semifinal series.
The two teams split the first two games of the series, but the first-place Terriers proceeded to win three straight contests to close it out.
Yorkton had won the previous two games by identical 2-1 scores, on Tuesday at home and Thursday at Spectra Place.
On Saturday, Terriers forward Patrick Martens continued his tear, scoring a hat trick to bring his series total to seven goals.
The Bruins, despite outshooting Yorkton 21-6 in the first period, found themselves down 2-1 after 20 minutes.
"I thought we came out with a lot of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. I don't think we could've asked to play a smarter game at that point. Being down 2-1 coming out of it was tough," said Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy, who added that his team hit a crossbar in the dying seconds of the period.
Martens struck first, at the 3:50 mark, and Jeremy Johnson made it 2-0 Yorkton with a shorthanded goal at 13:12.
Calder Neufeld got the Bruins on the board at 15:07.
It was more of the same in the second period, as Kailum Gervais restored the Terriers' two-goal lead midway through the period.
The Bruins drew within a goal again thanks to a Hudson Morrison power play marker at 13:05.
However, Martens would add his second of the game barely four minutes later to put the home side ahead 4-2 after two.
Martens and Neufeld traded goals 44 seconds apart just past the halfway point of the frame, and Tyler Giebel would add an empty net goal with six seconds left.
The Bruins led the shots tally 39-27.
"I don't know that we did anything particularly bad that game. We certainly gave every ounce of effort that we had. I can't pick out any glaring team defensive errors," Cassidy said.
On Thursday, meanwhile, Giebel scored the winner with 6:16 to play on a bad-angle shot from the right wing.
Wyatt Garagan had tied the game for the Bruins at the 5:13 mark, taking a centring pass from Brett Dumaine behind the yet and burying it behind Terriers goalie Dawson MacAuley.
Yorkton defenceman Brady Norrish opened the scoring late in the first period on a spectacular end-to-end rush, deking out several Bruins players before getting in alone and scoring on Bruins goalie Curtis Martinu.
"I saw some uncharacteristic mistakes from guys that are generally dependable," said Cassidy. "They were pressing hard too, and I gotta hand it to (Martinu), I thought that was his best game of the series so far and he, again, gave us a chance to win."
Yorkton carried the shots 36-29.
"In terms of effort and in terms of wanting to win, I think we certainly played to our potential. In talking with most of the guys (Monday), they're very upset and disappointed that we didn't go further than that and rightfully so, but in terms of asking the guys to do more, I'm not sure ... Games 3 and 4 were one-goal games we certainly had a chance to win," Cassidy said. "I certainly think we were a whole lot closer as a team during that series than we've been most of the year."
Cassidy said one major reason for the team's struggles this season was the loss of Calder Neufeld to a high ankle sprain that kept him out for most of the season.
"Losing a guy that's expected to be your leading point-getter six games into the year is a very tough thing. That was one thing I don't think we were able to overcome. A lot of the expectations that were dropped on some of the other guys weren't able to be lived up to," said Cassidy. "In some instances, I think it was unfair that we dropped those responsibilities on those guys."
The Bruins will lose seven 20-year-olds to graduation: Martinu, Milligan, Neufeld, centre Cole Olson, right winger Dylan Smith, right winger Tyler Paslawski and centre Alex Cote.
