You could just see the same theme playing itself out again.
When the CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins were assessed a six-minute penalty to kill off late in the second period, with a 3-0 lead, the team's third-period collapse against Flin Flon a week earlier came to mind.
But the Bruins killed off the entire penalty to winger Wyatt Garagan, four minutes for spearing and two for a hit from behind, in what proved to be a momentum swing in a 4-1 victory over the Battlefords North Stars on Friday.
With three minutes left to kill to start the third period, the Bruins got the job done to avoid giving the North Stars any fodder for a comeback.
"That not only was a momentum builder for us, it probably was a big momentum killer for them, because six minutes on the power play and not to come away with anything is tough for any team," said Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy.
Friday's win was the second straight for the Bruins (4-7-1), who were scheduled to visit Yorkton last night.
The Bruins came flying out of the gate, peppering North Stars goalie Connor Creech with scoring chances in the first period, but they emerged from the first 20 minutes with only one goal to show for it.
That came at the 13:14 mark when Austin Daae took a pass from Tanner Froese and, after initially missing on a golden opportunity, buried the puck into a mostly empty net from the doorstep.
"I was getting a little concerned after the first, because we went out there, we registered 12 shots, eight of them were good scoring opportunities, four of them were glorious opportunities, and we come away with one goal. We put about 24 shots at the net, and only 12 hit the net," said Cassidy.
Still, the Bruins continued to hold the upper hand in the second period and came away with two more goals, both by rookie winger Darcy DeRoose, to take a 3-0 lead to the third.
DeRoose finished off a highlight reel play 37 seconds into the period, after linemate Hudson Morrison undressed a Stars defenceman at the blue line and dished a spectacular backdoor pass to DeRoose for a tap-in.
"I've been playing with different lines and I guess this one has some good chemistry," said DeRoose, 17, who tripled his season goal total. "We both work good in the corners together and can read off each other."
The second goal came at 14:23 when Tyler Paslawski sent a soft pass across the slot and it got past defenceman Matthew Sheeran and onto DeRoose's stick on the doorstep.
Cassidy said he likes the look of the third line with DeRoose, Morrison and either Paslawski or Brett Dumaine.
"We all know what (Morrison) can bring to the table and I think they've got a bit of chemistry there ... they're bigger bodies and (Morrison) never quits. He's always on the puck and I think he complements whatever players he plays with."
After killing off the penalties to Garagan, the Bruins held the Stars scoreless until the 15:47 mark of the third, when Luke McColgan scored on a Brandon Long rebound.
The Stars had more chances in the last few minutes, and Cassidy said his team lapsed a bit, but he added that part of it was due to tired legs from killing penalties.
"I was a little leery of the last four or five minutes, but I'll tell you what, we were shorthanded, guys were getting tired and at one point we had two lines and an extra guy on the bench."
Paslawski sealed the win for Estevan with an empty-netter with five seconds left.
New acquisitions Roger Tagoona and Brendan Wilde both made their Bruins debuts on Friday.
Tagoona came down on the Stars' bus and was facing his old team.
"It was kind of nice just to jump right in, that way you get a feel for the boys right away and you don't really think too much," he said.
"That was my first time on the ice for a week, so I just wanted to do the right things and not get too complicated and I think I had an impact on the game. I like the way I played."
Cassidy agreed that Tagoona was solid in his first outing as a Bruin.
"I thought he made some real strong plays with the puck. He took the puck strong to the net. He did the things, on this team, that we need, because a lot of times we move the puck around real well, but we end up being a pretty perimeter team. So if he's willing to go to the middle like that and some other guys catch onto how that's done, then that's going to serve us well."
Left winger Taylor Reich missed the game with a rib injury sustained Oct. 21 in Weyburn. He is considered day-to-day.
The Bruins are back in action Thursday against Notre Dame in Wilcox, and they host the Nipawin Hawks on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
