At some point during Friday's game, you had to wonder if Estevan Bruins players had walked under a few too many ladders.
The team was already down to four healthy defencemen and had dealt with some significant injuries to key players earlier in the season.
Then, during Friday's 3-2 loss to the Weyburn Red Wings, four different Bruins left the game at one point.
Fortunately for the club, two of them returned and the other two aren't expected to be out long.
The injury that had fans up in arms happened at the end of the game, when SJHL scoring leader Austin Daae took a hit from behind from Wings forward Jon Brumwell just before the buzzer.
The play was 200 feet from the Red Wings net and quickly resulted in fireworks, as two fights broke out.
More importantly, in the midst of the chaos, Daae hobbled off favouring his shoulder.
The news was not nearly as bad as it could have been, as Daae played in last night's game against Notre Dame.
Brumwell was suspended two games for the hit.
The other significant injury happened when stalwart defenceman Nick Egan took a thundering hit from Donavon Lumb in the first period.
Egan glided off the ice slowly, came back out for one shift in the second period and then left the game.
Bruins head coach Chris Lewgood said Egan isn't expected to miss much time either, which is a big bullet dodged. Going down to three blue liners and losing a veteran leader like Egan, who has inspired his teammates lately with his first three SJHL goals, would be a massive hit.
Shortly after that, rookie forward Keegan Allison went off gingerly after taking a hit, and Chris Thorimbert took a puck to the face in the second period. Both would return.
The Bruins host Nipawin and La Ronge this weekend and keeping everyone healthy will be almost as important as winning.
Contact Josh Lewis at 306-634-2654 or sports@estevanmercury.ca. Everyone whining about Richard Sherman and P.K. Subban and other bright personalities who break up the monotony in the relationship between athletes and media can just shut up.
