In their last two wins, the Estevan Bruins had a lead of at least two goals heading into the third period.
In both games, they blew that lead in the third period and went on to win in the shootout.
First things first, handing out extra points to opponents is a fool's game. After the start the Bruins had, every point matters, and allowing other teams to get even one after they had the game in control could come back to bite them.
It's nice to get the win in an emotional roller coaster of a game, but it's even better when you play a strong game start to finish and no drama is required.
You can't continually cough up third period leads if you want to be a contender, and this team is one of the worst culprits I've seen for that in years.
Friday's game against the Kindersley Klippers should have been over in regulation. The Klippers are a better team than they were last year, but they still have a long way to go. They got off to a decent start this season, but they appear to be on the way down, while the Bruins are, very slowly, working their way up.
Still, there were some positive developments to come out of that game.
Cole Olson has struggled offensively since sniper Calder Neufeld went down early in the season with a high ankle sprain. Olson is a hard-working playmaker who helps create offence, but he's been asked to produce offence on his own for the most part this year.
He was joined by Austin Daae and Tanner Froese on the top line recently, and that combination seems to be producing results.
The line combined for five points on Friday, including Olson's two goals, and Daae - who is starting to hit his stride - scored the shootout winner.
Rookie goalie Travis Pelletier also won his second straight shootout against the Klippers in the absence of suspended netminder Curtis Martinu.
Pelletier's incredible save in the dying seconds of the third period was an SJHL save of the year candidate - if anyone tracked such things - and he appears to be gaining some confidence now that he's getting an opportunity to play.
For his sake, hopefully the team reciprocates that confidence and gives him a chance to spell Martinu every now and then, although Steven Glass is due back sometime this month.
Neufeld should also be back before too long after an issue that was preventing his injury from healing was corrected. That can only be a good thing for a team that is 11th in the SJHL in goals.
***
The first quarter of Sunday's Western semifinal between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders was a snoozefest. The rest of the game made up for that and then some.
The six-point swing at the end of the first half ended up being the difference between losing and heading to overtime. It's not nearly as bad as the 13th man debacle in 2009, but the blocked extra point returned for a safety and the ensuing field goal will torment Rider fans for awhile.
In all honesty, I do feel for Rider Nation though. The roller coaster of euphoria to devastation in a span of 32 seconds is tough to take.
The incredible passion for the Green and White - even a Maritimer can acknowledge that - makes it that much harder to deal with.
In hindsight, the Riders left way too much time on the clock - the Stamps had 52 seconds to kick a field goal, after all.
The fact that Drew Tate went ahead and threw a bomb to Romby Bryant anyway was impressive, especially for a guy who apparently wasn't joking when he said he didn't remember the first half after taking a helmet to helmet hit from Tearrius George in the second quarter.
(That's exactly what the CFL likes to hear - how was Tate allowed to continue playing if he was concussed?)
It was a hell of a game, and Darian Durant certainly gave the Riders a chance. I've heard all kinds of dumb statements about Durant in the last two years, but he did what he could and shouldn't take the blame for this one.
Meanwhile, tar and feather me if you want, but there's lots of room on the Argos' bandwagon, and it seems lots of Rider fans are jumping on board already.
Believe me, we'll need it against a Montreal team that has simply had the Argos' number in recent years.
The Alouettes weren't overly impressive this season, but the Argos haven't beaten them in a playoff game since 2004, and that only came after they knocked out Anthony Calvillo in the second quarter.
But the Argos haven't had a quarterback worthy of Calvillo since then, and now they do. All eyes will be on Ricky Ray on Sunday.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at sports@estevanmercury.ca, on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins blog at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. He will fight anyone who says Mats Sundin isn't worthy of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
