The Estevan Sherritt Coal Bruins had several golden opportunities to score in the third period, but gave up the game-winner instead in a 3-2 loss to the Weyburn Youngfellows on Monday at Spectra Place.
The peewee AA Bruins dominated the first 10 minutes of the third before Weyburn's Kade Eger scored his second of the game at 10:19 on a shot from point blank range.
The game began well for the Bruins though, as they took a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Ryder Pierson tapped in a rebound at 6:32 to get them on the board.
Less than four minutes later, at 10:19, Hayden Cutler finished off a cross-slot feed from Cole Fonstad on a power play.
Not long after that, Jake Palmer nearly put his team up 3-0, but hit the crossbar on a wrist shot.
Weyburn fought back in the second period, beginning with Eger's goal at the 5:39 mark on a scramble in front of the net.
Adam Herold tied the game three minutes later, at 8:51, on a similar play.
Cutler almost had his second, scoring just as the second period buzzer went, but it was too late.
In the third, the Bruins came out flying and swarmed the offensive zone, but couldn't put the puck in the net. They came closest at 5:50 when several players were hacking at a loose puck in the crease when the net was pushed off.
After Eger's goal, the Bruins had one last chance with about 15 seconds left when a breakaway pass for Colton Schell hopped over his stick at the blue line.
The Bruins (7-11-2) would have jumped into third place in the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League with a win on Monday, but instead they finish in fifth place.
That pits them against the fourth-place Swift Current Broncos in the first round of the playoffs. Dates for the series had not been determined as of press time.
