The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins came out flat in a last minute 4-3 loss to the Weyburn Lightstream Wings at Affinity Place on Sunday.
“Effort wasn’t there,” said Bruins head coach Blake Jamieson. “This weekend (it) really wasn’t there. We got away from the way that we’ve been playing well, so the outcome shows that.”
The Bruins have gone 0-2-1 in their last three games after beginning the season on a 7-0-1 tear. The team lost 4-3 to the Notre Dame Argos at Wilcox on Oct. 25 before tying the Regina Vics 4-4 in the Queen City on Saturday, which was followed by the tough defeat to Weyburn.
The Wings controlled the play from the start on Sunday outshooting the Bruins 5-2 before Rhett Nikolejsin scored a power play goal 8:36 in with a point shot that found the back of the net low stick side on Bruins goaltender Ethan Veroba. Estevan got that one back with 10:36 left in the first when Daymon Wanner’s wrist shot from the blue line bounced off Wings’ goalie Devon Pompu’s blocker and behind him into the net. Forty-six seconds later, Bruins’ forward Preston Brodziak made it 2-1 Estevan when he blasted a shot from in close between Pompu’s arm and body.
With only 1:08 gone in the second, Weyburn’s Brayden Barsness tied the game by skating past a Bruins defender before backhanding the puck top corner glove side on Veroba. The Wings went up 3-2 a little over 17 minutes later when Tylar Fox found himself in all alone on Veroba and potted the puck on a backhand over his outstretched blocker after deking to the glove side.
Estevan tied the game at threes with 9:02 left in the third on another weak goal when Matt Bill’s point shot tricked through the pads of Pompu. Barsness then scored the winner on a two-on-one rush with 21 seconds left in the game when he poked in a rebound off a Rhett Frey shot into an open cage.
Jamieson said the numerous odd-man rushes Weyburn enjoyed during the game came down to the defence pinching in the offensive zone without the forward corps not moving high to cover them. He said Weyburn is a rival and games between the two teams are always good, but they’re also a team they should beat considering where the two clubs sit in the standings.
“It’s good to be where we are,” said Jamieson. “But with this little lull in our effort and with a tie and a loss this weekend, we need to get back on track.”
