Killing off a long 5-on-3 power play late in a one-goal game usually gives a team some momentum, but that wasn't the case for the Estevan Sherritt Coal Bruins on Saturday.
The peewee AA hockey club lost 5-4 to the Weyburn Wings after surrendering two goals in the final four minutes.
Estevan (1-1) had killed off a two-man advantage lasting nearly the full two minutes, getting back to even strength with five minutes to go. That was when the Wings rallied for the win.
"I think they thought the game was over and if we don't play 60 minutes, we're not going to win," assistant coach Darryl Davis said of his team's play in the last few minutes.
With 3:49 to play, Braden Birnie tied the game for Weyburn, scoring on the rebound of a Cordell Larson shot.
They would score the winner with 2:07 left, courtesy of Kyle Perras.
"We had guys that started to play individually, and apparently we've got to play as a team, and they didn't," Davis said. "We had to put that puck deep and keep it down there, and we tried to get fancy in our own end, and it ended up costing us."
The Bruins had held the one-goal edge for most of the period after scoring twice late in the second to take a 4-3 lead.
"Earlier in the period, the guys were doing what we wanted. They were putting the puck in deep, and we were skating, moving our feet. We just got a little sloppy in our own end and it came back to bite us," Davis said.
Kersey Reich struck first for the Bruins 11 minutes into the game, with Larson replying for Weyburn late in the frame to make it 1-1 after the first.
Ethan Ernst gave the Wings the lead 12 minutes into the second period, walking out from the corner and tucking it past Bruins goalie Bryson Garton.
That was the beginning of a flurry of four goals in a span of two and a half minutes.
Alex Von Sprecken countered for Estevan 72 seconds later on a goal from the slot, only for Weyburn's Noah Altwasser to give them the lead again 33 seconds later, deking Garton glove side.
Only 37 seconds after the Altwasser marker, with 5:32 to play, Reich scored his second of the game for the Bruins from the high slot.
Cale Adams gave the home side the lead heading into the third with 50 seconds left in the period, tipping a Tristan Seeman shot past goalie Jordan Muhr.
Davis said it was nice to see the Bruins match the Wings goal for goal in the second period.
"That was good. The kids were looking for the passes, and we were moving our feet. When we move our feet, we'll beat most teams here."
The Bruins are home this weekend for a two-game set against the Melville Millionaires. They play Saturday at 2:45 p.m. and Sunday at 11:45 a.m., with both games at Affinity Place.
