The CanElson Drilling Estevan Bruins came home empty from a long road trip to Flin Flon and Nipawin on the weekend.
Estevan lost 3-1 to the Bombers in Flin Flon on Friday, lost 7-4 to the same team Saturday and were blanked 6-0 by the Nipawin Hawks on Sunday.
The Bruins (18-18-0-1) managed to retain second place in the Sherwood Conference, but the Yorkton Terriers and Melville Millionaires each have five games in hand and are right behind them.
Bruins head coach Keith Cassidy said he believed his team played a strong game on Friday, but it went downhill from there.
"We deserved a better fate Friday. I thought we played a tremendous game, we just couldn't find the back of the net. It was a tough one, that's for sure. Trying to refocus after that was a bit difficult," Cassidy said.
The Bombers led 2-1 after the first period, getting goals from Cam Blair and Konrad Litke, the latter coming shorthanded. Dylan Smith replied for the Bruins at 13:24.
The only other goal in the game would be scored by Flin Flon defenceman Brock Hounsell in the third period.
Shots on goal were 35-28 for the Bombers, with Steven Glass in goal for Estevan and Devin Buffalo tending the net for Flin Flon.
"We carried the play in that game, I thought. We had some good quality scoring chances, we just couldn't find the back of net. When we get those opportunities, we gotta be a little more determined to take advantage of them," Cassidy said.
Friday marked the return of captain Josh Jelinski and veteran defenceman Connor Milligan, who had both missed more than a month with concussions.
Cassidy said Jelinski was a crucial addition to the lineup.
"He went out and played phenomenal, just like we expect from him," Cassidy said. "He was the emotional boost we needed at that time, but it just didn't translate into anything positive."
He added that Milligan had "a tremendous stabilizing effect on our defence. Those guys are just going to get better. To try to readjust on the road is difficult to do."
Saturday's game was more of a high-scoring affair, with the home side leading 3-2 after the first period and 5-3 after the second.
"Saturday was a bit of an anomaly. I thought we worked hard and put pucks on net, but it was one of those nights," Cassidy said.
Austin Yano, Taylor Reich, Tanner Froese and Jelinski had the Bruins' goals. Dylan Balaski scored twice for the Bombers, with Dillan McCombie, Jesse Mysiorek, Brandt Weldon, Greg Wiwcharuk and Brett Penner adding singles.
The shots were 48-36 for Estevan, with Glass and Andy Desaultels manning the cages.
Eric Baldwin returned to the lineup Saturday, nearly a month after being sidelined with an upper-body injury. He returned to his natural position of defence for Saturday and Sunday's games, but Cassidy said it would be ideal to move him back to the wing if possible.
On Sunday, the Nipawin power play scored five times on nine shots en route to a blow-out win. The Hawks scored four times in the first 15 minutes of the game.
"There are not very many times where a team's going to score five power play goals and us not score any, so that's a little disappointing," said Cassidy.
Adam Reichert and ex-Bruin Ryan Ostertag each scored twice for Nipawin, with Eric Peterson and Jeff Datoff also adding markers.
Despite the lopsided score, the shots were 41-38 for Nipawin. Derek Tendler got the start for the Bruins, with Taran Kozun minding the Hawks' goal.
Cassidy said there was no added chagrin in having the recently traded Ostertag score twice against his old team.
"It's a little bit frustrating in that guys come back and have success, but we know (Ostertag and Jesse Bernard) are both good hockey players and I'm glad they're having success. I just wish it wasn't against us."
The Bruins will close out their pre-Christmas slate this weekend, visiting Notre Dame on Friday in Watrous and hosting Melfort on Saturday.
"The biggest thing for us is to go forward and hopefully grab one win at a time and feel good going into the Christmas break," said Cassidy. "We're confident at times, but that confidence is a little bit fragile. That's a hallmark of a team that's learning to play each and every night and growing up with one another."
