ESTEVAN - The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins lost two of three games last week amid their push for a playoff spot in the SJHL.
Estevan defeated the La Ronge Ice Wolves 7-4 on Wednesday night at Affinity Place, but then they lost 4-1 to La Ronge on Friday, also at Affinity, and 5-1 at the Melville Millionaires on Saturday.
The Bruins have a 12-18-3-1 record and 28 points, which leaves them 10th in the SJHL standings. The top eight teams make the playoffs. The Humboldt Broncos occupy the last playoff spot with 37 points; Estevan has three games in hand on Humboldt.
Rookie forward Steven Steranka, who was reassigned to the Bruins by the Western Hockey League's Red Deer Rebels prior to the SJHL's trade deadline, had two goals and two assists for the Bruins in the win over La Ronge.
Estevan raced out to a 4-0 lead before the game was 15 minutes old, but La Ronge scored three times in the second period and once in the third to tie the game. The Bruins then scored three times in the final 7:05 of the third to pull away.
Jacob Hufty also scored twice, while Kade Stringer, Kent Moors and Hayden Pimm had the other goals. Hufty was playing against his former team, and Stringer's goal was his first in the SJHL. Moors added three assists to finish with four points.
Cole Thomas had two goals and an assist for La Ronge, while Connor Frost and Jacob Cossette also scored.
Beck Boiteau surrendered four goals on 22 shots for Estevan. Zach Shaughnessy came on in relief in the third period and stopped all six shots he faced. Graham Brown made 41 saves for La Ronge.
Brady Wilson had the Bruins' lone goal in Friday's game against La Ronge, scoring with 16 seconds to play in the middle frame to make the score 2-1 for La Ronge. But Ryder Dembo's goal with 2.1 seconds left in the middle frame restored the La Ronge lead.
Dylan Nazareth, Cossette and Dayton Tailfeathers had La Ronge's other goals.
Estevan had several chances to score in the third, including a couple of breakaways, and the Bruins hit the post twice.
Boiteau made 22 saves for Estevan. Logan Falk stopped 32 shots for La Ronge.
Rylan Ringor's first as a Bruin was Estevan's lone goal Saturday against Melville. The marker came with 58 seconds to play in the first period and knotted the game up at 1-1. Melville pulled away in the second and third.
Former Bruin Raine Hodge scored twice for Melville. William Forsberg had two goals and an assist for the Mills. Noah Belles-Isles had Melville's other goal.
Boiteau made 24 saves for Estevan, while Nick Genette had 36 saves for Melville.
The Bruins will host the Flin Flon Bombers on Jan. 22. Then they have home games with the Kindersley Klippers on Jan. 24 and 25. All three games have 7 p.m. start times.
