It hasn't been a November to remember, but the Grande Prairie Storm do have one last chance to head into December on a positive note.
A 3-2 loss to the Lloydminster Bobcats in the border city on Monday has left the Storm without a win (0-13) in the 11th month of the year.
They can eliminate that goose egg with a win against the Crusaders in Sherwood Park on Tuesday.
Monday's game was the 30th of the season for the Storm marking the halfway point of the season.
The next 30 will be a battle for sixth, seventh and eighth between the Storm, Drayton Valley Thunder and Bobcats.
Drayton Valley took over sixth place Monday with a 5-4 shootout win over the first place Whitecourt Wolverines. They now have 18 points while the Storm have 17 and the Bobcats, with four games in hand on the Storm, sit in eighth with 14.
Monday night Michael Clarke continued his stellar play with a couple of points. The 18-year-old leads the team with 14 goals and 13 assists. Evan Rochowiak scored the other Storm goal, his first as a member of the Storm after joining the club last week.
The Bobcats scored the only goal of the first when Bradley Barclay found the net behind Storm goaltender Ark Weersink 12:10 into the period.
Clarke got the team on the board at 4:14 of the second, but then a Storm bugaboo of late – quick goals – bit them again. Austin Ehret scored at 10:19 to make it 2-1 and then Wilson Northey got the game-winner just 1:30 later.
Rochowiak's goal came at 11:03 of the third giving the Storm plenty of time to get the equalizer in a period where they outshot the 'Cats 10-7.
Weersink ended up facing 28 shots while the Storm fired 34, including 16 in the second, at Austin McGrath at the other end.
The Storm had two powerplays and the Bobcats four, but neither team could take advantage of the extra man.
Following the game in Sherwood Park the Storm return for games Saturday (7:30 p.m.) against the Calgary Mustangs and Sunday (2 p.m.) against the Thunder.