The Grande Prairie Storm don't have much time to feel sorry for themselves following a 7-5 loss to the Drumheller Dragons in the dinosaur city Saturday.
They finish up a three-games-in-three-days road trip Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Camrose Kodiaks.
That's probably good news because the less amount of time they have to think about the fact they have lost seven straight road games all the better.
Wins usually help erase bad memories and considering the Storm finish up the 2017 portion of their Alberta Junior Hockey League schedule with three game at home (where they are 11-4-2 so far this year) a victory Sunday could go a long way towards the ultimate goal of finishing in the top four in the North Division.
Right now the Storm have a tenuous grip on fourth – just one point up on the fifth place Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Sunday's game will be another test for the Storm, who often this year have risen to the occasion when presented with a challenge . . . and Sunday will be a challenge with a third game in three days; a short rest between Game 2 and Game 3; and that elephant in the room – the seven-game losing streak.
On Saturday the Storm fell behind 2-0 in the first and were 5-3 after 40 minutes in Drumheller.
The best news of the night was the fact Storm forward Justin Bernier had two goals and an assist and is back alone atop the scoring leaders in the AJHL with 51 points on 20 goals and 31 helpers.
Connor Blake, Dallas Comeau and Edouard Michaud also scored for the Storm, who have a 16-14-3 record and sit 13 points back of the third place Whitecourt Wolverines.
The killer goal against on Saturday was a shorthanded tally off the stick of Derrick Budz at 10:59 of the second.
Bernier's first goal, at 2:48, had made it 4-1 and then Blake, at 3:50, narrowed it to 4-2 and the Storm had some momentum and on the powerplay with a chance to narrow it to one.
Two goals in 16 seconds by the Dragons at the start of the second to turn a close 2-0 game into a 4-0 spread was also a bit of a downer for the Storm.
Andrew Kartusch, Troy Dudley, Nate Keeley, Alex Rotundo, Kaden Hanas and Markus Boguslavsky also scored for the Dragons.
Charles-Olivier Levesque started for the Storm and let in the first four goals after 21 shots. Rookie Ethan Slobodzian finished up looking at 29 shots. Hunter Virostek had to handle 20 in the Drumheller cage.
Wednesday the Storm host the Wolverines at 7:30 p.m. in Revolution Arena and then Dec. 29-20 entertain the Spruce Grove Saints.