If it's a sprint to the finish line, the Humboldt Broncos are still stuck in the starting blocks.
Right now this is a team without consistency, one that mixes uplifting wins with deflating losses. It's been this way since Christmas, but with only a handful of games left in the regular season, there's not much time left to right the ship.
The Broncos had three games over the past week and opened things with a big 4-1 win in Yorkton. The last time the teams met, on Jan. 31, the Terriers had spanked the Broncos 7-0, so the victory carried some extra significance.
Humboldt carried a narrow one-goal lead into the third period only to receive some insurance from the stick of Matthew Audette, who scored his sixth of the season from Justin Lund and Greg Moro to give the Broncos the cushion they needed.
Ryland Pashovitz was great in net, stopping 34 of 35 shots, and the defence held the high-scoring Terriers in check.
"We battled through the entire shift," head coach Dean Brockman said. "Our second period wasn't spectacular, but they're a good team and they'll push you."
The win over Yorkton could have been a springboard to further success, but it wasn't to be as the Broncos were crushed 8-2 by the Melville Millionaires on Valentine's Day. Cody Pongracz briefly gave the Broncos the lead less than two minutes into the game, but from there it was all Melville, which took a 5-1 lead into the third period and never looked back.
Brockman made a rare in-game goalie change, removing Cade Spencer, who allowed four goals on 12 shots, for Pashovitz. The move didn't work out, as Pashovitz had one of his worst stretches of the year, allowing four goals on 19 shots.
It was one of those nights where not much was working and for the 660 on hand at the Elgar Petersen Arena, there wasn't much to be cheerful about as they filed out into the night after the final buzzer.
"I actually didn't think we played that badly, but it was probably the first time all year the goalies didn't make saves," Brockman said. "They can't save us all the time."
On Feb. 17 against Melfort, the Broncos returned to a more familiar style of game - a low-scoring grind. They lost 1-0, and while it wasn't the rout that the game against Melville was, it still counted the same in the standings. As has often been the case this year, the Broncos outshot their opponent (in this instance, 25-15), but just couldn't find the back of the net. It's a problem that can't be easily fixed and has no obvious solution, as Brockman has said more than once.
It may be that the Broncos simply don't have the personnel. Scroll through the list of leading scorers in the SJHL and it might take you a while to find the first Bronco, Jarrett Fontaine, all the way down in 25th place. This is a team without a star, someone who can take pressure off of his teammates and be a threat to score every time he touches the puck.
On the positive side, there is depth and balance and good players on just about every line. Recent struggles aside, the combination of Pashovitz and Spencer in net might be the best in the league. Alas, as the team trudges through its last four games of the season, there are legitimate concerns that all that might not be enough.
As the playoffs get closer, Brockman will tighten his rotations and go with the players and combinations that he can trust.
"You go with the guys that are going to do it for you," he said. "If you're an easy skater, you can handle playing more than a guy who struggles to skate.
"At this time of the year you coach to win more than you coach to teach."
The Broncos will travel to La Ronge to take on the Ice Wolves before returning home for the last three games of the regular season, against Kindersley, Yorkton and Notre Dame.
