One step forward, one step back.
After snapping a three-game losing streak in Melfort with a comfortable 5-1 win, the Humboldt Broncos returned home for a showdown with the Kindersley Klippers, the team they're looking up at in the Kramer Division. It was a disappointing 2-0 loss and it sent Dean Brockman and his coaching staff back to the proverbial drawing board, looking for answers amidst a miserable stretch that has seen the Broncos win once in five games since the Christmas break.
For a team that has been quite consistent throughout the year, this qualifies as its first true slump. There have been games in which the bounces didn't go their way and games in which they were outplayed; they've lost games in spite of a dramatic edge in shots and have come up short when they've been badly out shot. There have been different reasons for the losses, but in the end, they're all losses.
"We've been OK," is how Brockman summarized his team's play in 2014. "Most nights I'm not disappointed in our effort. It's just that inability to score. You can't win if you can't score, that's the bottom line."
Looking at the team's last five games, it's hard to argue. During their four losses, the Broncos have scored a total of four goals. Even with strong goaltending, an average of one goal a game is almost impossible to overcome.
Brockman was at a bit of a loss when asked to explain his team's scoring troubles. With the trade deadline having come and gone there is no chance for the team to improve its scoring output via trade; any jump in offence must come from within. It doesn't help that the team is dealing with injuries to potential scorers like Brandon Long and Thomas Stanislavski, both of whom are dealing with upper body injuries. Long practiced on Jan. 20 and could be ready for the upcoming week, while Stanislavski's status is more up in the air.
In Melfort the Broncos looked more like themselves than they ever have in 2014. After the Mustangs jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, the Broncos scored five straight, a veritable explosion when compared to their other recent performances.
They had several quality chances during the loss to Kindersley but simply couldn't find the back of the net.
The Broncos are now in third place in the Kramer Division, a healthy eight points behind Kindersley and two behind the Battlefords North Stars.
"You probably don't want a slump right before the playoffs," Brockman said. The Broncos have 16 games left in the regular season. "So I'm hoping this one gets over with and we don't have another one."
Of course, a little bit of trouble along the way isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sports history is littered with examples of teams who have struggled at one point or another before turning it on to make a deep playoff run. (Look no further than the 2012 Baltimore Ravens, who lost four of their last five games before making an unlikely run to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in a classic.)
"It's adversity and adversity can be a good thing," Brockman explained. "A lot of our younger guys haven't dealt with that and it should make you a better player in the end."
There's also the chance that adversity can sink a team, but we can't say yet which way this one will break.
With the Broncos next two games coming against the teams directly ahead of them in the standings (Kindersley and Battlefords) followed by a tough home game against Yorkton, there is a clear opportunity for redemption. If they can't break out of their slump by then, things will only get tougher as they embark on a five-game road trip that will see them go more than two weeks between home games.
The question is whether or not this team is ready, or able, to seize the opportunity in front of them. Or, perhaps more appropriately, whether they can capitalize on the chances they're given.
