"No!" shouts Bart Simpson. "I want a father who's the same in the morning as he is at night. What's that word?" "Consistency!" reply Rod and Tod Flanders.

While life lessons may be in short supply on an average episode of the Simpsons, consistency has been something of a watchword for the Estevan Bruins this year. They frequently go back and forth between beating the best teams in the league and struggling against those further down the standings. 

Case in point: right before the SJHL showcase the Kindersley Klippers, a team fighting for their playoff lives, took three out of four points from Estevan in a two-game stretch. The next week, the Bruins didn't allow Weyburn, a close divisional rival nipping at their heels in the standings, so much as a sniff during a two-game sweep. They trailed for a grand total of 2:48 at the start of the second game, and that was as close as Weyburn came to having control at any point of the weekend. 

The Bruins put up a 6-1 win at home in game one, but I had to bring up post-game the fact that the Bruins had whipped a team at home only to struggle the next night on the road before. The Bruins expected no such letdown and gave none against Weyburn. While the score indicated a closer game, the shot clock (35-19 Estevan) and the pace of play may indicate the Bruins were actually better on Saturday than on Friday. And of the three pucks to elude Bo Didur, only one went in without multiple strange bounces. 

This is, on paper, the same Bruins team that hammered Yorkton 9-0 at home one night in what looked like a statement game, only to drop a 4-3 decision to that same Terriers squad the next night. But the effort against Weyburn may be a sign consistency is finding its way to the Bruins just in time for the really important games.

Of course it may also be the added motivation of playing a team that's so close to them in the standings and that even the younger Bruins have already learned to loathe. The Bruins have proved they have little trouble getting up for the big games. Just look at how they've handled the Battlefords North Stars this year. 

The real test? Oddly enough it may be Yorkton again. The Bruins make their final trip to Yorkton this year on Wednesday, a game we'll be carrying for you on Rock 106, and it's not just two points in the standings on the line. It's a chance to exorcise some demons against a team that's played them closer than they've had any business doing all year long. Three of Yorkton's eight wins all year have been against the Bruins. 

It's also an opportunity to head into a tough stretch on a high note. A difficult road trip awaits after Yorkton, and the home stand in Februrary sees a string of dangerous opponents like Battlefords and Notre Dame. Sotckpiling points before that stretch wouldn't hurt.  

Finally, it's a chance to end an up-and-down season series on a high note, and to show, ahead of the playoffs, that they've found some consistency. With the playoff picture taking shape and the divisional win looking more important than ever, this game represents something big for the Bruins.  

That's all for this week's Bruins blog. Rob Mahon, saying farewell for now.