A whirlwind 24 hours for the Weyburn Red Wings was capped off by an 8–2 defeat at the hands of the rival Estevan Bruins on Saturday night. The loss was the fifth in a row for the Wings but was highly overshadowed by what happened off the ice earlier in the day. 

It was reported on Saturday afternoon that 20-year-old goaltender Riley Lamb had chosen to leave the team for personal reasons. It is unclear at this time if it's temporary or permanent. 

Then shortly after 6:00 p.m., just 90 minutes before puck drop with the Bruins, news broke Wes Rudy had been relieved of his duties behind the bench for the Red Wings. It was Rudy's third season as head coach and after two postseason appearances, his squad sat with a 10–19–3 record on the year. 

Lost in the madness was the first edition of the Highway 39 rivalry. A hard-fought two periods had the Bruins and Red Wings tied at 2–2 heading into the third before Estevan blew it open with six unanswered goals. It was undoubtedly an emotionally exhausting day for everyone in the organization. 

"It's been an emotional 24 hours with Riley leaving, Wes getting fired and this game," interim head coach Kyle Haines said postgame. "Wes is a great guy and he cared deeply about this team. He did everything he could to help this team succeed and it's just an unfortunate situation like this that someone has to get the axe, and unfortunately it fell on Wes. I feel bad, we all feel bad about it. It's the nature of the business and we'll have to find a way to move on."

"It's been a real long day. It was a tough decision to make for the board. We've had so many injuries and illnesses, but at the end of the day the coaching staff is responsible for wins and losses and unfortunately today Wes took the brunt of that," team President Brent Stephenson added. "It's hard to fire a coach. It wasn't easy, I really like Wes, he's such a hard worker. I don't know, at the end of the day the boys weren't getting the message. Sometimes you have to change things up to try and make things happen, but its definitely not been an easy day."

The loss drops the Wings to three points back of Melville for the 10th and final playoff spot in the SJHL. Weyburn will have 25 games after the Christmas break to turn things around and start the climb back up the standings. 

The timing of the firing of Rudy is interesting, but it allows the team time to have a mental reset over the holidays and come back ready to work at the end of the month. Coach Haines agrees the two-week break for the Wings will be extremely beneficial. 

"I think it's going to be huge. Guys will be able to go home and enjoy their family and step away from the rink a bit. It's good to regroup and I hope the guys come back recharged. We've got to find a way to come back and just get better," he said. 

The old hockey cliche is, 'it's easier to fire one guy than it is to fire 23 guys' and is often the reason the coach is on the hook for a team's struggles. Despite the recent move, Stephenson said a lot of onus falls on the players.  

"There's no doubt the players have to be accountable. I talked to them before the game and I said, 'look at the logo on the wall. That's an important logo in this league. You're playing for pride but also look to the left and the right. Those are your teammates, you're playing for those guys too and you're playing for your fans and this city,'" the President said. "This is a storied franchise and we're going to work hard to get ourselves back there."

The search for a new coach is underway but Stephenson offered no timetable for a future announcement. Neither Haines or assistant coach Jeff Schaeffer have much experience when it comes to head coaching duties and the Wings will likely bring in a fresh face at some point. 

Next up on the schedule will be a rematch with the hated Bruins who enjoyed the butt-whooping they dished out at Crescent Point Place. The Wings will have a chance for their revenge on the road on December 30 for the final game of 2018. The two sides will do it again back in Weyburn on January 1.