The Cowichan Valley Capitals returned home winless from their three-game trek to the Interior last weekend.
Cowichan fell 5-2 to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Friday, 4-1 to the Penticton Vees on Saturday, and 6-4 to the Merritt Centennials on Sunday.
The Caps found themselves trailing the Silverbacks 3-0 after the first period on Friday, but came back in the second period to get within one on goals by captain Kyle Horsman and recent addition Adam Osczevski, who scored his first goal as a Capital. Unfortunately, the team allowed two more, including an emptynetter, in the third period.
Cowichan goalie Matt Zentner was strong, making 32 saves on 36 shots, while the Caps managed 24 shots on the Salmon Arm net.
Cowichan Valley Minor Hockey product and former Cap Steen Cooper had a goal and an assist for the Vees in what was most likely his last game against his former team as he is set to head to Minnesota State University next season.
After a scoreless first period, the Vees found the net twice in the second and went up 3-0 on Cooper's third-period goal before affiliate player Steven Fiust, summoned from the junior B Revelstoke Grizzlies, got the Caps on the board. Penticton added an empty-netter with 36 seconds left in the game.
Lane Michasiw made 38 saves on 42 shots in the Cowichan net, while the Caps managed just 11 shots in the game, including just two in the second period.
Osczevski and Kade Kehoe - acquired together from the West Kelowna Warriors on Nov. 14 - scored first-period goals on Sunday as the Caps went ahead 2-1. Merritt scored three straight to kick off the second period before Osczevski stemmed the tide with a shorthanded goal, his second marker of the game and third of the weekend. The Centennials scored again late in the second and early in the third before Horsman capped off the scoring.
Back in net for the second day in a row, Michasiw made 36 saves on 42 shots.
The weekend also saw the return of veteran forward Thomas Gobeil to the lineup. After recording six points in six games early in the season before missing the next 13, Gobeil was held to one assist against Merritt in his return.
The Caps will be back on their home ice this weekend, playing host to Trail on Friday and Salmon Arm on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.