The Weyburn Red Wings ended their losing streak Saturday night against the Humboldt Broncos with an exciting goal late in the third period that caused some controversy in the referee room after the game.

Ryan Rome scored the goal with just two minutes left on the clock, for a final score of 3-2. It came on the power play after a penalty was called against Humboldt for having too many men on the ice during a line change.

Referee Greg Litvanyi made the call after a Broncos player going off his shift deliberately kicked the puck toward his teammates. When a player coming off the ice continues to be involved in the play during a line change, it warrants a penalty.

Humboldt coach Bob Beattie was so incensed by the call he stormed into the referee room following the game and yelled at the officials.

"That's a brutal way to win a game," Beattie shouted, referring to Weyburn's subsequent power play goal.

In a phone interview Monday morning, Beattie defended his reaction.

"Why I was upset with the call is that they ignored the exact same situation at the other bench two to three minutes prior.

"The right thing to do is to ignore it in a tie game," Beattie said.

Beattie added he went to the referee room because he felt he deserved an explanation for the call.

"Certainly a team deserves some kind of explanation when those things happen. If the ref doesn't have the courage to give you that explanation... what am I supposed to tell my players?" he asked.

Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League president Wayne Kartusch could not confirm if Beattie will face a suspension for the incident.

Despite the controversy, Saturday night's win was good news for the Wings. A long list of injured players has left the team vulnerable and resulted in five straight losses, including a Friday night 2-3 upset by the North Battleford North Stars.

"It's been a tough go," said assistant coach Darcy Pindus. "We had five or six guys out of the line up. It's good when guys come in and do the job (as replacements) but it's not the same because you lose that continuity," he said.

Notable defensive returns were that of Sergei Sinicin, who had been out because of a knee injury, and Ryan Rome. Both players were named Saturday night's game stars.

Game action saw Weyburn come out slow in the first two periods of play, with neither team dominating. Peter Hay and Sergei Sinicin racked up one goal each for a score of 2-2 at the end of the second.

"They haven't been playing all that well," said fan Will Cuthbert a few minutes into the third period. "They're starting to look better in the third period but the first two periods were pretty rough."

Pindus was happy with first period play but said the Wings weren't working together in the second.

"We got off our game in the second. It doesn't work well when everyone is trying to be Wayne Gretzky," he said.

The Wings got back on track in the third, managing to put the puck deep in the Humboldt zone and work their defence, which resulted in a couple of turnovers for the Wings and a late win.

Fans remained in their seats between periods, as the Wings honoured their parents and billets with a special ceremony.

Parents and "surrogate" parents who open their homes to the Wings during the hockey season were presented with a carnation and hug of thanks by each player.

Pindus says the billets are a crucial factor in the success of the Wings.

"They're another important part of the organization. Without them we wouldn't be able to operate. Fans open up their homes to these guys and take them in as one of their own kids and we appreciate that help we get from the community," he said.

Between the second and third periods a smaller bunch of hockey players took to the ice in a short seven minute match between novice teams from Weyburn and Sedley-Francis. The mini-game, sponsored by the Weyburn Inland Terminal, was one of six throughout the season designed to pull in more fans from the outlying areas around Weyburn.

Wings president Ken Kot says about 100 extra fans on average have attended Red Wings games to watch the novice action between periods. To date teams from Radville, Midale and Sedley-Francis have played, with three more towns to be represented at future games.

Their next action will be against the Yorkton Terriers Saturday, 7:30 p.m. at the Colosseum.