Momentum's a funny and elusive thing.

One day you have it, the next, it's floating through your fingers like smoke.

Such was the case for the Ridge Meadows Flames over the weekend.

The junior B Flames must have been feeling pretty good about themselves late Friday, following their hard-fought 3-2 victory over the visiting Grandview Steelers at Planet Ice.

The win, Ridge Meadows' first of the young Pacific Junior Hockey League season, had plenty to build from.

The Flames trailed 2-0 after the first period before rallying to score only three markers of the middle frame to move ahead 3-2.

Back-to-back powerplay goals from Matthew Bissett and Adam Bartsch tied the game at 2-2. Nolan Wallinger notched what turned out to be the game winner with 7: 56 remain-ing in the second period.

Ridge Meadows kept Grandview off the scoresheet in the third period to earn the victory. The Steelers outshot the Flames 36-22 but Ridge Meadows' goaltender Wesley McLeod had a solid night, making 34 saves.

The next night at Delta's Sun God Arena, the Flames were on the receiving end of a 6-1 thrashing at the hands of the host North Delta Devils.

A bit of momentum spilled over from Friday, with the Flames' Trevor Sutton opening the scoring 9: 11 into the first frame.

From that point, it was all Devils, as they found the net twice in the latter stages of the first period to move ahead 2-1.

North Delta scored the only two goals of the middle frame and tacked on two more in the third period to win by five.

Tristan Craighead led the Devils with a hat trick. Marco Romano, Devon Elford, and Levi De Waal also scored for North Delta, which outshot Ridge Meadows 42-19.

The Devils were deadly with the man advantage, scoring on two of four opportunities.

The loss dropped the Flames to 1-3, identical to the Aldergrove Kodiaks and Port Moody Black Panthers. The three teams are in a logjam at the bottom of the PJHL Harold Brittain Conference.

The Flames will look for their second win of the campaign this Friday (Sept. 28) at Planet Ice, where they'll host the Aldergrove Kodiaks. Game time is 7: 30 p.m.

The next night, Saturday, Sept. 29, Ridge Meadows travels to the Harry Jerome Rec Centre in North Vancouver to play the Wolf Pack.

tlandreville@mrtimes.com