Flin Flon started their semifinal series with a hard-fought 4-3 home win over Battlefords Thursday night.
The Bombers did not dominate the way they did in their first-round series with Kindersley, but came out of the Whitney Forum with a 1-0 series lead on the North Stars.
Flin Flon dominated possession early and struck first, with Anthony Bax sniping one on North Stars goalie Logan Cunningham barely three minutes in. That lead would not stick around too long though, as the Stars got on the board later in the period. Hunter Burgeson caught Harmon Laser-Hume with a change-up wrist shot that fluttered past the goalie's shoulder and into the net. Laser-Hume's first goal against in the Forum this playoff would be enough to tie things up.
The Bombers tried keeping momentum on their side late in the frame, with Jacob Vockler running over Stars captain Tanner Gold and Carter Anderson nailing Ben Portner on the side wall, but those hits - and a late powerplay for the Bombers - wouldn't be enough to gain the lead. Flin Flon and Battlefords entered the second tied at one.
While that powerplay would be fruitless, the Bombers did get back ahead soon after once the game evened up. Matt Egan banged home a rebound near the net, getting it past Cunningham and making it 2-1.
That momentum would die out fast though, with the Bombers taking a penalty almost immediately after and the Stars' powerplay getting a chance to shine. Portner would chip the puck in from behind the net and bank it in off Laser-Hume, tying the game back up early in the second.
A weird moment midway through the frame rankled the Whitney Forum faithful, who believed Battlefords had taken a too-many-men penalty. When Stars defender Carson Olsen took a big hit in the Bomber zone, jarring his helmet off his head, he immediately headed to the Stars' bench. At the same time, the puck squirted loose into the neutral zone and springing Jordan Grill, who came on the ice for Olsen, for a breakaway.
Officials blew the play dead, saying Olsen had not yet left the ice when Grill came on and touched the puck and originally calling a too-many-men call. After discussion on the ice, officials overturned the call and issued no penalties. Video of the play shows Olsen heading through the bench door when Grill touched the puck, beating out a penalty by a hair. Nonetheless, the Whitney Forum was soon filled with "ref, you suck" chants directed at the officials - chants that intensified when Bomber Noah Houle was sent to the box for a hooking call.
That call would hurt Flin Flon, as for the second chance in a row, Portner made good of his chance with the man advantage, finishing off a slick passing play to give the Stars the lead.
The powerplay giveth and the powerplay taketh away and later in the second, for the Bombers, the powerplay would giveth again. With Burgeson in the sin bin following a slash, Justin Lies found the five-hole on Cunningham, tying the game with only a few minutes to go in the second.
Flin Flon smelled blood late, getting a few more chances in the period but not hitting paydirt on any of them - Anderson was sprung on a breakaway but toe-picked on his way to the net, while a long stretch pass for Riley Niven was sent just out of his reach. Keefe Gruener had a prime chance in close with an almost open net, but Cunningham came across and robbed him. A chance in the final seconds came for Flin Flon after a six-car pileup happened in the slot and the puck jumped out to Lies, who fired through the wreckage and was stopped at the line by Cunningham. Momentum swung again though, as Vockler was assessed a goalie interference penalty on the play and the Bombers would enter the third down a man.
Coming into the third period tied at three-all, the Bombers would have to kill the penalty off to keep things tied. They did, then soon after got a break when Portner caught Noah Houle in the face with a high stick. Houle was cut by Portner's stick, sending the Stars' sniper to the box for a four-minute double minor.
Houle's pain would be the Bombers' gain, as with the man advantage, Flin Flon drew their own type of blood, pulling ahead with a powerplay goal. Lies caught a puck rolling away from the net and slapped it home, giving the Bombers another one-goal lead. Houle, nose still bleeding after the high stick, helped set up the scoring play from his perch at the point.
Flin Flon still got another two minutes of powerplay time thanks to Portner drawing blood - while the Bombers didn't convert their second chance, the team still emerged with a lead.
The Stars made a late push, pulling Cunningham with a minute to go, but the Bombers held off the Battlefords attack, keeping their lead at the final whistle.
Laser-Hume didn't have his best night on the stat sheet, but most of the 20 shots he saved had scoring potential. Cunningham was shelled by the Bombers, making 55 saves for the Stars in a losing cause.
The two teams will play again Friday night at the Whitney Forum, with the Bombers this time having Alexi Sylvestre back in the lineup. Sylvestre, who led the team in scoring both in their first-round series and in the playoffs last season, was serving a two-game suspension for a knee-on-knee hit, but is eligible to return Friday.
In the other SJHL semifinal, the Melfort Mustangs opened their series with Humboldt with a 4-2 victory, pulling ahead with a pair of late third-period goals.
