The Bombers have ended the road trip from hell without earning a point.
The Flin Flon Bombers have ended their six-game road swing with a 5-2 loss to the defending champion Battleford North Stars.
The Bombers began the game without several key players in the lineup, including starting goalie Brenden Newton, forwards Jordan McCausland and Tyler Nyman and defenseman Kurtis Rutledge. The Bombers started newly-acquired Reece Jones in the crease, making his first-ever SJHL start.
The Stars, currently ranked as the third-best team in Canada by the CJHL, opened the scoring. Matthias Urbanski, an 18-year-old rookie forward, solved Jones about six minutes into the game.
Chrystopher Collin retorted for the Bombers shortly after, tying the game with his 11th goal of the season. Keith Anderson added a tally for the Stars, Caleb Moretz tied the game before the first intermission.
The wheels started to fall off in the second period, when Urbanski and Layne Young each added goals for the Stars. Rookie Ryan Gil added his first SJHL goal in the third period for Battlefords, but the outcome had long since been decided.
Jones made an admirable first start in the Bomber net, making 43 saves in the loss. His counterpart, Stars keeper Kolby Matthews, made 26 stops and earned his fourth win. Matthews has not yet lost an SJHL game.
After their disappointing road trip, the Bombers are now on a seven-game losing streak and sit below .500 on the season with a 5-7-0-2 record. The Nipawin Hawks, who were behind the Bombers in the standings before Flin Flon hit the highway, are now five points ahead in the division standings.
The Bombers will play their next two games at home, hoping to get back in the win column on Oct. 27 against Weyburn and Oct. 28 against Notre Dame.
