The Flin Flon Bombers are definitely road warriors.
The team is currently in the midst of six consecutive road games. Last week the squad went 0-4 on a four games in five days road trip. In August, Nathan Kanter of CJNB Radio and BattlefordsNOW did a report on the travel of each Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team. Not surprisingly, the Bombers led the league with a predicted 17,111 kilometers for this season.
“I’ve been riding the bus for road trips for a couple years in midget but nothing compares to driving through the middle of the night and getting back to the rink in the early hours of the morning like we do in the SJHL,” said Bombers rookie defenceman Vaughan Bamford, who has played in the Junior B Pacific Junior Hockey League and the B.C. Major Midget League. “It’s just about adjusting to that lifestyle and keeping up on your sleep when you can.”
Kanter predicts that the Bombers will travel more than 3,000 kilometers in a month three separate times this season. The first is this month, which includes the grueling four games in five nights trip. While it is not easy, Flin Flon head coach Mike Reagan said, before embarking on the trip, that these road swings can really bring the team together.
“It’s fun to get out on the road and spend five days with just the guys. It’s an opportunity for them to really get to know each other.”
The Bombers are set to log more than 3,000 kilometers in December and February, as well as October. In the second month of 2018, Kanter predicts the team will rank up 4,271 kilometers. This is partly due to playing in Melville and Yorkton, but also because of trips to take on Sherwood Division foes Melfort, Nipawin, and La Ronge. Whether it is a one-day trip like a home-and-home against the Ice Wolves or a longer southern swing, road games mean players have to alter their routines.
“I think the challenges are the bus legs and getting them out,” said 20-year-old Flin Flon forward Jordan McCausland. “Sometimes you lose the jump in your legs after a long roady and all of ours are pretty lengthy. You’ve got to stay hydrated and eat lots the days before to minimize that.”
In addition, players have to find something to do for the hours they spend sitting in the bus. Second-year forward Brody Madarash said he usually watches movies he has downloaded, listens to music, or tries to sleep. Fellow forward Daylan Marchi, now in his third
junior A season, said the best part of the trips is interacting with his teammates.
“With this group of guys, bus trips don’t feel as long as they are,” he said. “There is always something going on from guys playing card to just jokes and chatting and since I have joined the Bombers the road trips feel shorter.”
