The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A solid outing by the Flin Flon Bombers gave them their second win of the preseason on Wednesday night, as they defeated the MJHL's Swan Valley Stampeders 5-2. It is the third time since Swan joined the MJHL five years ago that these teams have met. They played a home-and-home series in the Stampeders' first season, where the Bombers won both games. Goaltending was the key in Swan on Wednesday, as Paul Reimer and Troy Ciernia combined to make 42 saves, as the Bombers were out shot 44-25. They kept the Bombers in the game in the second period, when the team took some time off and were out shot 12-3. Matt Jones netted the first goal of the game with a tap-in from Derek Blais at 2:42 of the first period. A perfect wrist shot from Craig Parks gave the Bombers a 2-0 lead at 4:06. Joey Moggach had a chance to make it 3-0, but after undressing goaltender Darcy Stewart, the puck slid through the crease. Instead Brody Dupont put the Stampeders on the board at 17:54, stripping the puck from Craig Parks at the blue line and beating Reimer, who was way out of his net to challenge the shooter. The second period was a nervous one for Flin Flon, as they were on the defensive for most of the frame. Paul Reimer stood on his head for the first half of the period, and Troy Ciernia kept the Bombers in the game for the second half. The turning point of the game came just 31 seconds into the third period, when Derek Blais scored his third goal in two games on a wraparound, beating goaltender JP Tremblay-Cote through the five-hole. It was the Bombers' first shot on Tremblay-Cote, as they could not manage a shot in the last half of the second period. A power-play goal put Swan Valley back in the game at 6:33, as Peter Gienaille deflected Justin Keshane's point shot, with Jordon Oakley picking up the assist on the clean face off win. Stewart Sjoberg restored the Bombers' two goal lead at 12:30, putting a perfect feed from Quinn McIntosh behind Tremblay-Cote. Craig Parks also assisted on the goal. Swan Valley was handed a hometown gift, after a Curtis McCombie scrap gave the Stampeders a full two-minutes of five-on-three hockey. The tired Bombers killed the penalties and went back on the attack, and Craig Parks iced the win with an empty-net goal at 19:07. After the goal, Parks was attacked by Blake Bulycz, which instigated a scrum behind the net. Rookies Quinn McIntosh and Eric Knutson were also involved in the melee. Blais, Black, and Skrabek had been involved in fights earlier in the night, and in each case, their Swan Valley counterpart instigated the fight by jumping the Flin Flon player. Curtis McCombie was the only player who fought as a willing participant, but each time, the Bombers inflicted the bulk of the damage. The Bombers will have only a couple of days to regroup, as they face the Nipawin Hawks at the Whitney Forum on Saturday night. See 'Key' P.# Con't from P.# Flin Flon was missing some key figures in Wednesday night's game, including defencemen Spencer Davis and Jeff Lapointe, and forwards Kevin Burwell, Donald Milburn, Ryan Boak and Joel Jackson. All are expected to return by the weekend, except for Jackson, who broke his jaw in Tuesday's contest against the La Ronge Ice Wolves. Goaltender Brett Koscielny has also been out of the lineup, since injuring his hand in a game against the OCN Blizzard. He also expects to be in the lineup this weekend. Goaltender Paul Reimer played his best game since returning from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for most of last season. Reimer continues to improve each and every game, and will be a key player for the Bombers, who look to improve on their record of ten wins for the last two seasons. The Bombers have already demonstrated their toughness this year, adding Kevin Burwell and Mark Black. Andrew Skrabek also stood in there on Wednesday night and showed a tough side that fans didn't see last season. Curtis McCombie has made the most of his time with the Bombers, and winds up the crowd every time he steps on the ice. Hopefully this will give guys like Derek Blais, Craig Parks and Donald Milburn more room on the ice to contribute offensively. Newcomers Quinn McIntosh, Kyle Schroder and Joey Moggach have shown a lot of promise so far, and the Bombers will need contributions from all four lines if the want to compete in the Dodge Conference this year. Jeff Lapointe has been a welcome addition on the blue line, and Creighton prospect Eric Knutson will be a top defence in years to come. The Bombers have one game over the next week, which will give them plenty of time to prepare for the season opener in La Ronge on September 19. First home action will be on September 20, also against the Ice Wolves.
