After going 7-1-1 in November, the Bombers took a little bit of a step back in December, finishing the month with a 2-4-1-1 record.
If you subscribe to the mantra “It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” you won’t be at all worried, as the Bombers won their last two games heading into the Christmas break.
At the break, Flin Flon has accumulated 43 points in 33 games for a 17-7-5-4 record.
That leaves them safely in third place in the Sherwood Division, 13 points ahead of the La Ronge Ice Wolves in fourth and only three points behind the Nipawin Hawks for second.
The Melfort Mustangs are comfortably in the lead with 57 points, although they have played three more games than both the Bombers and Hawks. Currently, the Mustangs are enjoying an 11-game streak without a regulation loss.
In the month of December, goals were hard to come by. In the 25 games the Bombers played through the end of November, they were averaging 3.68 goals per game.
During their six-game losing skid this month, they averaged only 2.17 goals per game.
If you include the last two games of the month against the Battlefords North Stars, that number was increased to 2.63. Not quite what it was at before, but definitely trending in the right direction.
The Bombers were due for a big offensive outburst, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. They outscored the North Stars 8-3 over their last two games.
Talking to head coach Mike Reagan after their 5-3 win on Saturday, he said that looking around the bench during their five-goal burst in the second period, you could tell that things were different. You could feel that the team got their mojo back.
Already up by five goals, there were definitely some mental lapses in the third period, with the players knowing that there was only 20 minutes left to play before the Christmas break.
The Bombers allowed three goals before shutting the door, but you can imagine that there isn’t a tougher scenario for a coach to try and find motivation for his team.
However, unlike their game earlier in the month against Kindersley, this time the Bombers didn’t let their large third-period lead slip away.
“We need those situations, too,” said Reagan. “We need to build our confidence in those scenarios. I think the nice thing is that every guy that walked out of that dressing room is on a high. They are excited to come back.”
During their six-game slide, the entire coaching staff was very careful not to show any signs of concern. The two wins were perfectly timed, and now it will be up to the players in the dressing room to stay focused over the break and come back hungry for more.
When they return to action on January 4, Reagan will only have a week to finalize his roster before the January 10 trade deadline. Teams have been on a roster freeze since December 10 to ensure that no players are uprooted before or during the Christmas holidays. The freeze will be lifted on January 1.
SJHL Standings as of December 23
Viterra Division GP W L OTL SL PTS GF GA
1 Melville Millionaires 34 16 15 2 1 35 85 88
2 Weyburn Red Wings 34 13 15 5 1 32 91 103
3 Yorkton Terriers 32 12 17 1 2 27 81 100
4 Estevan Bruins 33 10 17 1 5 26 75 124
Kramer Division
1 Kindersley Klippers 37 25 8 2 2 54 127 85
2 Notre Dame Hounds 33 20 10 1 2 43 91 82
3 Battlefords North Stars 34 17 11 6 0 40 97 99
4 Humboldt Broncos 32 13 16 3 0 29 80 97
Sherwood Division
1 Melfort Mustangs 36 26 5 1 4 57 128 79
2 Nipawin Hawks 33 21 8 2 2 46 108 90
3 Flin Flon Bombers 33 17 7 5 4 43 118 93
4 La Ronge Ice Wolves 35 13 18 2 2 30 82 123
