The Bombers won't be perfect at the Centennial Cup, receiving their first loss of the tournament from Summerside Monday night.
The Western Capitals, the MHL champions and third ranked team in Canada, beat the Bombers 4-1 in a preliminary round matchup at Estevan's Affinity Place, making the Bombers' last round robin game Tuesday an even more important one.
Summerside came out hot to start, putting several quick shots on Cal Schell in the first few minutes. The Western Capitals entered the game hot off the heels of a 7-1 loss to Dauphin Sunday and worked out some pent-up frustration on Schell, which he paid back with saves.
It was the Bombers who would get on the board first though, scoring on their first shot of the game. Xavier Lapointe stole a puck away and fired it right over Felix-Anthony Ethier's right shoulder, making it 1-0 early. Summerside's Thomas Lacombe would tie the game up off a rebound in the slot.
A rare national championship tournament fight would take place right after, as Bomber Lucas Fry and Summerside's Connor Keough would drop the mitts and scrap - judges among the Bomber faithful deemed the fight a draw. Keough was assessed an extra penalty as an instigator for the fight, giving Flin Flon a powerplay - despite a handful of shots, the Bombers couldn't beat Ethier.
The Caps would make the Bombers pay later in the frame, as Trentyn Crane would find Jacob Stewart wide open at the side of the crease just after a Bomber penalty expired and Stewart would make no mistake. The game would be 2-1 Summerside after 20 minutes.
The east coast club would extend their lead to 3-1 on another rebound that kicked out to Aaron Brown, who fired it past Schell, with another goal coming again when Colby MacArthur capitalized on a 2-on-1 midway through the period. Chances would come for the Bombers, but while Drew Kuzma and Jaxon Martens each had excellent opportunities, neither could beat Ethier.
Flin Flon managed to stop the bleeding in the third period, but the offence couldn't break through. Down 4-1 late, the Bombers would snag a powerplay - their fifth of the day - but could not produce.
The Bombers' player of the game was Xavier Lapointe, while Ethier was named Summerside's player of the match.
With the loss, the Bombers now have five points through three games, with one regulation win (three points), one overtime win (two points) and the loss. The Bombers now sit third in the division, behind Ottawa (four points) and Soo (zero points) - Flin Flon has beat both teams. A win against Dauphin Tuesday can clinch a playoff spot for the Bombers.
