The Bombers missed a chance to clear some space in the standings Saturday night, losing 3-2 to Notre Dame.
It was the home team getting on the board early, with Drew Kuzma banking one in from behind the net less than two minutes into the first, fooling Notre Dame's Austin Elliott. Notre Dame would get their own marker moments later when Kevin Anderson slid one through the five-hole of Ben Montgomery, but Gabriel Shipper fired a high-slot wrist shot through traffic and past Elliott late in the first to restore the Bomber lead. Flin Flon had another golden opportunity in the first, when Jacob Vockler put one in the net off the inside of the post - however, the referee's whistle blew mid-shooting motion on a late offside call, ex-ing Vockler's tally from the board.
Notre Dame clawed the game back as the night wore on, with Will Dawson catching Montgomery by surprise and sneaking one by him in the second and Landon Peterson bouncing a shot off a Bomber backchecker midway through the third to make the score 3-2.
The Bombers tried to turn things around - first, the team pulled the goalie with just over two minutes to go, then stacked the zone for the rest of the game. Flin Flon would generate 22 third period shots, most of which came in the last eight minutes. Flin Flon would get another golden chance from Vockler last in the period, with him pouncing on a loose puck near the net and putting it home, but for second time on the night, Vockler was robbed by an errant whistle - this time, an official thinking Elliott had frozen the puck when it was still loose. The Bombers would never get it that good again, giving up two crucial points.
Montgomery made 25 saves on the night, while Elliott stopped a whopping 49 shots for the win.
Bombers Matt Raymond, Jeremi Tremblay, Cole Vardy and Cal Schell did not play for Flin Flon Saturday night. Schell did dress as the backup goalie, but never saw the ice.
The loss has playoff implications for both teams. For Notre Dame, the Hounds move three points clear of Kindersley for the last playoff spot in the league. The Hounds' win also confirms that the Nipawin Hawks will miss the playoffs.
The Bombers' loss takes part of their playoff destiny out of their hands. Thanks to a Melfort win Saturday night, the Bombers and Mustangs are now tied for third place in the league and top spot in the Sherwood division, with both clubs having 67 points. The Bombers do have a game in hand - Flin Flon has six games left to play, while the Mustangs have only five. Two of those remaining games are between both Flin Flon and Melfort. The Bombers are guaranteed to finish no higher than third in the standings, but could drop down as low as sixth depending on how other teams perform down the stretch.
Adding intrigue are the Battlefords North Stars, who are jockeying into the fifth position in the SJHL playoff picture with 66 points, just one back of both Melfort and Flin Flon. The Stars have eight games left to play, one of which is the Bombers' season finale, which will be played in North Battleford. If points percentages hold out, the Bombers are currently slated to face Melfort in the opening round of the playoffs in the 4-5 seed series, while the Stars could face La Ronge in the 3-6 series.
Out of the Bombers' six remaining games, only two will be played at home. First, Flin Flon will go to Nipawin March 1 and play La Ronge March 4, then host the Ice Wolves March 5. The Bombers will home-and-home with the Mustangs, starting at the Forum March 8 and closing out March 10 in Melfort, before the Bombers face the Stars March 11 with a possible playoff spot on the line.
