Too little, too late - A late surge wasn't enough to keep the Bombers' win streak going, as Melville handed Flin Flon their first regulation loss this season.
Two goals late in the third period got the Bombers close, but 55 minutes without a goal did Flin Flon wrong in the 3-2 loss.
The Bombers had the lion's share of chances early and would continue with more shots throughout the game, but quality beat quantity for the Millionaires. After having an early potential goal called off, the Mils would get on the board first, with Kole Keen being sprung in on a breakaway and beating Harmon Laser-Hume.
That goal would stand as the only one of the first period, but Melville was not done. The Millionaires extended the lead midway through the second when Flynn Maxcy rang one off the post and in past Laser-Hume, making it 2-0.
The Bombers would continue to generate chances, but couldn't find consistency - pucks bobbled off sticks, passes missed their mark, shots were deflected and bounces jumped away instead of toward. It seems the fates were not on the Bombers' side through 40 minutes, especially late in the second, when Liam Cox-Smith flung a puck on net and it snuck through Laser-Hume and in. The Mils led 3-0 going into the third.
Flin Flon would continue the push with little success into the third period, with frustration building and mistakes compounding until, with 4:19 left on the clock, a breakthrough - Adam McNutt, back in the lineup over the weekend after missing five games, scored his first goal as a Bomber. The defenceman fired home a shorthanded goal that blew up Melville goalie Ethan Rau's water bottle and suddenly, the Whitney Forum saw new life.
In the final stretch, the Bombers dominated possession, pulling Laser-Hume with about three minutes to go, then getting a man advantage when Melville's Jase Konecsni dumped Jacob Vockler in Rau's crease after a whistle. Soon after, a second goal came, courtesy of Carter Anderson, who got a cross-crease one-timer teed up by Vockler and fired it home.
With momentum on their side, the Bombers would try to tie the game, but unfortunately, those same passing and possession woes reared their head again late. Flin Flon gained the zone, but couldn't keep the puck, giving Melville a marquee win, snapping the Bombers' perfect regulation record and a historic winning streak. McNutt and Noah Houle had prime chances in the dying moments, but the pucks wouldn't find the inside of the net.
Rau made 44 saves on the night for the Millionaires, while Laser-Hume had the kind of night a goalie doesn't want to remember, stopping 12 of 15 shots.
The loss will have a minimal impact on the league standings. The Bombers still sit first with 27 points in 15 games, four points ahead of Humboldt despite the Broncos having two games in hand.
Despite the loss, the Bomber players still had a chance to stand tall on their home ice following the game, celebrating parents' weekend with most of the players' families and billet parents.
Flin Flon will suit up one more time at home this week against the Melfort Mustangs, meeting them at the Forum Thursday night before going on a week-and-a-half long break. After their Nov. 2 game against Melfort, the Bombers won't play again until Nov. 13, when they'll face off with the Weyburn Red Wings at 4:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time at the SJHL Showcase in Warman.
