Flin Flon boosted their winning streak to seven in Estevan Friday night, getting a commanding 7-1 win over the rival Bruins.
The scoring was slow at first, but the Bombers dominated the balance of play, especially on offence. Bruins goalie and familiar foil to Bomber fans Cam Hrdlicka was up to the task for the first 15 minutes until the dam burst - three goals by Flin Flon in the last quarter of the period.
Flin Flon's powerplay broke the deadlock, with Jacob Vockler's league-leading 11th goal of the year opening the scoring, beating Hrdlicka low glove from long range. Barely two minutes later, Dawson Karol also got one past Hrdlicka, his first of the season, on a strange bounce that went off the post, off Hrdlicka's back and in - then in the dying throes of the period came a breakaway goal by the newest Bomber, Thompsonite Carter Anderson, who sent the game into the break as a 3-0 Flin Flon lead.
Estevan managed something no team had done in almost eight periods of southern road swing play against the Bombers - they scored a goal. Late in the second period, Jack Piper got the best of both Fabrice Bourgeois and Harmon Laser-Hume, forcing a turnover and getting the Bruins on the board.
That was as close as it would get - the Bombers put up a quartet of third period goals to put the result on ice. After new Estevan WHL drop-down Turner McMillen took two minutes or less for boarding Noah Houle, Anthony Piccininno made it "or less" by popping home his fifth of the season. Luke Lepper added an empty net goal from way downtown - about 130 feet, give or take a few - after Bruins coach Jason Tatarnic yanked Hrdlicka with more than five minutes of play remaining.
Karol added his second of the night shorthanded on a one-timer from a slick Houle feed, then Ashton Paul made it a touchdown and an extra point with another late goal, poking the rebound from a Liam Bridger run into an open net past Hrdlicka.
Estevan couldn't on the ice or in the back alley - Bourgeois and Piper dropped the mitts in the third, with Bourgeois scoring the takedown in a fight where he had the size advantage by three inches and 10 pounds.
Laser-Hume was one shot short of the Bombers' third straight shutout, stopping 23 of 24 shots. Hrdlicka made 27 saves.
Flin Flon sits atop the SJHL standings with 17 points and a 9-0-0-1 record, picking up 17 of a possible 18 points. The Bombers are still scrapping with two undefeated teams near the top of the table - Melfort, who beat Kindersley in overtime Friday to move to 7-0-0-0 on the year and 14 points, and Humboldt, who beat Nipawin to move to 6-0-0-0 and 12 points.
The win gives the Bombers three wins in three games on their southern road swing, having shut out Yorkton and Notre Dame earlier this week. Flin Flon's road trip ends with a Saturday game in Weyburn, followed by two games next weekend at the Whitney Forum against Kindersley.
