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Bomber Game Report: Flin Flon gets league final revenge in 5-1 win

Flin Flon and Estevan got into a hard-fought Friday night battle at the Whitney Forum - and the home team came out on top.
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Bomber Game Report.

Flin Flon and Estevan got into a hard-fought Friday night battle at the Whitney Forum - and the home team came out on top.

The rematch of last year's SJHL final went the Bombers' way, overcoming a key departure to snag two crucial points in a 5-1 win.

It is often said that a visiting team starts any game at the Whitney Forum down a goal, but the balance was swung the other way before the opening whistle. The Bruins brought back one of their best forwards, 2002-born Cody Davis, while the Bombers were down forward Jaeden Mercier, sidelined with a suspected broken foot.

Regardless, the game is played on the ice - and that game was even early, before the Bombers got their first powerplay midway through the first. Even without Mercier, the Bombers got it done - a Jacob Vockler breakaway was saved by Estevan's Cam Hrdlicka, but Ethan Mercer made good on a rebound, making it 1-0 Bombers.

The Bombers would make good on their second chance with a man up, with Cole Duperreault scoring his 30th goal of the season from a high-slot shot, sneaking past a screened Hrdlicka.

Momentum would ebb and flow, but the Bombers would take a 2-0 lead into the second period.

That lead would be halved five minutes in, thanks to the Bruins' Jagjeevan Phangura tossing a no-look backhand on the Flin Flon net - one that caught Bomber goalie Harmon Laser-Hume off guard and slid underneath him.

Matt Egan had a prime chance not long after Phangura's goal to bring that lead back up with a one-timer in close, but Hrdlicka stoned him cold.

A four-on-four in the final minutes of the second brought excitement - Kade Runke came close to tying the game on a wrister that went bar-up and stuck itself in the rafters, while Jeremi Tremblay was stopped on a pair of in-close chances on the other end. Regardless of chances, Flin Flon would take their 2-1 lead into the third.

The momentum pendulum would swing back and forth to start the third, but it would go Flin Flon's way at an unexpected time. Down a man early in the frame, Vockler would rush the puck down into the Estevan zone and start a play. Duperreault took a shot and, while Hrdlicka would save it, the rebound bounced off a Bruin backchecker and in. Duperreault got credit for the gaffe, getting goal number 31 on the season and making it 3-1 Bombers.

Estevan had chances midway through the period on a powerplay, but the Bombers killed it off - and got a chance with the extra man of their own shortly after. With Tyler Guy in the box on a hooking call, the Bombers set up shop and Tremblay fired one from the high slot that beat Hrdlicka clean. 4-1 Flin Flon.

Bruin coach Jason Tatarnic did some riverboat gambling late, pulling Hrdlicka from the net with more than six minutes remaining and putting him back in for a defensive zone faceoff.

Bomber captain Lucas Fry would connect with a slapshot from the blue line and beat Hrdlicka, but the goalie said he'd been interfered with, having had his blocker knocked off before the goal. Officials on the ice first signalled a goal, but then reversed their call with the Bombers waiting at centre ice for a faceoff. Fry's goal would not count.

Estevan wouldn't go quietly, getting a late powerplay and pulling Hrdlicka again, but the empty net wouldn't be empty long. After clearing the zone, Tremblay scored his second of the game to ice it.

The game wouldn't be complete without some extracurriculars. With about 30 seconds left on the clock and the result confirmed, Ilia Chmelevski nailed Noah Houle from behind by the Estevan bench. Players from both teams involved, with a handful of players from the Bruin bench throwing punches at Bombers on the ice, but officials would break both teams up quickly.

While the Bruins may have got their pound of flesh, it was the only thing they'd get - Flin Flon would get the victory.

Laser-Hume made 30 saves for the win, while Hrdlicka stopped 46 shots in a losing cause.

The two teams will go another 12 rounds at the Whitney Forum Saturday night.

The Bombers remain fourth in the SJHL standings with 53 points, behind league leading Battlefords with 75 points, La Ronge with 56 and Humboldt with 55. The Bombers have played fewer games than both the Stars and Ice Wolves and sit third in the league by points percentage.

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