Sometimes, games at the Whitney Forum are close. Friday's game was not. Flin Flon won 8-1 over an overmatched Notre Dame Hounds squad.
Kenny Marquart stopped 25 of 26 shots for a win and the Bombers kept pressure on all night, putting them up to a 4-0-0-1 record on the year.
Jacob Vockler started the night right where his last few games left off, getting one of the easiest goals he'll ever score less than three minutes in - Pierce Yakimchuk point shot bounced off the backboard behind the net, up and over the net from behind and into the slot flat. All Vockler had to do was shove it past Hounds goalie Johann Tremblay-Kau to open the scoring.
Moments later, Bomber Fabrice Bourgeois nearly knocked Notre Dame's Laurent Desorcy-Dupont out of his skates with a hit so hard, it could have been heard in Wilcox. Desorcy-Dupont got back to his feet, Bourgeois got back in position and the game continued.
Not long after, the always-lethal Alexi Sylvestre made it 2-0 with a shot from the outside wall that fooled Tremblay-Kau and went straight in. Vockler almost worked out a third goal moments later, feeding rookie Koen Senft for what would have been his first SJHL goal, but Tremblay-Kau kicked a pad out to stop it - Senft would have several close calls throughout the game, but would end the game snakebitten and off the board.
The third goal would come on a powerplay not long after - with the puck knocked toward the net, all hands on the ice took whacks at it during a 10-second cartoon tornado of sticks and skates. Finally, the puck squirted loose to Ashton Paul, who took a shot through the pile and got it past Tremblay-Kau, scoring his first goal as a Bomber. Flin Flon led 3-0 going into the dressing room - the shots were 21-6 Flin Flon after 20.
Both Senft and Paul would be stopped on prime chances early in the second, but Vockler would not be denied, picking up a puck in close and using a soft, Datsyukian flip to loft it up and over Tremblay-Kau and in. Moments later, the Bombers third line got on the board, with Joey Lies, Brock Mueller and Trevor Stenglein pulling off a beautiful passing play to set Stenglein up with a tap-in.
Another goal came on a late period powerplay from Justin Lies. The hometown boy got maybe half wood on the shot, but it was still enough to get it past Tremblay-Kau, who expected a fastball and instead got a changeup. The third period would come up with Flin Flon getting a 6-0 lead.
The onslaught continued early in the final frame. A passing play through the Hounds' end led to a tuck through the five-hole by Anthony Piccininno. The Bombers would get a four-minute powerplay after Cyprus Smith-Davis caught newcomer Adam McNutt with a knee-on-knee hit and would take advantage, with another five-car pileup in the slot knocking the puck out to Bourgeois, who fired it straight past everyone including Tremblay-Kau.
Marquart would stop almost everything he faced, but Smith-Davis ruined the shutout party with seven minutes to go, knocking a puck in the crease past the goalie. Finally, with great effort and hard work, the Hounds reduced their deficit to a touchdown - where it stay until the final horn sounded.
Tremblay-Kau faced all 60 minutes of tough test hockey for the Hounds, making 49 saves and avoiding the mercy pull.
The two teams face off again at the Whitney Forum Saturday night.
