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Bomber Game Report: Flin Flon loses overtime heartbreaker in Game 5, Estevan takes series lead

The Bombers took Estevan to overtime in Game 5, but could not close out the Bruins. Estevan took the 3-2 W and a series lead, giving the Bruins a chance to win the title Tuesday at the Whitney Forum.
Bomber Game Report 5
Bomber Game Report

The Bombers took Estevan to overtime in Game 5, but could not close out the Bruins. Estevan took the 3-2 W and a series lead, giving the Bruins a chance to win the title Tuesday at the Whitney Forum.

A goal in the dying seconds of overtime tied things up for the Bruins, who would eventually beat an undermanned and gassed Bomber lineup after bonus hockey.

The Bombers got out of the gate a bit slower than in past games, but kept pace with the home team early on and opened the scoring. On a powerplay midway through the period, Jaeden Mercier got a wrist shot off from just inside the point, gettting it through traffic and past Estevan goalie Boston Bilous.

Flin Flon would extend the lead to two on another powerplay, obtained after a Kade Runke knee-on-knee hit on Brett Wieschorster. Zak Smith got the puck in the corner, snuck in and pumped home a wrist shot from a bad angle, beating Bilous. The Bombers would lead 2-0 after the first, but would lose Cole Vardy for the remainder of the night after he took a shot in the midsection, doubling over in pain.

Estevan would get on the board in the second period, courtesy of an Eric Pearce wraparound that fooled Schell. Momentum would go back toward Flin Flon later in the period as Estevan got into penalty trouble, taking four straight penalties. The Bombers would get a bevy of shots during those powerplays, but were unable to score - the Bruins killed off all four.

There were Bomber chances, including one for Jacob Vockler, a wide-open net from about 10 feet out, but the puck found a rut in the ice, causing him to just miss the open cage. Cole Duperreault and Cory King would also get a two-on-none chance, but Bruin Dayton Deics would get back just in time to knock the puck away.

King would be briefly sent to the bench after a knee-on-knee hit from Deics, but he would stay in the game. The Bombers would stay ahead after 40 minutes with a 2-1 score.

Estevan would keep the pressure at maximum, with the penalty tide going the Bombers' way early in the third. The Bombers would kill a few penalties of their own, as well as getting out of a four-on-four where Estevan got more chances. Other opportunities would abound for the Bruins - Caelan Fitzpatrick would ring a shot off the bar, while a few goalmouth scrambles ended with misses or saves by Schell, including a between-the-legs shot by Mikol Sartor that blooped away.

The Bombers got a chance of their own with about three minutes left, with Duperreault pouncing on a turnover near the Bruins net and getting two point-blank chances on Bilous - who saved them both.

With 1:27 left, the Bruins would call a timeout to draw up a new plan. Estevan hammered a pair of chances at Schell, who made the biggest saves he'd made in the game to that point. With Bilous on the Bruin bench for an extra attacker, Drew Kuzma would lead the puck down toward the empty net and be tripped up while handling the puck - no penalty was called.

After the trip, Estevan would lead the puck back to the Bomber zone and set up. In a desperation move, the Bruins would feed Nolan Jones at the point, who would fire a slapshot at the Bomber net with single-digits left on the clock. That shot would beat Schell with five seconds left on the clock, tying the game at the very last moment.

Overtime would be needed, for the first time during this year's finals. In the extra frame, Estevan came out with more speed and chances early, but both teams had quality chances, crashing nets and putting shots on.

Cal Schell would rob the Bruins' Damon Byers with a huge stop 10 minutes in. The Bombers, playing with Vardy and Mason Kaspick out of the game after getting hurt earlier in the night, had a short bench and were visibly fatigued.

The Bombers almost got the best chance of the period when the puck rolled onto the Bruin net, but it rolled off, despite a couple of whacks from Bombers near the goal.

Estevan would strike last. The Bruins' Olivier Pouliot scored the overtime winner by tipping in a point shot in the slot and getting it just over Schell's shoulder shortly after the 12 minute mark of overtime.

Schell made 48 saves on a night when he was called on often, particularly late. Bilous stopped 32 pucks, including all eight of the Bombers' shots in overtime.

The Bruins' win means they can clinch the league title on Whitney Forum ice Tuesday night in Game 6, or if they lose, in a possible Game 7 in Estevan Friday night. The only way for the Bombers to come back is to win both Game 6 and in a possible Game 7.

The Bombers were down three regular roster players heading into Saturday's game - forwards Gabriel Shipper and Jeremi Tremblay and defender Rylan Thiessen. All three have played games during this series - Shipper played in Game 4 and had two assists in Flin Flon's 7-1 Game 4 drubbing of the Bruins.

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