Make it two wins in two nights for the Flin Flon Bombers. The club swept their weekend series against La Ronge with a 6-4 Saturday night win.
The Bombers, donning special orange National Day for Truth and Reconciliation sweaters and fresh off a ceremonial puck drop with former Bomber captain Harley Garrioch, got off to an early lead thanks to Gabriel Shipper's second goal of the weekend. La Ronge would tie the game back up later in the frame with a goal by Gavin Mattey.
Reece Richmond took the lead back for Flin Flon early in the second, followed seconds later by a goal by Jeremi Tremblay that made it 3-1 Flin Flon. Nathan Gagne added another goal on a powerplay later in the period, giving the Bombers a 4-1 edge.
Nolan Doell got the Ice Wolves on the board after getting the business end of a solid passing play, beating Bomber netminder Max Hildebrand, who got his first junior hockey start Saturday. The Bombers would regain the two-goal lead about five minutes later - with a La Ronge player in the box, new Bomber Zak Smith got his first goal in maroon and white - or, more accurately, in orange - by poking the puck past a sprawling Jaxson Taupert.
The Ice Wolves pulled back within one with their net empty, with Aaron Greyeyes banging one past Hildebrand with 27 seconds left, but Jaeden Mercier iced the game with an empty netter late, making it a 6-4 Bomber victory.
The Bombers now move to 3-2 on the season. Hildebrand made 28 saves in his debut, while Taupert stopped 36 pucks in a losing cause.
Both Gagne and Mercier have moved into the SJHL's top ten scorers list, with both players having racked up seven points in five games. Gagne is also tied for second in the league in goals scored - he and two other players, La Ronge's Doell and Emmett Wurst of the Battlefords, each have scored four times in five games.
The Bombers and Ice Wolves will each head south Sunday for the SJHL Showcase in Warman Monday and Tuesday. The Bombers will play their two games at the Legends Arena against the Yorkton Terriers (Monday, at 7:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 8:30 local) and the Kindersley Klippers (Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Saskatchewan time, 2:30 local) before hosting the Klippers again Oct. 8 and 9.
