The Bombers' preseason fortunes are looking up, with the team hitting double digits against OCN Tuesday and beating La Ronge over the weekend.
Flin Flon defeated the OCN Blizzard on the road Sept. 6 in a 10-4 drubbing, taking the first of two exhibition meetings between the clubs. The Bombers scored early and often, picking up six goals on just nine first-period shots.
Andrey Manov started the shooting gallery for Flin Flon, then goals came in from Greg Diamond, Jaeden Mercier, Kylynn Olafson, Jordan Pfoh and Silas Hughes all adding markers, burning former Nipawin goalie Chase Hamm. The Bombers' first five goals each came within the game's first six minutes.
OCN got a goal from Mitchell Hlady six minutes into the second, with fisticuffs coming not long after from OCN's Isiah Kinnavanthong and Bomber Kaden Kohle.
Aiden Chow would give the Bombers a touchdown late in the second, with OCN's Marlen Edwards getting one past goalie Kenneth Marquart late in the second. Flin Flon led 7-2 after 40 minutes.
Hughes added a second goal early in the third and while Miguel Bouvier helped stop the bleeding for a short time for the home team, Pfoh scored his second of the game on a partial breakway, adding a little insult to injury when he lost his footing heading toward the OCN net and took out Blizzard goalie Hamm.
John Kremmer put in a penalty shot goal for OCN late in the third and Mercier ended the party with two minutes to go, putting the Bombers up 10-4.
Ethan Farrow and Marquart split the victory for the Bombers, making a combined 21 saves - five for Farrow, 16 for Marquart. Hamm, who the Bombers played against several times last season in Nipawin, got lit up, making 14 savs on just 24 shots - a save percentage of .583.
The Bombers now have a 2-2 record on the preseason. The Bombers have two remaining exhibition games - a home date with the SIJHL’s Kam River Fighting Walleye Sept. 8 and a return date with the Blizzard at the Whitney Forum Sept. 9 to end the preseason.
La Ronge
Flin Flon split a pair of games against the La Ronge Ice Wolves last week, facing off both on Sept. 2 on the road and Sept. 3 at home. Flin Flon was slated to play a neutral site game in Prince Albert against the Kindersley Klippers August 31, but a bus issue kept the Bombers from being able to make the trip, causing the game to be cancelled.
The first game ended rough, with Flin Flon taking a 5-2 loss. The Bombers would outshoot the Ice Wolves in the end, but were badly outshot early, giving La Ronge a chance to grab an early lead. La Ronge was led by returnees Ethan Strik and Ryley Morgan, two of La Ronge’s top returning scorers, with Dawson Smith, the team’s likely starting goalie, staving off the Bomber attack for much of his stint.
Cole Duperreault and Silas Hughes were the goalscorers for Flin Flon on the night.
Bomber fans will find the result from Saturday’s home preseason debut a much less bitter pill - the team did almost give away the game, but dug deep for a 6-5 overtime win.
The hits came early and often - several big hits in the first few minutes, a testy exchange between Ice Wolf Tye Evans and Bomber Ethan Anstey, a smattering of penalties and a knee-on-knee hit by La Ronge’s Kasey Miller that sent Cory King of the Bombers sprawling. King would stay in the game but Miller would get two minutes - on which Matt Egan would capitalize, dangling out a defender and slipping the puck past goalie Topher Chirico. The Bombers would continue the scoring moments later, with Liam Bridger outwaiting Chirico and making it 2-0 by firing the puck into an open net. Flin Flon almost got a third goal as Jaxon Martens came within inches of squeezing one home, but couldn’t get it across the line.
The Bombers’ D and goalies wouldn’t be tested much early, but goalie Kenneth Markwart stood tall in a pair of goalmouth scrambles, keeping the game 2-0 Bombers through 20.
The ice tilted a bit in the second period, with La Ronge getting one by Markwart on a slick passing play early. Flynn Maxcy was the beneficiary on the goal. The Bombers would get it back shortly after though, with Brent Gulenchyn sniping a short-side goal past Chirico to restore a two-goal Bomber lead.
With Markwart heading to the bench for Connor Stojan at the midway point of the game, La Ronge started to push forward. Kale Taylor scored to bring the Wolves back within one, while Gulenchyn would respond with another high-slot snipe to make it 4-2 again. Cobe Delaney would find the twine for La Ronge midway through the period to make it close once more.
The rough stuff would find its way back onto the ice late in the period, with La Ronge’s Justice Montgrand nailing Bridger with a high hit - the Bomber remained on the ice for several moments but stayed in the game. Montgrand wouldn't be penalized for the hit - the punishment would come the next shift, when Egan and La Ronge’s Dylan McCormick dropped the gloves and Egan scored the takedown, sending both players home early. A similar dirty hit, this time by Bomber Jordan Pfoh on La Ronge’s Parker Layton, would put the Bombers a man down after the fight, but the period would end 5-2 Bombers.
La Ronge would claw back with three third-period goals to tie the game and force overtime, but in the extra frame, Jaeden Mercier would send the fans home happy with an OT winner.
The Bombers’ preseason roster, as of press time, includes three goaltenders, 12 defenders and 19 forwards. That includes eight returning forwards and four returning defencemen - no goalies from last year’s team have returned from last year. Out of the returning veterans, only two - forward Jeremi Tremblay and defender Reece Richmond - have not played in either of the Bombers’ first four preseason games. Tremblay also did not suit up in the Bombers’ maroon and white game.
