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Bomber Game Report: Flin Flon snags 2-1 road victory over Mustangs

Bounces and whistles didn't go the Bombers' way Wednesday, but Flin Flon fought through to get a road 2-1 win in Melfort.
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Bomber Game Report.

Bounces and whistles didn't go the Bombers' way Wednesday, but Flin Flon fought through to get a road 2-1 win in Melfort.

The Bombers opened up the scoring with a goal by Jaeden Mercier late in the first period, jumping on a rebound from a Jacob Vockler shot and shoving it past 'Stangs goalie James Venne. Flin Flon led on the road 1-0 after 20 minutes.

Flin Flon would continue with that lead throughout the second period, with both teams trading chances but both goalies and defences holding firm. Melfort outshot the Bombers in the second, but the Bombers would shut down all Mustangs chances and keep the one-goal lead heading into the third.

Both sides traded chances through the early going of the third period - Alexi Sylvestre almost solved Venne early in the period but narrowly missed the net high, while Melfort got a prime chance from Jacob Hufty, who got into the slot and almost redirected one past Laser-Hume, but the puck jumped his stick.

Flin Flon would extend their lead to two halfway through the third, as Wyatt Cook fired a shot from the high slot past Venne, but Melfort would kill Laser-Hume's shutout bid moments later, as Hufty was sprung on a partial break and beat the Bomber netminder, cutting the lead to one.

Leyton Holoien had a chance to tie it for the Mustangs on a close shot and Laser-Hume stopped him - but didn't emerge unscathed. The stick of Melfort's Boston Maxwell caught Laser-Hume in the mask, knocking him down to the ice and stopping play. Laser-Hume would stay in the game and the reigning SJHL goalie of the month stopped a point shot by Hayden Tuba immediately after - it was tipped in front, but Laser-Hume still flashed the leather to keep it out.

A pass from behind the net by Cole Duperreault found Jeremi Tremblay in the high slot and the Sacred Heart Univ. commit beat Venne, but officials waved the goal off after a brief conference, arguing that Venne had been interfered with.

Replay of the goal showed that Venne's stick had made contact with Duperreault while the forward snuck behind the net before the pass, knocking Venne off balance for a second before the pass and shot.

The Mustangs would be given another gift with six minutes to go, as Duperreault was given a five-minute major moments later and a game misconduct for what the league's game sheet described as "physical harassment of officials".

Duperreault came into the offensive zone to chase down a loose puck with a referee between him and the puck - Duperreault appeared to make light contact skating past referee Jordan Carriere, whose arm went immediately up to call a penalty, much to the consternation of Bomber head coach and general manager Mike Reagan.

With Duperreault out of the game, Melfort used the man advantage to set up shop in the Bomber zone and got several chances, including with Venne on the bench after the three-minute mark of the third period. 

Despite the long powerplay and several big chances with the extra man, no Mustang would beat Laser-Hume. The Bombers would ice the puck late and despite a late scrum between Melfort's Ryan Duguay and Sylvestre, the end result would be two points for Flin Flon and none for the Mustangs.

Laser-Hume stopped 33 pucks for his ninth win in 13 games in the Bomber net - Venne took the L with 24 saves on the night.

Flin Flon now pulls even with Humboldt for second in the league standings with 26 points on the season, though the Broncos still have a game in hand on the Bombers. Both teams sit six points behind first-place Battlefords in the standings, but the Bombers have extended their lead in the Sherwood division to five points over idle La Ronge.

The Bombers will now have a week-long break before their next games, a home set against Yorkton Nov. 10-11 and a four-game stretch of away games later this month.

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