The Bombers stopped the SJHL's hottest team in their tracks Friday night, beating division rivals Melfort 3-2 in an overtime thriller.
Melfort got on the board in the first minute, with Wyatt Day opening scoring with a soft one on Bomber goalie Cal Schell. The Bombers would get themselves on the board a few minutes later, with Jaeden Mercier going post-in on Melfort's Joel Favreau.
The 'Stangs got back on the board late in the period on the powerplay, with Carter Anderson finding the twine and giving the home side a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
The Bombers tied things right back up in the second with a powerplay goal of their own, with Xavier Lapointe getting his thirteenth goal of the season with the man up, putting the score at 2-2. With no further offence through the second, or indeed the third, fans were treated to bonus hockey - 3-on-3 overtime.
With the clock ticking and the ice opened up, it was the Bombers who got the upper hand. With a grind line of Matt Raymond, Gabe Shipper and Rylan Thiessen on the ice, it would be Thiessen who sent the fans home mad in Melfort. The 20-year-old WHL veteran scored his first SJHL goal to clinch a 3-2 win for Flin Flon and two points instead of one.
Schell locked things down after the first period, making 27 saves for the win, while Favreau made 21 saves in a losing cause.
With the win, the Bombers move into a tie for fourth place in the SJHL with 51 points, tied with the idle Battlefords North Stars, who have suspended play for at least five days due to COVID-19 cases. The Mustangs sit third in the league with 52 points, just one up from Flin Flon, but have played four more games than the Bombers.
As a result, the Bombers sit third in the league in points percentage, behind only Estevan and Humboldt.
The two teams will play a rubber match at the Whitney Forum Saturday night, with the crowd capacity capped at 250 people as per Manitoba health orders.
