There’s a winning streak brewing for the maroon and white. The Bombers grabbed their sixth-straight win Saturday night, winning 3-2 over Melfort.
Flin Flon came to play immediately, scoring twice in the first. Xavier Lapointe got the party started with a point blast on the PP, while Gabriel Shipper added a second marker later, finding an open puck in the high slot and makes no mistake. The Bombers led 2-0 during the first intermission.
Nolan Doell broke duck for the Mustangs on a second-period powerplay from the side of the net – with the Bombers overwhelmed and Schell flustered, a quick pass to Doell cut the lead in half.
A weird bounce gave the Bombers a two-goal lead, as a puck caroming off the end glass landed next to the net – right in position for Jeremi Tremblay to bang in his 16th goal this season – even doing the “goal” hand wave to ensure the whole rink knew the puck was in. Melfort goalie James Venne protested with the ref after the whistle blew, but the call stood. After giving up the goal, Venne was pulled from the net after making 18 saves. Joel Favreau headed to the crease, where he’d play the rest of the game. Flin Flon would enter the third with a 3-1 lead.
Carter Anderson pulled the visitors within one goal late in the third with a powerplay wrister that fooled Schell. In the dying moments, Melfort threw the kitchen sink at the Bomber net, pulling the goalie and buzzing the Bomber net. The visitors almost tied the game, collapsing in on the net with seconds left on the clock, but no goal was signalled. Mustangs players claimed a Bomber player put a hand on the puck in the crease, but no such call was made on the ice.
A last-ditch effort didn’t go in and the Bombers would get the W, despite consternation from some Mustangs players and from coach Trevor Blevins, who walked off the ice in an animated fashion and demanded a conference with the officials – all the while being mocked by victorious Bomber players.
Schell got his second win of the weekend against the Mustangs, making 30 stops. Venne would be stuck with the loss – Favreau played just under half the night, making 13 saves, but the game-winner would ultimately be Tremblay’s garbage grab on Venne.
The Bombers have won all five of their post-holiday break games, beating all three other Sherwood division teams at least once and taking down both La Ronge and Melfort twice. Including a 5-2 Bomber win against the Ice Wolves on Dec. 18, the Bombers have not lost a game in over a month.
With the victory, the Bombers leapfrog the Mustangs for both the Sherwood division lead and third overall in the league with 53 points total – one up on Melfort’s 52 points, despite the Bombers having played four fewer games.
The win also gives the Bombers a 4-2 lead in the season series with Melfort – with two games remaining between the two teams, the Bombers have clinched at least a tie with the Mustangs on the season.
Flin Flon will be back in action Jan. 25, facing the Kindersley Klippers on the road. The Bombers were supposed to play the Battlefords North Stars Monday night on the road – that game has been postponed due to COVID-19 concerns with the Stars.
