The Bombers will head home without a point from their weekend road trip, losing 4-2 to the Battlefords North Stars. The team’s losing streak has grown to four games.
Much like their games in Flin Flon earlier this month, the Stars had discipline issues from the jump. Matthew Henry, who was ejected from the teams’ last game for throwing equipment at Bomber player Matt Raymond, was sent to the showers before the opening whistle even blew, getting a game misconduct at 00:00 of the first period. By the end of the game, the Bombers had only four total penalty minutes, while the Stars had 28.
The Bombers would draw first blood, courtesy of a goal from Jaeden Mercier in the second period. Battlefords tied the game up shortly after, but Cole Duperreault got the lead back for Flin Flon late in the second.
Flin Flon would lead the game late into the third period, but the home team clawed back to tie the game late, with Tynan Ewart scoring with less than five minutes to go. Keiton Klein would score the eventual game-winner with 1:21 left on the clock, adding an empty netter late in the game to seal it.
Bomber netminder Ben Montgomery made 28 saves in a losing cause, while Stars goalie Lowen Kenyon made 39 stops. Bomber goalie Cal Schell did not play but did dress as a backup one day after leaving a game against Yorkton after being hurt in a goalmouth collision.
The Bombers will head back to Flin Flon with a four-game losing streak and no points from this weekend’s road trip, losing to Melville, Yorkton and the Stars in three straight nights. Over that time, the Bombers scored five goals – Mercier was the only Bomber to score more than once. In the past four games, the Bombers have outshot their opponents each game, but have come up short on the scoreboard.
With the loss and a Battlefords win, the Bombers stand pat with 65 points this season and third place in the standings, while the Stars creep back up the standings, tying the Melfort Mustangs for fourth spot with 62 points each. The Stars have two games in hand on both the Bombers and Mustangs.
Eight games remain in the regular season schedule for the Bombers, who are back in action at home later this week, playing a rubber match against Nipawin Feb. 23 and a Saturday night meeting with Notre Dame. From there, the Bombers will play six games in 11 days to finish the schedule – on the road against Nipawin March 1 and again in La Ronge March 4, then at home against La Ronge March 5 and at home against Melfort March 8. Flin Flon will wrap up their schedule with a pair of road games March 10 and 11 against the teams closest to them in the standings – Melfort and the Battlefords.
