The Bombers, for the first time this playoffs, are down in a series. Melfort came into the the Forum and beat the Bombers up in Game 1, winning 9-2.
Flin Flon took their first loss of the playoffs and their biggest loss at any point this season at home in Game 1, losing an early lead and being unable to stop the Mustangs' offence.
The Bombers and the Whitney Forum faithful thought the team opened the scoring just two minutes in, when Koen Senft found an open puck in the high slot and fired it into the net while Melfort goalie James Venne was down. However, while the Forum roared and the team celebrated, the referee near the net immediately waved the goal off - Jacob Vockler knocked the puck down to get it down to Senft with a high stick.
Almost 1,600 Bomber fans in attendance were not pleased with the decision, starting the first of a series of "ref, you suck" chants, but replay of the goal showed Vockler's stick did go higher than the crossbar.
Flin Flon opened the scoring later in the frame, with Anthony Piccininno going low glove on Venne, giving the Bombers a 1-0 lead and giving the fans licence to blow the roof off the Forum.
It was as good as it would get for the Bombers. Moments later, the Mustangs quieted the crowd with Logan Belton forcing a turnover in the Bomber zone, feeding Tye Evans for a one-timer and Evans making no mistake, tying the game.
From there, the scoresheet was dominated by Melfort. Rhett Hamilton handcuffed Laser-Hume with a long wrist shot with five minutes to go in the first, then Ryan Duguay picked the puck up from a corner battle, waltzed in to the slot untouched and beat Laser-Hume to make it 3-1.
The Bombers killed off a pair of penalties that could have made the game even more lopsided, but the Mustangs played their game from there on out, retreating into the neutral zone and playing the style of trap Trevor Blevins has become known for league-wide. Flin Flon had momentum as the period went on, but Melfort got to the second period up 3-1.
The game was still in reach as the second period began and the Bombers went to work, getting a few chances early on, but Melfort still struck first out of the gate. The Mustangs broke into the zone and developed an odd-man rush, with Chase Friedt-Mohr firing home a shot with Laser-Hume left out to dry.
Fortunes turned the Bombers' way seven minutes into the second, as the team got a five-on-three advantage from the Mustangs' first two penalties of the game. Vockler put the puck on a tee for Justin Lies and Lies swung right through the puck, blasting it past Venne and cutting the lead to two. The Bombers had a few more good chances, with Matt Egan picking a puck off in close but having it roll off his stick - Cole Tanchuk had a chance of his own, but Venne made the save.
Melfort would regain their three goal lead not long after, with Clay Sleeva burning through the Bomber defence and finishing a give-and-go with Aidyn Hutchinson. The Mustangs were in control.
Carter Anderson almost cut the lead down for the Bombers, firing a shot right through Venne, but it didn't have enough energy to reach the net behind him. Melfort entered the third up 5-2.
The Mustangs put a stamp on the night in the third, scoring four more goals to make it elementary. A point shot by Cole Unger was tipped in Logan Cox, making it 6-2. Duguay got on the board again a minute later, scoring on a two-on-one play where Laser-Hume, once again, got backed into a corner. Laser-Hume got the pity pull after goal number seven, stopping 23 shots on the night.
Kenny Marquart entered the Bomber net late, with Cox getting another deflected puck past a Bomber netminder and Jaxon Kehrig signing off the night with five seconds to go, going post-in on Marquart.
Late in the game, things got chippy with Egan and Melfort's Nolan Henderson dropping the mitts in the Mustangs zone - the battle ended in a draw and both players were sent to the showers. Justin Lies and Adam McNutt were both booted from the game late, given penalties for high hits.
Lies was kicked for a clash with Belton where officials ruled he'd hit Belton in the head with his stick, though replay showed Lies' stick hit Belton's stick, not his head. Belton laid on the ice for a moment and eventually left for the dressing room - an angered Bomber fan threw a beer can at him on his way to the room, ending a night to forget for the Bombers and some of the team's fans.
Venne stopped 39 shots on the night, while Laser-Hume and Marquart combined to save 31 of 40 shots on the night.
The win gives Melfort a 1-0 series lead, with Game 2 coming Saturday night at the Whitney Forum. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Melfort April 24 and April 25.
Going into Game 1, the Bombers had gone all season without losing a game by more than four goals - the loss stands as the team's worst defeat of the year. Aidyn Hutchinson, the SJHL's point scoring leader, got three assists on the game, while Duguay and Cox both scored twice.
