Late heroics gave the Bombers a dose of redemption against Yorkton Friday, snagging a 3-1 win.
Two goals late in the third broke a long deadlock and gave the Bombers a win over a team that beat them on the road a week earlier.
The Bombers came out of the gate hot, with Jeremi Tremblay getting the party started four minutes in by flipping the past over Terriers goalie Caleb Allen. That lead wouldn't last long though, as with Matt Egan in the box on a cross-checking penalty, Terriers captain Logan Cyca chipped the puck off a defender and into the Bomber net, beating Flin Flon goalie Kenneth Marquart and tying the game.
Flin Flon would retreat for the rest of the first period, being hemmed into their own zone, but the defence stood firm, keeping the game tied at one after the first.
In the second frame, the Bombers got plenty of chances but no success - Egan had a prime opportunity early, getting a pass close to the net, but a Terrier stick knocked it into the netting above the back glass. Alexi Sylvestre came in on a partial break and was hauled down by a pair of Yorkton defenders - the play was whistled dead, but due to a late whistle on a delayed offside, not due to the trip.
On the other end of the ice, the 17-year-old Marquart made a pair of big saves on Terriers forwards halfway through the period, including a stop where he lost his mask on the play. Another save on a rush, followed by a big stop on a rebound, kept the game tied. While the Bombers got 13 second-period shots, they had nothing to show for it - the game would stay tied at one after two.
It was in the third period when things changed. After a back-and-forth period full of stick battles and weak chances, Flin Flon finally broke through with less than four minutes to go. Cole Duperreault found fire a shot from 40 feet out that handcuffed Allen, beating him clean and giving the Bombers a late lead.
While it took the Bombers a while to get the lead, insurance would follow close behind. A loose puck near Allen came available with about three minutes left, with Egan jumping on it and getting it past the goalie for his first goal in almost two months.
Allen would soon flee the Terriers' net for an extra attacker, but despite the 6-on-5 advantage, the numbers game would not mean much for Yorkton. The Bombers took a few shots at the empty net, including a last-second effort by Sylvestre that clanged off the post, but the game would end as a 3-1 Bomber victory, leading participants into the post-game Christmas kids' skate with smiles on their faces.
Marquart made 33 saves on 34 shots in his first start at the Whitney Forum since Oct. 29, while Allen made 35 saves.
The win pulls the Bombers back into a tie for second place in the league and first in the Sherwood division with La Ronge - both teams now have 39 points this season, while the Bombers have achieved their mark in one less game. By point percentage, the Bombers sit second in the league, while Humboldt, who sit tied for fourth with Estevan in overall points, have the third-best point percentage.
The Battlefords North Stars still sit alone at the top of the league standings. The team still has not lost in regulation yet this year, having a 24-0-2-1 record and picking up 51 of a possible 54 points.
Flin Flon will play two more games before breaking up for the holidays, both against arch-rivals La Ronge - first at home Dec. 16, then on the road Dec. 17.
