The Bombers will be heading home with a big win in hand, walking out of Weyburn after a commanding 6-0 rout.
The Red Wings shot themselves in the foot early, taking two penalties when Gabriel Shipper got tripped hurt on a breakaway, tangling with a Weyburn defender and crashing into the net at full speed. A second tripping call was made earlier in the sequence.
On the ensuing powerplays, Jaeden Mercier scored with the Bombers two men up, then Zak Smith banging home a second goal shortly after.
A third goal was picked up by Jacob Vockler, who found 30 square feet of open space on the far side and made good on a quick pass, firing the puck past Red Wing ‘tender Jackson Fellner.
Jaxon Martens added a fourth goal in the second period and Rylan Thiessen put the score up to five in the third. Drew Kuzma made it a six-pack late in the game, twisting the knife in his former team in his first game back in Weyburn.
Cal Schell got his mojo back in the Bomber net, earning his fifth shutout of the season with a 31-save performance. Fellner and Dazza Mitchell split time in the Weyburn crease, with both goalies making 16 stops.
With the win, the Bombers will make the long slog back up north with five of a possible eight points from a four-games-in-five-nights southern swing, beating both Yorkton and Weyburn in regulation and getting one point in an overtime loss to Notre Dame. The Bombers only missed out on the points once, losing 3-2 to league leaders Estevan Friday night.
The Bombers now have 61 points, four points clear of Melfort for both the first spot in the Sherwood division and third overall in the league.
Flin Flon’s team will have a few days off game duty, but will play a two-game road set against the Battlefords North Stars Feb. 11-12 and will have a road game Feb. 15 in Nipawin. The Bombers will play their next home game Feb. 18 against Melville – with a newly increased capacity for the Forum, able to open to 50 per cent capacity under current Manitoba health orders.
