Melfort had a five-game winning streak - "had" being the key word. The Bombers battled back late and stayed off disaster in a 5-4 OT win Saturday night.
On teddy bear toss night - when attendees brought bears to throw on the ice as a donation to local Christmas toy drives after Flin Flon's first goal - it took a mammoth third period to bring Flin Flon two big points.
The Bombers outshot Melfort early, but it was the visitors who would strike first, courtesy of a Zac Somers wrist shot that beat Harmon Laser-Hume cleanly midway through the period. The shots were 18-8 Flin Flon after 20 minutes, but the numbers that mattered most still showed 1-0 Mustangs.
Flin Flon opened the second by killing off a four-minute penalty, then maintained pressure throughout the period, even if it seems the Bombers missed the net more often than they hit it. Several great opportunities came and went fruitlessly while fans prepared to throw their stuffies on the ice.
Alexi Sylvestre put a point-blank shot off the crossbar and out of play. Cole Duperreault got a wide-open chance, but couldn't chase down the puck in time and ran out of room. Ethan Mercer dangled out two 'Stangs defenders in the slot, but couldn't beat Melfort's James Venne. Jacob Vockler put a shot on net labelled for the top corner, but Venne got a shoulder in front of it. Flin Flon got a late powerplay chance, but a point shot by Duperreault ended with his stick exploding and the chance being lost. Despite scads of chances, the stuffies stayed in the stands and the score stayed 1-0 after 40 minutes.
The Bombers' attack finally started paying off in the third. The first goal was ugly as sin, sneaking into the net through Venne's skates on a scramble in front, but it did the job, crossing the line. Jaxon Martens got the credit for the goal. The game was paused as piles of plushies hit the ice all around the rink - Bomber players and skaters from the Flin Flon Skating Club gathered the bounty with plastic bags, pushing them off to the Zamboni entrance.
The parade of playthings lit the Bombers on fire. Less than 30 seconds later, Duperreault beat Venne clean with a wrist shot, putting the Bombers up 2-1. That lead would not last, as Melfort's Alex Mack snuck in on an odd-man rush and beat Laser-Hume with a far side tap-in, but Duperreault took it upon himself to regain that lead. On a powerplay, Duperreault teed up a one-timer from Jaeden Mercier and put it post-in past Venne, making it 3-2.
Flin Flon extended the lead further late, with a point shot being tipped in the slot by Jeremi Tremblay and sneaking through Venne's five-hole making it 4-2.
Melfort would not go gently into that goodnight, however. Venne was pulled with 2:40 left on the clock, giving the Mustangs a man advantage, which they would use to perfection - first, with Somers hammering home a point shot that bounced off the back boards and back into the slot, then with less than a minute left, Ryan Duguay beating out Laser-Hume to make it 4-4 at the eleventh hour.
After late surges by both teams, the game would go to overtime.
Melfort, who trotted out a unit of Duguay, Somers and Kevin Minnoch, had early chances, but would be denied. About two minutes in, Tremblay caught Melfort's D flatfooted and charged into the Mustangs' zone. His first shot would be stopped by Venne, but the rebound would hop right out for Duperreault, who scored his second hat trick this week with the overtime winner. Duperreault was mobbed by teammates and some fans even threw hats on the ice - which Duperreault and Mercier each picked up with their sticks and threw back into the crowd.
Laser-Hume, despite giving up four goals on 26 shots in his eighth consecutive start in the Bomber net, got the W, while Venne got stuck with a 47-save loss.
The win pushes the Bombers back into sole possession of both second spot in the league standings and top spot in the Sherwood division, two points clear of both La Ronge and Humboldt. The Bombers have played one more game than both teams.
The Bombers will be in action next weekend on the road, playing games against both Melville and Yorkton Dec. 2-3. The Bombers will host Yorkton Dec. 9 and La Ronge Dec. 16, playing one final game Dec. 17 in La Ronge heading into the holiday break.
