An undermanned Bomber squad couldn't get past Weyburn Thursday night, giving up four straight goals en route to a 4-1 loss.
Flin Flon hit the ice without two of their top players - Jaeden Mercier was out of the game, still nursing a long-term injury, while Cole Duperreault, who was hurt in the Bombers' Wednesday game against Yorkton, was also out of the lineup. Cole Tanchuk continued to be out of the lineup as well, having been hurt in the Bombers' last home game against Nipawin.
All that considered, Flin Flon started strong and, following a slow first period, the Bombers struck first late. Cory King flipped a puck through the middle of the neutral zone and got a fortuitous bounce off a defender's stick, putting the puck right in the path of Jacob Vockler, who made no mistake on a partial break, beating Weyburn's Dazza Mitchell.
The Bombers, despite only being credited with five shots on goal in the first period, headed into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Weyburn tied the game in the second with a powerplay marker. With Alex Von Sprecken in the sin bin on an interference call, Ryley Morgan connected on a one-timer that got past Harmon Laser-Hume, making it 1-1.
The Wings did not keep up consistent pressure, but almost gained the lead midway through the period, with Matteo Turrin getting a long shot on net snared by a sliding Laser-Hume glove save. Morgan would get another chance later in the period, but Laser-Hume would stop him this time, making the splits to stop the shot.
With a pair of penalties late in the frame making it four-on-four, the Bombers would get caught in their own zone and fall behind. A point shot by Nolan Henderson would be tipped in front by Jacob Kalin, who would wrestle his way around Reece Richmond, corral his rebound and score, making it 2-1 Weyburn with three minutes to go in the second.
A late pile in front of the Wings' net gave both Joey Lies and Barron Stibbe chances at tying the game, but the Bombers entered the third down by a goal.
About seven minutes into the third, Weyburn had a chance to run away with the game, when Turrin was hauled down en route to the Bomber goal. He was given a penalty shot and came in, mano-e-mano with Laser-Hume, only for the Bomber goalie to get a piece of Turrin's shot with his glove - just enough to knock it wide.
The Wings would, however, extend their lead halfway through the third. Off a blocked shot, the Wings would run back the other way on an odd-man rush and Nick Kovacs, who blocked the original shot, would beat Laser-Hume with a high slot wrist shot. Weyburn would continue with one more goal, with Elijah Anderson finding the twine on a rebound with two minutes to go.
Laser-Hume took the L, making 26 saves, while Mitchell got a win for the Wings with 31 stops.
The Bombers, currently on a four-game southern road swing, will take a day off Friday before going into two more games Saturday and Sunday - one against Estevan Saturday night and the final game of the trip Sunday night against Notre Dame.
The SJHL playoff race is starting to take shape, as the Battlefords North Stars have become the first SJHL team to clinch a playoff spot. The first place squad now has 81 points this year, 20 points clear of second place La Ronge. The Bombers now sit third in the league with 59 points, two behind La Ronge who have played six more games than Flin Flon. Humboldt is fourth with two fewer points, but have played two fewer games than the Bombers.
Going by points percentage as of Thursday, the Bombers are most likely to finish third in the league, where they would most likely play either Estevan or Nipawin in the first round with home ice advantage.
