Say goodbye to the winning streak. The Bombers could not avenge their only regulation loss this season Saturday, losing in overtime 2-1 to Melville.
The Millionaires took the Bombers into deep water on the second night of a road back-to-back without Flin Flon's captain and sunk them in OT, giving Flin Flon one point, but not two.
The Bombers were playing from behind from the opening whistle, starting the game without captain and leading scorer Justin Lies. Lies was given a one-game suspension after Friday night's game against Yorkton - Lies made a try at an empty net and took a stick in the mouth from Yorkton's Cade Kennedy.
Kennedy received no punishment for the high stick and Lies went to officials to complain about the non-call after the final whistle, leading to the ruling by referees Andrew Sawatzky and Brent Vandermeulen under section 11.2 of the league rule book - "disrespectful, abusive or harassing behaviour".
With or without Lies, the Bombers were out to avenge their sole regulation loss this season. Early chances came for both squads, including an Alexi Sylvestre partial breakaway, but it was Carter Anderson who would open the scoring. With a Bomber powerplay after Liam Bridger got drilled into the boards from behind, Noah Houle set Anderson up with a one-timer chance that he hammered past William Dyke. That would be the only goal of the first - the Bombers entered period two up 1-0.
The second period was back and forth hockey with some momentum swinging back the Mils' way, but the Bombers kept the one goal lead into the third period, where things began to crack for the maroon and white.
Matt Egan, who just returned from an injury three games ago, went for a hit in the early third, missed and crashed into the boards hard. Not long after that, the Mils got on the board. A puck squirted out from the halfwall and right to Brendan Olson, who golfed a shot at Kenny Marquart from 50 feet out that handcuffed the netminder and bounced into the net.
Melville showed traces of the team that beat Flin Flon in the Whitney Forum last month late, owning possession and keeping the Bombers from getting the upper hand. While Marquart kept Melville at bay, the Bombers could not convert. Extra time would be needed.
Flin Flon started the extra frame with Houle, Sylvestre and Vockler - Melville iced Liam Cox-Smith, Caden Drury and Colby Ball. The Bombers got a good chance early with Vockler breaking, but being held back. A Carter Anderson shot was stopped.
Melville then got chances of their own, with a two-on-one and Matt Kjemhus getting a shot, but Marquart slid across to rob him blind and continue the game. Another chance by the Mils came moments later with Flynn Maxcy feeding Felix Beauchemin for a point-blank chance, but Marquart stoned him cold too, keeping overtime alive.
The Bombers got some shots to no avail - Melville's Cole Keen got a chance of his own on Marquart and this time, the netminder stopped the shot with his mask and froze the puck.
Anderson answered back in the final moments of the overtime period, going in on a breakaway, only for Dyke to make a big save of his own, keeping the game alive for Melville. Liam Cox-Smith would return it back the other way and ring a shot off the post, despite a passing play drawing Marquart out of position, but would then gather the puck back, loop around and beat Marquart far side, handing the Bombers an overtime loss.
Marquart made 31 saves in the loss - Dyke stopped 36 of 37 Flin Flon shots.
The loss will have no impact in the SJHL standings. The Bombers, now sporting a 19-1-2-0 record, will stay on top of the board with 40 of a possible 44 points. The Battlefords North Stars are now three points back in second, having beat Nipawin Friday, but have played four more games than the Bombers. Third-place Humboldt has faltered since losing a back-to-back to Flin Flon last weekend, sitting third with 33 points and falling behind, despite playing one more game than the Bombers.
Flin Flon's three-games-in-three-nights Parkland road swing ends Sunday afternoon with a repeat matchup with Yorkton.
