The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Klippers were coming to Flin Flon to continue their winning streak Friday night as they were up for a double header weekend against the Bombers. As Kindersley arrived to the Whitney Forum with a perfect regular season record, the Bombers were hoping to put another win under their belt. With two teams facing off with the same goal, the 902 fans at the rink knew it was going to be a good game. As the action went on, the locals cheered on their boys to an 8-2 win over the visiting Klippers. After an intense game in their own barn, the Bombers celebrated with the traditional moose leg toss. But this time with a few added party favours. The Bombers earned themselves seven moose legs that night. The Bombers were looking strong as former Battlefords Northstar Ryan Kerpan dressed for his first start at home. And in front of Kerpan, the Bombers held strong on the blue line. With the game moving on, action was in front of the Bomber net, but Kerpan kept his cool. As he worked his magic through the traffic, he says it was tough to see the puck at times. ÒItÕs hard to know where to put the rebound,Ó he says. ÒBut the defense does a good job and not a lot of shots get through (to the net).Ó When it came to Friday's game, as the Bombers ended up giving the team their first loss of the season, Kerpan said he thought it went well. ÒI thought it was good. We didnÕt give up many shots,Ó he says. ÒThere were a couple goals in a couple minutes,Ó he says, Òwhich was shaky for us, but we pulled it out.Ó This is KerpanÕs first season dressing in Maroon and White, and he says playing in the Whitney Forum is on a different scale than playing as a Northstar. One difference for the goalie is the crowd. ÒWe didnÕt see this many last year,Ó he says, referring to the Northstars sitting in the lower ranks of the SJHL. ÒBefore, we would have gotten this many out to the games, but not last year.Ó As he adjusts to the Bomber lifestyle, he says things are going well with the team. ÒThe support of the community is amazing,Ó he says. ÒItÕs good to play in front of these crowds.Ó After the game, head coach and GM Mike Reagan said the game was important for the team. ÒItÕs definitley a big win for us,Ó he says, noting that it was the first of a five-game series of home games for the team. ÒWe need to put together a good winning streak here.Ó As the game saw a few hits and checks, Reagan called the game physical. ItÕs typical for Larry Wintoneak, the coach of the Kindersley Klippers, and former coach of the Bombers, to have a good team, said Reagan. ÒHe expects hard work and physical (effort) from the guys. ÒIf we are going to compete against (them), we have to compete,Ó says Reagan. ÒOther wise, itÕs going to be a long night. ÒItÕs hit or be hit.Ó With the season moving on, the Bombers are removing players off of their injured list and moving them to their playing roster. ÒHaving (Michael) Young in the line up is huge,Ó he says. ÒJust take a look at what he does. ÒHeÕs the face of the defense core. And itÕs so nice to have a guy who can calm down (the guys)...and put up against a top line.Ó Between Young and captain Harley Garrioch, Reagan says itÕs a top-notch team. ÒHim and Garrioch did a great job against KindersleyÕs top line.Ó As well, Reid McLeod, who earned the top scorer for the SJHL last season, is still out on injury. ÒBut heÕs starting to feel a lot better,Ó says the coach. As the Bombers finished off their first of two games, they sat with a 4-2-0 record. The following is a game summary from FridayÕs game against the Klippers: Scoring early in the first period, at 1:25 to be exact, Doug McLeod lit the lantern first for the Bombers, giving them a 1-0 lead over Kindersley. But the team wasnÕt done there as Devin Mitzner got past Klipper goalie Tanner Schalin, earning another goal for the Maroon and White. Wintoneak wasnÕt pleased with their goalieÕs performance and pulled him, giving Ryan Nieszner a chance at hand. With two goals under their belts, Cole Gibson made it to three, with help from Mathieu Lecours and Jean-Sebestien Bergeron. Turning it to 4-0, and then 5-0, was Alex Lamontagne with help from Brennon Cox, Tommy Castonguay and Young. Five goals later, the Bombers and Klippers headed to their respectful dressing rooms. Through the first 20 minutes of play, the Bombers were given two penalties while the Klippers were given five. Kerpan saw only seven shots the first period, giving him the chance to take in parts of the game as play continued in the KlipperÕs end with the Bombers firing off 19 shots. The second period saw the Klippers earn their first, and only, two goals of the game. Just after the 16 minute mark on the clock the team got past Kerpan, and then again about a minute later. With the score sitting at 5-2, the Bombers were unable to get another goal. The team didnÕt fire off as many shots for that period as both teams had seven shots. The second period was slow on action as each team was given one penalty. The third period had the Bombers earn their last three goals of the game, giving David Lawrence, Young and Castonguay goals. Penalties came all at once for the teams as a line was booted off the ice. With less than two minutes left in the game the teams broke out into a number of fights. With two goalies and one player one the ice, 20 penalties were handed out. Garrioch, Gibson, Bergeron and Mitzner were all given five minutes for fighting as well as game misconducts. For the Klippers, they faced 10 penalties as well. Both teams were given suspensions for SaturdayÕs game.
