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.
Expect to see at least one new face in the Flin Flon Bomber lineup this weekend. Coach and general manager Ryan Hoffman has had a couple of irons in the fire over the last two weeks, and deals are starting to work themselves out to bring fresh bodies into the Bomber camp. Hoffman expects a couple of deals to be finalized before the weekend, but for now is remaining tightlipped on the subject. One player for sure will be arriving from the United States later this week, an unamed 18-year-old defenceman. The Bombers were also able to find a place for Simon McCusker to play. The 20-year-old defenceman from Thompson will be going to the Swan Valley Stampeders of the MJHL, in exchange for future considerations. McCusker has been sitting in wait of a trade since the end of last season. "We wanted to get something back, and the guys that we had any interest in dealing with only wanted him on a conditional basis," said Hoffman. "There was no guarantee that we would get anything in return." So Hoffman was forced to sit and wait until the conditions were right to trade McCusker. As for the weekend's efforts, Hoffman was impressed with Friday's game. "Friday was excellent," he said. "I thought we competed and battled real hard for 60 minutes. With a minute to go, they got the puck to the net and banged in a rebound. I'm real proud of the effort. It is disheartening to put in that kind of effort and not get anything out of it." Saturday was an entirely different story. "Saturday, we gave up a couple quick goals, and quite frankly, looked like we lost interest," he explained. "We had a long team meeting Sunday and talked about it." If there was any question about Joey Moggach prior to the weekend, his efforts on the weekend should be enough to let people know that he is ready to play hockey again. "Joey put in an effort like he hasn't shown in a year and a half," said Hoffman. "With 13 seconds left in an 8-0 game, he put in a great effort to try and break the shut out. I'm real happy with the way he bounced back from the weekend before." Also of note, Clete Mastad and Rylan Zakreski were good, and Dave Holinaty played well after missing four games with a suspension. As well, call-up Myles Masse stepped in once again and looked like he belongs on the team.
