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.
Just over 700 people went out to the Whitney Forum Tuesday night to watch the Flin Flon Bombers challenge the Battlefords North Stars. The Maroon and White came out on top with a 3-1 victory giving them two points and bumping them up to third place in the SJHL standings. The Bombers passed the La Ronge Ice Wolves by a point, but Flin Flon has played two less games than La Ronge. Coach Mike Reagan says it all comes down to winning those two games. "We have to win those games," he says, adding "it looks good on the stats, but we need to win." The Bombers have the chance to win their next two games as they take on the Melville Millionaires tonight in their own barn and then head to La Ronge to take on the Ice Wolves Sunday night. For the month of November the Bombers are looking at a 7-3 record, which Reagan says is a good start. "If we can end the season on an 8-3 record, it would be a really successful month." Reagan says the Bombers against the Millionaires is always a good game. "Flin Flon likes to see the two teams play," he says. "In 1992-93 Flin Flon won the finals against Melville, so it's always a good atmosphere when Melville is here." And Reagan says he looks forward to the game tonight. With the playoffs coming closer and closer, Reagan says having a strong record is going to help them obtain their main goal. "We want to be in the top three division going into the playoffs," he says. Tuesday night's game saw Carsen Chubak back between the pipes as the Bombers started the game off to a bang scoring their first goal after only 22 seconds of play. Scoring his 29th goal of the season, Reid MacLeod lit the lantern with the help from linemates Pierre-Luc Boucher and Harley Garrioch. With the score 1-0 early on, the Bombers continued the period with confidence as they tried to find the back of the net, but were unable to. The North Stars, however, got their first, and only goal, past Chubak after 18:42 minutes of play. With the score tied at one a piece, the Bombers and North Stars played a what looked like it was going to be a scoreless second period. After 15 minutes of play, the Bombers pulled up their socks and put two more goals past North Star goalie Ryan Kerpan. Scott Day, scoring his fifth goal of the season, found the back of the net, which was assisted by Cole Wilson. Two minutes later Bomber Barrett Penner lit the lantern for the last time in the game to bring the score up to 3-1. Penner's short-handed goal was assisted by MacLeod and Michael Young. Aside from the final two goals of the game, the Bombers were also faced with a few penalties, which saw Cameron MacKinnon in the box for interference, while Garrioch was given two minutes for instigating, five minutes for fighting and a 10 minute misconduct as he left the game. At the end of the second period the Bombers had a total of 29 shots on net, while the Battlefords had 15 shots on Chubak. The third period started off similar to the start of the second as both teams played both ends of the ice. Both teams had opportunities to score, but both Chubak and Kerpan were on their game and didn't let the puck past them. The Bombers had another seven shots on net while the North Stars had nine to give them a total of 24, while the Bombers saw a final three period total of 36. Bomber goalie Chubak says he didn't think the game was too bad and for the season he says the same thing. "The season has its ups and downs, but I hope we can get on a real roll soon. A five game winning streak would be nice," he says, adding "before Christmas would be better." While Calvin Bartel and Chubak trade off and on as to who is in net, Chubak says that has its ups and downs. "It's not too bad if we're winning (when he's on the bench), but it's harder if we lose. But I also enjoy the rest," he says. Anyone who has been in the Whitney Forum, or around it during a game, has heard the fans and how loud they can be. But the goalie says it doesn't really bother them. "It's probably distracting for others and the refs, but we're used to it," he says with a smile. "And most times they are on our side, so it's a good feeling I guess." As for the Tuesday night's game, Reagan says the Battlefords goalie gives the team a hard time because he covers a lot of the net. "The past couple of games we've had opportunities and we haven't capitalized on them, so tonight we said we would score within the first five minutes of the game." And with the goal being within the first 22 seconds of play, Reagan says the boys gained more confidence and got on a roll after that. "Dustyn Clegg had some opportunities tonight and he's been really hot for us lately, so we're happy with that," says Reagan, adding that playing the North Stars have been a struggle throughout the year and this was a big win for them. As for the North Stars, Reagan says "they are the last place club and they have nothing to lose and they know they aren't going to the play-offs. They are a young team and they are building for next year." The Bombers face the Millionaires tonight in hopes of another two points.
