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.
Opening up the weekend with a pair of games against the Weyburn Red Wings, the Bombers schooled the visitors with a 4-2 victory Friday night. Flin Flon broke Riley Hengen's goose egg early on with two goals in the first period. Jesse Mychan opened fire with the first marker, with help from Danny Merth and Dougie McLeod at 4:22. Just three minutes later, Beau Stewart was on the ball with the team's second goal, assisted by Riley Storzuk. Earning two back-to-back goals kept the Bombers on a high. Heading into Friday's game, the Bombers sat with two wins under their belts Ð against the Melfort Mustangs Ð and zero losses. Going into the game, the Bombers were confident, but there were other emotions running through the dressing room as well. "To be honest," said head coach and GM Mike Reagan, "we were pretty nervous." The feeling stemmed not only from the fact the Bombers were icing a young team, but also from the absence of three top players in their lineup. "We went into the game with our D core (which doesn't) have a lot of experience back there," said Reagan. Out of the available players, returning Bomber David Roper had the most blueline experience in junior hockey. Reagan said he had to give credit to the guys for pulling out the win. "We were missing one of our best centremen (and) we had a depleted lineup out there," said Reagan. "It wasn't pretty, but we found a way to win. It says something about our character." Heading into the second period, the Bombers sat with a 2-0 lead, but the Red Wings pulled up their socks and earned two back-to-back goals Ð one in the second period and the other in the third Ð against PJ Musico. Bomber Stefan Virtanen took a slap shot from the blueline and broke the tie, giving the Bombers a 3-2 lead. Virtanen broke through on a power play and earned the team's third marker with help from captain Ryan Fox and Deven Stillar. "I thought our power play, when we were in the zone, (was) played pretty well tonight," said Reagan. "We had some good opportunities." Throughout the game, the Bombers had power play opportunities but were unable to bury many of them. But the team's third goal was a "big" one, said the coach. "We struggled at times to get in their zone, but once we got in, we had some quality opportunities," he said. "We scored two in a row to start the game and then they come back with two in a row. They've got a lot of momentum and then we were able to score a big power play goal, so that's key." Behind by one goal, Weyburn pulled their goalie, giving them a one-man advantage. But with 22 seconds left on the clock, Andrew Johnston found the back of the empty net to seal the deal. "You need those sometimes," said Reagan. "There was still 22 seconds left (and) that's plenty of time. "If Johnny doesn't hit that empty net, maybe they come down and who knows. It was definitely a big goal." Throughout the three periods, the Bombers fired off 31 shots on the Red Wings. Musico, facing the same amount of shots, stopped 29 pucks. In the three regular season games Musico had played, talk has surrounded the Whitney Forum of his puck-stopping abilities. "He's phenomenal," said Reagan. "He's one of the better goalies I've seen in a while." Noting that while last year's goaltender Matt Weninger was good, Reagan says Musico has a different style. "Don't get me wrong, Winny was good, but (Musico) seems to make highlight reel saves every night Ð at least two or three of them," says the coach. Reagan says when it comes to Musico, he easily falls into a category. "I always say there are two types of goaltenders Ð goalies who block the puck and then there are goalies who save pucks," he says. "He's a guy who makes saves. There are some guys who rely on positioning and that's it. "I mean, he's good positionally, but he will not give up on a puck." Musico was big again for the Bombers Friday night. With confidence in the air in the Bomber dressing room following the game, the coach told his team not to hold onto the win for too long. "I said, 'let's savour this for 30 minutes and then let it wash down the drain,'" said Reagan. "It's one of those things, yeah, we're happy, but we've got to stay focused. With the Red Wings still in town for another game Saturday, the Bombers were going to have to be on top of their game if they wanted two wins in a row. "Tomorrow night is going to be tougher," Reagan said after Friday's game. "We're going to have to compete hard. They're going to be hungry." Noting that it's tough to beat a team back to back, Reagan said the Bombers were "going to have to come ready to play and expect a tougher game."
