It's backs-against-the-wall time for the Flin Flon Bombers.
The team is now one win away from elimination after dropping a hard-fought game four to the Nipawin Hawks.
Starting fresh off a game three win on Tuesday night, the Bombers kept the momentum going early. Isaac Jackson opened the scoring with a well-place point shot late in the first. However, Jake Tremblay got Nipawin on the board shortly after, sending the game into the first intermission tied 1-1.
From there, Nipawin gained control of the game, with Brett Harasymuk taking advantage of a defensive lapse to beat Brenden Newton and making the score 2-1 Hawks. Brandan Arnold did the same later on, scoring a shorthanded goal that would stand as the game-winner.
The Bombers opened the third hot, with Tyler Nyman sneaking one past Nipawin netminder Declan Hobbs, cutting the Hawks' lead to one.
However, that's as close as the Bombers would get. Harasymuk scored his second of the game midway through the period, holding the crest of his jersey up to taunt the Bomber faithful. Arnold later added an empty-netter to seal the deal.
Newton finished the game with 29 saves, while Hobbs made 38 stops.
The Bomber loss gives Nipawin a 3-1 lead in the series, with a chance to eliminate the Bombers on Friday in Nipawin. The Bombers will need to win out the series to stay alive.
Elsewhere in the SJHL playoffs, two teams have already punched their ticket to the league semi-finals. The Estevan Bruins will be one-quarter of the league's final four after sweeping Kindersley. The Battlefords North Stars will also have a chance to dance in the semis, beating Weyburn in overtime to clinch a four game sweep.
Melfort and Humboldt had also went to overtime, with the Broncos earning a 3-2 win. Humboldt, led in part by ex-Bomber Nick Shumlanski, leads that series 3-1.
