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.
Fifteen goals were scored against the La Ronge Ice Wolves while they were in town to face the Bombers last weekend. Coming out on top 6-4 Friday night and then 9-0 Saturday, the Bombers had a good pace going for them. Friday's game started off differently than most home games the Bombers play Ð the visitors scored the first goal. But the Maroon and White didn't let that get to the Ice Wolves' heads as Josh Garneau scored his first, of a hat trick, on a power play in the first period just half a minute after the Ice Wolves scored. With the score tied at 1-1, the Ice Wolves were able to come through with a late goal to break the tie. By the end of the game, the Bombers had wrapped it up with a 6-4 win, but the team wasn't 100 per cent pleased. Head coach and GM Mike Reagan said the team shouldn't have allowed those four goals. "We have a few too many break downs defensively," says Reagan. More importantly than the four goals the team let by, the Bombersn wrapped up second place with the win over the Ice Wolves Ð leaving them to play the Melfort Mustangs in the play-offs for the Conference Semi-Finals. "I'm proud of the guys this year," says Reagan, although noting proud isn't the word to use after Friday's game. "It wasn't negotiable, this time we had to show up and we didn't," he says. After Friday's game, the bench boss says he was feeling a little "frustrated and confused." Though the Maroon and White came out with a win, they didn't play their A-Game. Thinking about the game, Reagan said he didn't know how a team could "come to the rink this time of the year and not be prepared to play." Going into the game, Reagan says the team was feeling excited about having the chance to wrap up second place Ð which they did. But the game went a little differently than planned. "I don't know if the guys didn't feel pressure to play, but I feel like we have a lot to play for," says Reagan. Coming out flat in the first period hurt the Bombers, but they were able to recover with a goal and then a better second and third period. Earning a few of the team's goals was Garneau. "I wasn't impressed with him in the first period," says Reagan. "But as the game went on, (he) played better. "I was happy he got some big goals." As of late, the Bombers have been focusing more attention to their power play and penalty kill. Friday's game was "god awful" in the words of Reagan, but he noted that the team won the game. The team sat a 3-9, which is the best they have seen in months. The following is a game summary between the Bombers and the Ice Wolves: By the end of the first period, the Bombers were down 2-1 to the Ice Wolves, but that didn't last long as Tommy Castonguay started the team's scoring in the second period with help from Tanner Korchinski and Cole Wilson to tie things up at two 13 minutes into the period. Coming in four minutes later, Garneau scored his second goal of the night Ð an unassisted short handed goal Ð to break the tie and pull the team ahead 3-2. As for the second period, the scoring was done, but both teams were given a few penalties as the Bombers were in for roughing after the whistle and hooking while the Ice Wolves were given time for tripping, hooking, roughing and roughing after the whistle. The third period came with the teams and fans not knowing what to expect. Mathieu Lecours found the back of the net midway through the third period on a power play with help from Devin Mitzner and Jean-Sebastien Bergeron. With the score sitting at 4-2, the Ice Wolves answered back with a power play goal over the Bombers before scoring their fourth goal of the night. Once again, things were tied between La Ronge and Flin Flon. Stepping up to the home team's plate, Garneau continued on with his streak and earned his third goal of the night Ð his first hatrick of the season Ð with help from Castonguay and Wilson on a power play. With the game sitting at 5-4, the Ice Wolves pulled their goalie Ð giving Lecours his chance to earn the team's final goal. An empty net goal with help from Mitzner and Garneau sealed the team's fate.
