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.
It was a game of revenge Sunday night as the Flin Flon Bombers challenged the Melfort Mustangs in the Whitney Forum. After losing 3-2 in overtime against the Mustangs the night before in Melfort, the Maroon and White were looking for a win. The team seemed to leave the scoring to the end of the periods, keeping the fans on their toes, as they swamped the Mustangs 5-1. Cole Wilson, who scored two of the Bombers five goals Sunday night, was pleased with the game. ÒIt was pretty good,Ó he says. ÒWe were excited to get back in there.Ó While the Bombers were taken down the night before, Wilson says Òovertime goals are always pretty hard,Ó but the team came back with a fresh start for the crowd on Sunday. ÒYou have to play the same game with every team,Ó says the Wilcox, SK, native. The Bombers, like many other teams, had a long Christmas break. The team was off for 11 days, and Wilson says it might have showed a little in the Saturday night game. ÒThe first game your legs are a little slow, but I picked up where I left off,Ó he says. Sunday night had the teams out in full force as both were hungry for a win, but it seems the Bombers had that extra bit of oomph behind them. The first period was slow for goals, but the action was non-stop. Sitting on the edge of their seats, the fans were given a show as Wilson, scoring his sixth goal of the season, found the back of the net with only 28 seconds left in the period. Carsen Chubak was between the pipes in front of 1,335 fans, but the crowd didnÕt make him lose his focus as he stopped all nine shots in the first period. The Bombers upped the anti a little as they had 10 shots on net against Ilia Ejou. The first period saw a few penalties for each team. The Bombers had Barrett Penner in the box for interference after only 45 seconds of play, while Mustang Jordan Morgan was called on hooking. Bomber Harley Garrioch and Mustang Cam Larsen got into a tiff and were both sent to the box for five minutes. And Reid MacLeod was put behind glass for cross checking and unsportsmanlike conduct, while Tommy Brown was called on interference. The second period saw three goals, one for the Mustangs and two for the Bombers. Things got started with Melfort getting their first and only goal of the game past Chubak after only 3:57 of play into the period. With the score tied at one a piece, fans were on the edge of their seats once again as they watched Wilson dump his second of the night in with only 18 seconds remaining in the period. And while the goal was being announced, MacLeod found the back of the net only 10 seconds after Wilson, to bring the score up 3-1. WilsonÕs second goal was assisted by Garrioch and Tommy Castonguay while MacLeodÕs was helped by Castonguay and David Linsley. The period rounded out with the Bombers having another 19 shots on net, while Chubak saw only six shots come his way. Bomber Linsley saw the inside of the box for high sticking. And Mustang Riley Clark was called on tripping while Donovan Chow was put away for slashing. With the third period getting underway and the score 3-1 for the Bombers, the Maroon and White fought off the visiting Mustangs for another 20 minutes. Pierre-Luc Boucher found the back of the net after 13:11 of play, assisted by Linsley and Penner. The Whitney Forum was filled with excitement Sunday night as they watched Dustyn Clegg dump the final goal of the night past Ejou with less then two minutes left in the game. The Bombers saw a total of 41 shots on net while Chubak saved 24 of his 25 shots. With the final score 5-1 for Flin Flon, the fans were satisfied and so was the coaching staff. Head coach and GM Mike Reagan was feeling pretty good after the game as the team earned themselves another two points. ÒIt was a great effort,Ó he says. Teams have been playing regularly since September and Reagan says with a long season a break is essential. Having the Christmas break, he says, helps the players refresh and get their energy back. ÒWith a break in the season, you get the hunger to be back in the game. We were excited to get back at Ôer and they played well,Ó says Reagan. With 41 shots on net, the Bombers had many chances to light the lantern, and Reagan says they guys capitalized on lots of opportunities. ÒBoth the players and the staffing coach were excited to get back out there,Ó he says. The Bombers and Mustangs met up two nights in a row in different locations. Assistant coach Clayton Quinn says the Bombers are a team that scores a lot of goals, Òso if you can flatten the team the first night then you bring them back for a win in your own barn.Ó And although the Bombers didnÕt win in Melfort Saturday night, Reagan says a great and solid effort was put in by the guys. According to Reagan, the atmosphere of Sunday nightÕs game was Òlike a playoff game.Ó ÒThe fans were into it and the guys feed off of that,Ó he says. ÒThere were people home for Christmas and it was our opportunity to show (them) what type of team we have.Ó January is a busy month for the team as they have 12 games. ÒWhen you play as well as we played tonight, you want to play a lot of games,Ó he says. While the coaching staff was pleased with Sunday nightÕs effort, they hope to Òcontinue to play the way we did this weekend,Ó for the rest of the season. The Bombers finished up the 2007 season and will hit the ice back in their own barn tonight as they take on the Humboldt Broncos to kick of 2008 before taking on the Notre Dame Hounds tomorrow night.
