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.
For a regular season that started off a little sluggish for the Bombers, the team was able to pick up their pace at the end and improve their record. Sitting with a record of 32-20-3-1, head coach and GM Mike Reagan says he is pleased with the end result. "I'm satisfied with the way things ended up," says Reagan. "I would have liked to (have seen) a better start to the season, but it's how you end, not start." With that said, the coach says the Bombers have "done a good job at preparing to play our best hockey going into the playoffs." As the regular season came to an end, the Bombers were given a couple days rest before hitting the ice Monday for their first playoff practice. With the four-day lull of no hockey, Reagan says it takes some time to get back into the groove the team was in, but says as the week goes on, the practices get harder until they are ready. "(The) guys got to relax and (some) got to see friends and family and then they came back rejuvenated and excited to get things going," says the coach. As for picking up where they left off, Reagan says it's always a little tough to "play your best hockey and then sit around and wait." With some momentum lost, the bench boss says he hopes the team picks it up quickly before taking on the Melfort Mustangs in the Conference Semi-Finals. "The guys know what we have accomplished in the last little while and are feeling good about themselves," Reagan says. As well as feeling good about the last little while, Reagan says the team feels confident about playing Melfort, as the Bombers defeated the Mustangs four times this season. And not only did the Bombers get by the Mustangs in regular season, but the last two years of playoffs have seen the Bombers and Mustangs face off Ð leaving the Bombers on top. "The guys are confident," says Reagan. "They like playing there. The arena isn't very boisterous and that can play to the visiting team's advantage." With that being said, as the Bombers and Mustangs face off in the Whitney Forum, Reagan says some players feed off of the energy while there are some who are intimidated by it. "The Whitney Forum is a tougher environment to play in," he says. "Some think it's lucky coming up here." But no matter where the teams play, whether it be the Whitney Forum or the Northern Lights Palace, the Bombers are hoping to bring home the first round and gear up to take on the Humboldt Broncos, who are heavily favoured to advance to the second round.
