A third period collapse kept the Flin Flon Bombers from an important weekend sweep.
The Bombers went from having a 3-1 lead early in the third to suffering a 5-4 loss after the opposing Yorkton Terriers surged ahead late.
With the Bombers holding their annual parents' weekend and with many players' families in the stands, the team struck early. Brandson Hein got on the board only 1:26 into the game. Dawson McKenzie added another goal later in the first.
Yorkton point leader Jared Legien got the Terriers on the board in the second period, jumping into the glass in front of the Bombers parents' seating section following the goal. Daylan Marchi added a third goal for the Bombers before the final whistle of the second, making the game 3-1 Flin Flon after two frames.
Things fell apart for Flin Flon in the third. The Terriers scored three goals in less than two minutes to tie the game, then to grab the lead. Cody Bruchkowski scored twice, with Mason Mullaney scoring his first goal of the year to tie the two teams.
Later, Yorkton's Quinten Hobbs scored a highlight-reel backhand goal to bring the Terriers to a two goal lead. The Bombers' offence, which only managed one shot through the first half of the third, woke up late, with Hein scoring his second of the night late. Despite a late powerplay and several last-minute goalmouth scrambles, the Bombers couldn't tie, giving Yorkton a comeback win.
Flin Flon-born goalie Jeremy Dutcawich impressed in his first SJHL start for his hometown team, making 45 saves. Yorkton's Ben Ouellette made 30 saves for the win.
Several top Bombers were out of the lineup Saturday. Goalie Pierce Diamond served the final game of a three-game suspension following a fight in Weyburn, while Calvon Boots, the SJHL's scoring leader among defencemen, was out of the lineup. Caleb Moretz, one of the team's top offensive weapons, also sat out with an injury.
The Bombers have fallen from top spot in the SJHL standings, with Kindersley grabbing the top spot with 21 points. The Bombers sit at 20 points through 16 games, scoring a whopping 72 goals so far this year - more than any other SJHL team.
Bombers currently occupy four of the top five spots in the league's scoring race - Hein leads the way with 30 points and leads the league in goals with 17 tallies in 16 games. Nate Hooper sits third with 24 points, while Daylan Marchi is in fourth with 23. Moretz is in a tie for fifth place with 21 points.
The Bombers will play two more home games in the next week - first against Estevan on Oct. 24, then against Weyburn on Oct. 26.
