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It was a tough weekend for the Flin Flon Bombers as they split their pair of games against the Melville Millionaires. A 5-4 shootout win Friday night gave the Bombers the only two points they gained this past weekend. Saturday night was a different story as the team lost 6-5 after a late third period goal from Melville. Bomber head coach and GM Mike Reagan said Saturday night's game was like watching road hockey Ð next goal wins. "It's extremely frustrating," Reagan said. "Jamie Fiesel (Millionaire head coach) was talking about how Melville has been finding ways to lose games and we were talking about how we're finding ways to win games. Tonight, we found a way to lose a hockey game. "That should have been our game, no question," said Reagan, adding that the Bombers were the better team that night. "We did a lot of good things, which is positive, but we couldn't capitalize on our opportunities," he said. Flin Flon missed countless opportunities throughout the game, including an open net in front of Beau Stewart. After accepting a pass from Dylan MacNab in the second period, Stewart shot wide. The goal would have set the Bombers apart from the Millionaires by two goals. "You gotta bury those," said Reagan. "When you've got opportunities, you can't squander them." After watching what the coach called a "road hockey" game, Reagan said "it was ridiculous." "You're going to have those games," he said. "Again, we're trying to stress to be patient, it's a young group." For the first half of the first period, the Bombers held control of the game as they led Melville 2-0. But as the teams were heading off into their dressing rooms, the Millionaires took a 3-2 lead over the Bombers. Flin Flon scored the only two goals in the second period Ð taking the lead back. Dougie McLeod scored the team's third goal to tie the game with help from Eric Millisor and David Roper. Breaking the tie for the team was captain Ryan Fox as he accepted a pass from Jonathan Young and Deven Stillar late in the period. Heading off the ice with another lead, 4-3, the Bombers and Millionaires scored goal after goal in the third period. It was an early goal for Melville as they got their fourth one past PJ Musico. Just two minutes later, the Bombers came back with their fifth Ð and final Ð goal of the night to take the lead once again. But it wasn't enough as Melville earned another shortly after with their sixth goal, coming from a Bomber mistake, to win the game. "They got the bounce at the end there and a bad icing call," said Reagan. "It was a bad mental mistake by Stefan Virtanen." The coach said Saturday's game was full of mental mistakes. "And that's something we've got to eliminate from our game." Looking at the ice, Reagan had placed a number of younger players out to take on the challenge. "This was one of those nights that if you have a veteran group, you don't lose that hockey game," he said. "We've got to put our young guys in those situations, otherwise they're not going to develop." He says "it's going to pay off later." Before the regular season got underway, Reagan had made mention that he wasn't as concerned about finishing first place in the league, or Bauer Conference, when it came to the end of the regular season. He was more concerned about the playoffs. Playing his young players now is going to help the team when it comes to the playoffs and overall in the regular season. "If we go with just our vets the whole time and come back, our young guys aren't learning anything in those situations," he said. "When it counts, in February and March, we're just not going to be prepared. If there is an injury here or there, then you're up (the) creek." See 'Playing' on pg. Continued from pg. Playing the rookies early in the season to develop them is a learning lesson for the team, said the coach. "Hopefully it's one we learn now and don't have to go through it again," he said about games like Saturday night. "Like I said, with a young group, these games are going to happen." Since signing on as coach for the Flin Flon Bombers in the 2007-08 season, Reagan has been equipped with a mainly veteran squad. "I'm not really used to having a young group that is going through these growing pains," he said. "In saying that, we've got enough guys that are veterans that this shouldn't happen." Having players like Patrick Sitko and Corey Tyrell back in the line up has made a big difference in Reagan's eyes. "Maybe if you have a guy like Sitko on the back end it's a little different," he said. "We don't make those mental mistakes." "It's amazing (how) one or two players make the difference," he said. Both Sitko and Tyrell have become key players for the Bombers. While the Bombers had a hard time capitalizing on opportunities and keeping the lead, Reagan said there were some positives from the game. "I thought we played pretty good in the offensive zone," he said. The coach had made some changes to the lines as Andrew Johnson and Stillar played their "best game together." "And Fox plays the same no matter what; whoever he's with, he's going to play well," said Reagan. As a line together, the coach said they "were a threat every time they were out on the ice." Newcomer Millisor, who joined the team for Friday night's game, played "a fantastic game." "He took an undisciplined penalty that cost us, but he's going to learn from that. He's new to the way things run around here." Though he's only played two games with the Bombers, the coach can already see a positive addition to the team. "He looks like a guy who is going to be able to contribute for us," said Reagan. "We're excited about that." As a new player, the coach says Millisor "solidifies our top six." After splitting their weekend at home, the Bombers are off on their first road series of the season. Tonight, the Bombers are in Nipawin to take on the Hawks. Tomorrow, it's Notre Dame versus Flin Flon. For the weekend, the team will travel to Weyburn on Saturday to face the Red Wings before ending their four-game series in Estevan on Sunday. The Bombers will play the following weekend in the Whitney Forum as the Kindersley Klippers will be in town. Along with the Klippers, the Bombers will see some familiar faces in the crowd as it's Parents Weekend for the team.
