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.
After a frustrating and disappointing loss in Melfort Saturday night, the Flin Flon Bombers made their way back to their own barn for SundayÕs game, which proved their strength and confidence as they defeated the Melfort Mustangs 2-0 to win the Semi-Final series 4-2. The Bombers and the Humboldt Broncos will be starting off their series with a tentative date of Friday, March 21. The Bombers havenÕt been to the Northern Division Final Championship since the 1992-93 season, so head coach and GM Mike Reagan says he is pretty excited. ÒYou know, IÕm a local guy. IÕm from Flin Flon. I want the Bombers to be successful,Ó he says. ÒAnd as much as I am the coach, IÕm still a huge fan of the Flin Flon Bombers.Ó With the announcement of Reagan as the new coach last June, concerns were heard as he was too young to be a coach and he lacked experience. But as the 28-year-old sits at his desk, with a smile, after winning the Semi-Final series, Reagan says itÕs kind of funny. ÒIÕve always believed in myself. And I believe you have to surround yourself with the right people,Ó says for the former Bomber. ÒBut I have to give credit to the guys,Ó he says. ÒI can only preach so much, they have to be willing to do the work.Ó The Maroon and White proved they do listen to Reagan as they came out on top. Both the Bombers and the Mustangs were fighting through a few injuries, one of which left Calvin Bartel out of the net. In stepped Carsen Chubak, who hadnÕt played a game throughout the series, but it didnÕt seem to faze him as he pulled out a shutout. But big games are no surprise to the goalie as he brought home the gold with a championship last year with the Prince Albert Mintos. ÒIt felt good. I hadnÕt played a playoff game for a while, but you go in with the same mental prep as last year,Ó says Chubak. Though the Prince Albert native has been in the playoffs before, he says it actually brings more pressure than you might think. ÒItÕs not easier, if anything else itÕs harder,Ó he says. ÒIf people know then they want to beat you.Ó But as Chubak says, the game is still the same, whether you have played in the playoffs or not. ÒThere isnÕt much advantage because itÕs the same ice and both teams want to win,Ó he says. ÒThere is no secret to winning, it just depends on who wants it more.Ó With Bartel being between the pipes for the first five games of the series, Chubak stepped in for game six. But putting in a relatively cold goalie didnÕt have Reagan concerned in the least. ÒIÕve always believed in Carsen,Ó says the coach. ÒHe won the championship last year and we thought it was so important to have him. ÒI had all the confidence in the world in him. ItÕs a good tandem between Calvin and Carsen,Ó he says, adding that Òwhoever is in net is going to give us a good chance to win.Ó Bomber captain Dennis Kubat was not only happy after Sunday nightÕs game, but proud as well. ÒI was happy with the effort. It was good to win in front of the fans and IÕm looking forward to playing Humboldt. ÒItÕs good to be a leader of the team,Ó says the Outlook, SK, native. ÒIÕm really proud of the guys and the way they played.Ó With the upcoming series, Kubat says he doesnÕt know of a game plan right now, but he knows they will be ready by Friday. ÒReags will have something during the week, and we will be ready for Friday,Ó he says, adding after a couple of days rest. Reid MacLeod, who was honoured before the start of SundayÕs game with three trophies Ð SJHL Top Scorer, Second Team All-Star and HBMS Top Scorer with a copper puck Ð agreed with both Chubak and MacLeod about Sunday nightÕs efforts. ÒIt felt good,Ó he says about the win. ÒWe had a good chance at winning and it was great. Having the chance to win the series at home is always good.Ó With Melfort out of the way, Humboldt is up next. And with the Bombers taking on the top team in Canada, MacLeod says going in as the underdogs is a good thing. ÒThey are number one for a reason and itÕs going to be a great series,Ó says the forward. ÒAs the underdogs there is no pressure to win, which could be a good factor. ÒWeÕre going in free-wheelinÕ it,Ó he says. ÒWeÕve got nothing to lose. If we win, great, but if we donÕt, well, we werenÕt supposed to.Ó The Whitney Forum had just under 1,000 fans out for the game, but as the puck dropped and the plays went on, the sound coming from the rink was louder than any other game this season. Led by Chubak, the Bombers hit the ice knowing they could win the series with this game. The Maroon and White proved they were in it to win it as Barrett Penner got the first of the teamÕs two goals past Ilia Ejov after 5:37 of play after being fed by David Linsley and Cole Wilson. Penner was the only scorer for the first period, but both the Bombers and the Mustangs fired off nine shots in the first 20 minutes of play. Tommy Castonguay was sent to the box for tripping while Melfort had John Payne and Matt Hill in for tripping as well. But the second period was when the BomberÕs fate was sealed as Kubat found the net with the help of Mitch Dougall and MacLeod, with two minutes left in the period. Two goals was all it took for the Bombers as they finished the last few minutes of the third period to the fans singing ÒKiss Him GoodbyeÓ by Steam. With the cheers of ÒNa Na Hey Hey GoodbyeÓ filling the rink, the Bombers celebrated at their net before a genuinely nice hand shake line up before a moose leg celebration, with three legs at centre ice. After a victorious win, Reagan was feeling pretty good. As both Melfort and Flin Flon knew it was do-or-die time, Reagan says itÕs hard to say who wanted it more. The Bombers really wanted it, but so did the visiting team. ÒIÕve been stressing that you have to want it more and I think we did the little things right tonight. Melfort battled the whole time and credit goes to them as they didnÕt give up.Ó Going into Sunday nightÕs game the Bombers sat with a 3-2 record, but the coach says he was feeling pretty confident with the odds. ÒWe felt pretty confident with the odds, but there are always a little bit of nerves, but the guys stuck to the system. ÒWith Bartsey being hurt, Chubak stepped in for the shutout. Credit goes to everyone for the way they played defense,Ó he says. With a tentative date for Friday for the Northern Division Championship against Humboldt, Reagan says heÕs feeling confident. ÒIÕm happy with the way weÕre playing hockey,Ó he says. ÒWeÕve come together a lot since the beginning of the series.Ó But playing the best team in the country comes with its challenges as well. ÒThey are going to be a tough team to beat and weÕre going to have to be on our game night in and night out. You canÕt make too many mistakes.Ó With 300 Flin Flonners out in Melfort for Saturday nightÕs game and 1,000 for SundayÕs game, Reagan says itÕs really nice to see the fans out there. ÒItÕs a special time for the organization. The guys have worked really hard and those who have come out, itÕs really appreciated.Ó With the next series about to get underway, the coach says he hopes to see a good turnout. ÒItÕs extremely exciting and we hope the crowds just get bigger.Ó
