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.
A good week of practice paid off for the Flin Flon Bombers last Friday night as they faced off against the Hawks in Nipawin. An early first period goal put the Bombers ahead, which carried them through until toward the end of the period when their second marker gave the team the two-goal cushion they were looking for. Going into the second period with that cushion was important for the Bombers, as the last time they faced off against the Hawks, they were unable to secure a 2-0 lead. ÒIt was very important to score a goal before the period was out,Ó said head coach Mike Reagan, noting that it was the teamÕs Òbiggest goalÓ of the night. Heading into the second and third periods, the Bombers had a weight lifted off their shoulders. ÒIt relieved a bit of pressure,Ó says Reagan. Though the Bombers had a few chances in the first period to score their second goal, it didnÕt come until the last few minutes of the period. ÒYou never want to let a team hang around after missing an opportunity,Ó says the coach. ÒIt comes back to bite you in the butt.Ó But the Bombers kept on top of things and opened fire for the rest of the game Ð scoring another six goals. ÒNipawin didnÕt have a strong effort,Ó Reagan says. ÒThey lost a lot of battles and they didnÕt compete very hard, which our guys did.Ó So with a weak effort from the home team, the Maroon and White were able to get past the Hawks and take their two points. In between periods the Bomber dressing room was an upbeat and energetic place as their confidence was still high. ÒThe guys felt confident playing...and we had a good week of practice,Ó says Reagan. There was a Ògood feeling with the team from the practice and just before the game,Ó he says. Reagan says it was a solid effort during the week that helped the boys get to where they were Friday. ÒThey just had a lot of jump and felt good, and they were skating well,Ó he says. Still, in Nipawin it was anyoneÕs game for the first little bit. But going in as a confident team, it was hard to get anything past the Bombers. ÒObviously it was a big win against Nipawin,Ó Reagan says. ÒItÕs the nice to get the first win on the road trip. And it felt good.Ó Though the team was flying high in Nipawin, they knew they were going to have to step up their game for the next night. The following is a game summary from FridayÕs game between the Flin Flon Bombers and the Nipawin Hawks at the Centennial Arena: An early goal, 27 seconds into the first period, got the Bombers on the clock as Cole Wilson found the back of the net with help from linemate David Lawrence and Reid McLeod. That goal stood for the Bombers with a 1-0 lead over the home team for the majority of the first 20 minutes of play. And just shy of the two-minute mark, Bomber Alex Lamontagne got the pack from Tommy Castonguay and Cole Gibson for the teamÕs second goal. Lamontagne was also given the periodÕs only penalty as he was given two minutes for roughing after the whistle Ð giving the Hawks a power play, but they were unable to get past Ryan Kerpan. It was a slow shooting period for the Hawks as Kerpan was tossed the pucks nine times while the Bombers dumped two of their 13 past Kraymer Barnstable, who was pulled later in the second period, giving Adrien Lemay a chance to stop the Bombers. The Maroon and White kept their pace going for the second period as a number of players picked up a few points with five more goals. First up was Doug McLeod who got past at the 3:40 mark on an unassisted power play goal, making it 3-0, before dumping in his second of the night, the teamÕs fourth, with help from Mathieu Lecours and Devin Mitzner. The team followed two minute intervals for a short time as next up was Mitzner, with help from Brennan Cox and Harley Garrioch on a power play. Now at the 16:35 mark on the clock, Lawrence made his way to the back of the net, giving Wilson and Patrick Sitko each a helper Ð making it 6-0. And the team had one more goal in them before the period was over. It was a good line for Garrioch and Cox as they assisted a power play goal with Lamontagne for his second of the night. A few more penalties were dished out in the second 20 minutes of play. Bombers Wilson and David Dykstra were in the bin for minor penalties while Frank Riddle was given five minutes for fighting. As for shots on goal, the Bombers offered nearly the same amount at the first period, with 14 shots this time, while the Hawks came at Kerpan only six times. If it wasnÕt already done in the first period, the third sealed the deal for the Bombers with another goal before the Hawks scored their first and only goal of the game. Scoring a hat trick for the Bombers, Doug made his way past Lemay with help from Cox and Dykstra before former Bomber Shawn McNulty rattled the mesh nearing the middle of the period. They only needed that one shot, but the Bombers fired off another 13 that period, for a three period total of 29. And the Bombers stayed consistent as they offered another 13 shots Ð giving them a total of 40 against the Hawks. After the 8-1 blowout against the Hawks, the Bombers hit the road to face the Humboldt Broncos in a game of revenge Ð which hit Flin Flon hard with a 9-2 loss.
