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It's official, the Bombers are going into the Christmas break with a three-game home winning streak. The Maroon and White took on the Battlefords North Stars Tuesday night and celebrated with a traditional moose leg throw over their 5-4 shootout win. The Bombers were short a few players as Reid MacLeod was in Winkler, Man., for the Prospects Game, Michael Denis made his way back to Quebec to finish some business and Harley Garrioch was still out with an injury. The team called up Jordan Crone and Tanner Korchinski from the Norman Northstars. Even though the Bombers came out on top in the shootout, head coach Mike Reagan says the effort was missing from the game. "I'm happy we won but I'm pissed off at the effort," he says. The first two periods the team was struggling, but the third period saw the them score within the first 13 seconds. What changed the momentum of the game? Reagan says it was "a little motivation during the intermission, I think." Carsen Chubak started things off in net for the Maroon and White as the Bombers took to the ice. The first period saw a tie early on as the Bombers scored the first goal of the game at the 1:02 mark. Dennis Kubat found the back of the net with help from Dustyn Clegg. And while the Bombers were still on the high of the goal, the North Stars got one past Chubak to tie things up at one apiece before the two-minute mark hit the clock. Back and Forth Both clubs played the ice back and forth, as neither seemed to be able to keep the puck in the opposing end. The visitors lit the lantern another time that period, as former Bomber Kirk Moore got one past Chubak. With the score now 2-1, the Bombers got back into it as Pierre-Luc Boucher tied things up, assisted by Barrett Penner. The 836 fans looking on saw very few penalties as the Bombers served their first of two in the first period. Brennan Cox sat out for two minutes for tripping, while the North Stars had two behind the glass. Brody Malek was out for interference while goalie Ryan Kerpan was called on delay of game. Teammate Mitch Wall sat out for Kerpan. Chubak had only seven shots come his way as the Bombers shot back 12 shots to Kerpan. The second period was similar to the first as there was a lot of back and forth play across the ice. The North Stars got the scoring going in the second 20 minutes of play when Tony Oak got one past Chubak at 6:31. Calvin Bartel took his turn between the pipes as Chubak was sent back to the bench. Kubat found the puck for the second time during the game as he got one past Kerpan, making the score 3-3. Assisting Kubat's second goal of the night were Clegg and Myles Masse. As the announcement of the Bombers' third goal of the game was finishing up, the North Stars got one past Bartel, breaking the tie. The second period saw only three penalties as North Stars John Midtdal and John Dalton were called on interference. In the second both Chubak and Bartel saw five shots on net and the Bombers managed 11 on Kerpan. Flin Flon came back with vengeance as Clegg got one past Kerpan after only 13 seconds into the third period with help from Kubat. With the game tied at four each, the Bombers and the North Stars played the ice hoping for another goal, but the game was sent into overtime. See 'Score...' on pg. Continued from pg. In the third period Bartel had the puck come his way four times as the Bombers had nine shots on Kerpan. Cole Wilson found himself in the sin bin for two minutes for holding and North Star Mitch Wall was put away for elbowing. The overtime was scoreless, sending things into a shootout. The North Stars managed two shots on Bartel while the Bombers doubled up and had four chances on Kerpan. The visitors got thing rolling with their first shooter, but was stopped by Bartel. Kerpan stopped Boucher's attempt and the North Stars just couldn't get past Bartel, either. Clegg was next but he was off as Kerpan kept it from the net. Bartel poke checked nicely as another Star tried to break the tie. Masse was next for the Bombers, but he was a little to low for the gold. Bartel let one slide in, but it wasn't enough for the North Stars as Kubat and Brennan Cox both found the back of the net for the win. The Bombers skated away with two points and the North Stars got back on the bus with one point under their belt. While many fans hate the thought of a shootout, Reagan has no issue with them. "It's always stressful, but I like shootouts. I enjoy them," says the coach. "On our team we've got a lot of skilled guys and our guys can finish better than other teams." Applause and cheer was coming from the Whitney Forum as the lineup for the shootout took their turn with the puck. The Bombers put out five shooters, and Reagan says there was a reason for each player. "Boucher is a very skilled player," he says, adding that he is a good choice for shootouts. "Clegg had put up a lot of points lately and Masse is a gifted offensive player with patience and good hands. Kubat is a game player and when the game is on the line, you know he's there. Coxy is also a good offensive player and nothing seems to rattle him," says Reagan. "It was a typical game against Battlefords. We were sloppy tonight. The guys need to get over the mental stumbling block of playing teams below us," he says, adding that "we need to play every game like we're playing the top team." The Bombers head to Battlefords tonight as they challenge the North Stars on their own turf and then head to Kindersley tomorrow to take on the Klippers. "We want to go into the Christmas Break on a five game winning streak," says Reagan. "We've played well at home, but we need to perform well on the road now. We've got two big games before the the break." After the Christmas break, it's a home-and-home weekend as the Bombers head to Melfort on December 29 before the Millionaires travel to the Whitney Forum to wrap up 2007 on December 30.
