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.
The Maroon and White were down on the scoreboard for most of Tuesday's game against the Nipawin Hawks, but the third period proved to be crucial for the Bombers. Coming from behind, Flin Flon tied the game and earned two more goals for a 6-4 home victory over the visiting Hawks. Heading into the game, the Bombers led the Bauer Conference with 70 points while the Hawks were at the bottom of the standings with 45 points. Head coach and GM Mike Reagan was expecting the Bombers to come out and blow the lid off the Hawks. Still playing a good game, the Bombers were able to redeem themselves for the win. "I wasn't disappointed with the way we played the game," said Reagan. While his teammates limited the Hawks to 24 shots, Bomber goalie Klynt Spencer had an off night. "We were hoping this might be the night he gains his confidence, but we had to put (Matt Weninger) in there," said the coach. The Bombers took the lead early in the first period with a goal against the Hawks after Deven Stillar (Jonathan Young) lit the lantern at 3:45. But the Hawks came back with their first goal of the period at 6:04 Ð followed by a shorthanded goal four minutes later. Reagan said Spencer had a bad start and wasn't able to recover. "I know the kid is frustrated. It's a tough decision," said Reagan of pulling his back-up goalie. "I wanted to leave him in there, but we really needed those two points." Spencer played the second period, but was replaced by Weninger in the third. Stillar started the scoring in the second with his second of the night (Mike Rey, Taylor Thiessen). The Hawks came back with two more goals before the end of the period. But it was Flin Flon's Dominic Martel who had the last say in the second period as he narrowed the Hawks' lead down to 4-3 with help from Michael Young and Rey. The second period came with numerous chances for the Bombers, but they were unable to bury them against former Bomber goalie Ryan Kerpan. "We had lots of opportunities," Reagan said. "The problem was, that our guys assumed that...we just had to tap it in. "Against a big goaltender like Kerpan, you can't do that. You've got to bury it when you get an opportunity." The third period was all Bombers as Andrew Johnston earned the team's fourth goal with help from Alex Lamontagne and Martel. Earning the fifth goal, Mathieu Lecours (Tanner Korchinski) got one past Kerpan on a power play. With the Bombers now in the lead, Ryan Fox made it official with a shorthanded goal against the Hawks to close out the scoring 6-4. A sigh of relief passed through the Bomber bench when the team earned their fifth goal and took the lead over the Hawks. "I was happy to see that our guys believed we could come back," said Reagan. "We've got a very good hockey club and it just comes down to us going out there and playing to our potential." Going into the Christmas break, the Bombers were unstoppable, but as of late, the Maroon and White haven't been on the same path. "We're not getting the same results as we were at the beginning of the year," said Reagan. But, to the Bombers' credit, they played one of their best road games recently in Humboldt, though the night ended with a loss. "We dominated them. Winny just had a bad night," said Reagan, referring to Weninger. "That's going to happen from time to time. "That just goes to show you," he said, "a veteran goalie like Winny, who's been there before, can bounce back from that and give us the six saves in the third period we needed tonight." Noting that Spencer is having a hard time bouncing back from bad starts, Reagan points to the goaltender's young age. The Bombers host the Battlefords North Stars this weekend in a double-header. The Stars sit just under the Bombers in the Bauer Conference standings. Reagan says with the possibility of these two teams fighting for the Division title, this weekend is going to be important. "I'm excited. I think it's going to be a lot of fun," he said. "...I think people should be excited for it." With positive vibes flowing through the Bomber dressing room, Reagan says he hopes to see the thousand-plus fans he knows are out there. "We need to have this type of challenge in front of us Ð to really come into the weekend where we know this is a big series for us." Hoping to see the Whitney Forum full, Reagan says this weekend is going to offer entertaining hockey.
