It took some late game heroics, but the Flin Flon Bombers got it done, earning a 4-3 win over Melfort.
Bomber captain Ben Lanfermann started the scoring with a pinpoint shot on the powerplay, but Melfort responded with goals by Rock Ruschkowski and Drew Warkentine - both taking advantage of defensive lapses.
Brandson Hein tied the game with another powerplay goal in the second, but Warkentine got Melfort the league once again later in the period.
In the third period, the Bombers were behind the eight ball after defenseman Vaughan Bamford earned a double-minor for roughing and a ten-minute misconduct. Not only did the Bombers kill the lengthy penalty off, but they managed to find the Melfort net - Rob Johnson, after stealing the puck from a Mustang defenseman, waltzed in on a breakaway and beat Melfort goalie Hunter Arps shorthanded.
Sensing there was blood in the water, the Bombers crashed the Melfort net. Late in the third, a goalmouth scrum ended with the puck on Hein's stick - he scored his second of the game and 10th goal in 18 games, giving the Bombers a late lead.
The Mustangs pushed the Flin Flon defense late after pulling Arps for an extra attacker. A key shot block by forward Tyler Nyman, who recently returned to the Bomber lineup after two months off the ice with injuries, sealed the deal for the Bombers. Nyman was injured on the shot, but his efforts didn't go unnoticed - some members of the Bomber faithful chanted Nyman's name as a teammate helped him to the dressing room after the game.
Bomber goalie Brenden Newton got the win with 27 saves, while Arps stopped 31 pucks in a losing cause.
The Mustangs came to the Whitney Forum with no less than four midget players in the lineup - Jordan Dasko, Colton Schell, Zack Smith and Beau Stevenson. Dasko, Schell and Smith all played this year with the Tisdale Trojans midget AAA team, coached by former 'Stangs bench boss Darrell Mann. The Mustangs also played without an assistant coach or a trainer on the bench.
The Bombers clinched the ninth seed in this year's playoffs with the win, ensuring they'd finish the season above tenth-place Melville with one game to go. The Bombers now have 54 points on the season - Melville could still reach 54 points, but the Bombers hold the tiebreaker over the Mils.
Flin Flon will either take on Weyburn or Notre Dame in the wildcard series. Flin Flon is 2-2 against the Hounds this year, but have lost all four games they've played against the Red Wings. The Bombers will play at least one playoff game at home - a date has yet to be officially announced by the league.
Only one more regular season game remains for the Bombers - the last installment of the Hanson Lake Road rivalry this season against the La Ronge Ice Wolves. While the Ice Wolves will finish in last place for the second straight season, they have beaten the Bombers three times in nine meetings this year.
The final game of the season will be played on Mar. 9 at the Whitney Forum.
