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.
Simon Hofley was a brick wall in his debut between the pipes as his Flin Flon Bombers downed the Weyburn Red Wings last week. The rookie netminder turned away 46 of 47 shots and maintained a shutout until late in the third period as Flin Flon earned a 4-1 home victory on Friday, Oct. 11. Hofley's teammates found their game in the final frame with the match-up scoreless after two periods. As for Hofley's regular season debut, head coach and GM Mike Reagan said it spoke for itself. 'There isn't much else to say _ he did all the speaking for himself,' said the couch. '...I think he proved to his teammates that they could rely on him.' Reagan says Hofley gained respect and confidence from not only his teammates, but the coaching staff and fans as well. '...which is huge for his own personal confidence,' he said. The Bombers fought hard last Friday night as they fired off 44 shots _ 34 of them in the second and third periods. Hofley's busiest period was the final frame, when he faced 21 shots. Big shot Brett Boehm scored the first goal of the game, sending fans into a frenzy when he made it a 1-0 game at 3:45 of the third period. Danys Chartrand got in on the action with an assist. Hometown product Dillan McCombie earned the second goal of the night as he doubled the lead at 6:15 with a shorthanded marker with help from Cam Blair. Blair was next on the score sheet as he made it a 3-0 game at 16:09 with help from Brody Robinson and Sean Whelan. The Red Wings broke Hofley's shutout on a power play at 16:48, but that was as close as they would get to tying things up. McCombie picked up his second goal of the night at 19:16 with help from Blair and Chartrand. In a recent game against the Nipawin Hawks, the Bombers fell flat in the third period. Reagan says it was nice to close out the game with a strong final frame this time. 'I liked how we won the game in the third period,' he said. 'The important thing is finding a way to win. At the end of the day it doesn't matter if it's pretty, you just need to find ways to win.' Road win The Bombers headed into Melville Tuesday night to take on the Millionaires. Before the game, Reagan said Flin Flon's four-game road swing in five days would give the team a chance to see 'what we are made of.' '...these southern swings are tough,' he said. 'Winning on the road in this league is hard.' But the Bombers were up to the challenge as they nearly doubled up on the home side with a 7-4 victory. 'We always set a goal of being .500 or better on the road,' Reagan said. 'Getting the first win early takes pressure off the rest of the trip.' Though they had the first win out of the way, the Bombers still faced tough competition. Wednesday night, the Maroon and White travelled to Estevan and will visit the Red Wings tonight and the Notre Dame Hounds tomorrow. Reagan says when a team loses the first few games in a road trip, the 'pressure really builds up.' The southern road trips, which come every year for the Bombers, are also used as a way to measure the players' abilities. 'We usually use this road trip to make decisions on a lot of guys (and) to see if we can win with them,' Reagan said. See 'Good' on pg. Continued from pg. 'A good Bomber road team usually bodes well for the end of the season.' The Bombers have made some changes since the start of the regular season, saying goodbye to Justin Rasmussen and Jean Kristoff Grenier. '...since they have been gone our work ethic and the mood in the (dressing) room has been better,' said Reagan. The two players had been brought to the organization to help foster team chemistry. But Reagan said that wasn't happening. '...we just weren't getting that and felt that it was better for the overall team to give others the chance that had earned it,' he said. Reagan feels that he now has a group that is comfortable and comes to the rink with a better work ethic. 'Team chemistry is so important,' Reagan said. With team chemistry back in check, Reagan says the Bombers will be working on their simple game for this road series. 'I think we need to simplify our game on the road (and) just be concerned with getting pucks out of our end,' he said. As they travel to Weyburn and Notre Dame this weekend, Reagan says the Bombers' accommodations have really improved since last year. The team's new personalized bus has made a big difference in travel _ as well as leaving the team more in control of their schedule. But it's not just the players who are noticing a difference. 'Everywhere we go we have people commenting on how sharp a bus we have,' Reagan said. 'I think it's already had an impact on how our organization is viewed. It will really help with our recruiting this winter.' The Bombers are back in action at the Whitney Forum next Thursday as they welcome the Estevan Bruins and then the Notre Dame Hounds the next night.
