It was a wild one at the Whitney Forum on Tuesday night as the Flin Flon Bombers downed the league-leading Melfort Mustangs 5-4 in overtime.
The Bombers gave up a three-goal lead in the second period but managed to shut the door in the third period to force OT.
In the extra frame, it was Dean Allison with a slapshot from the top of the circle that beat goaltender Zach DeGraves for the extra point.
It was the only shot of the night to beat DeGraves, who came in to relieve Richard Palmer, who was chased from the net after giving up four goals in the first period.
Chris Rauckman, Austin Evans, Brett Boehm and Brandon Switzer did the scoring for the Bombers in the first, before the Mustangs took over in the second period.
“I think that we had a little bit of a lull there where we kind of backed off a bit,” said Bombers head coach Mike Reagan of their setback during the second. “We were very good in the first period when we were aggressive and physical. I thought we got a little bit comfortable with the 4-1 lead, and against a team like Melfort, they’re just relentless. You can’t do that against them.”
Adversity
The Bombers faced some adversity late in the game, killing off two penalties in the third period on what some might say were questionable calls.
“That’s one thing that we’ve been talking about as a team for the second half,” said Reagan. “We want to have a bit more composure and I thought we did a good job of that. I thought it was really big for us to be able to go into the third period and play as well as we did, and then win it in overtime.”
The Bombers may have drawn some inspiration from Canada’s 5-4 win over Russia at the World Junior Championships on Monday. Up 5-1, the Canadians allowed the Russians back in the game with three quick goals to end the second period.
“We talked about…how the Canadians blew that lead but were able to come out and have a good third period and hang on,” said Reagan. “We knew we had to have a good third period in order to give ourselves a chance to win, and we found a way. Good teams find a way to win, and that’s four in a row for us now. The confidence is gaining for us.”
Tomorrow will be a big day for Flin Flon. Not only is it the trade deadline, but they will also be looking to extend their winning streak to five games, as they host the Notre Dame Hounds.
Deals need to be completed by 9 pm on Saturday, so it is up in the air if Reagan will be behind the bench to start the game or in the dressing room working the phone to finalize a trade.
Head scout John Klassen will also be in town to assist the coaching staff with any potential trades.
So far this season the Bombers and Hounds have met twice, with each team winning one in the other team’s barn.
