The Flin Flon Bombers were flying high in November. Now they hope to keep things going in December and into 2016.
The squad had six wins, two losses and a shootout loss during the month. This success included a four-game winning streak with two back-to-back victories over the SJHL-leading Battlefords North Stars.
“We have been extremely happy with how we have been playing and finding ways to win,” Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said.
The Bombers enter December with a 11-12-0-4 record. They start the month off by hosting Nipawin this Friday, Dec. 4 and Estevan on Saturday, Dec. 5.
They will have to find wins for about the next month without Reagan on the bench. He leaves this week to join Team Canada West as an assistant coach for the 2015 World Junior A Challenge. The prestigious event runs Dec. 13 to 19 in the Ontario communities of Whitby and Cobourg.
Assistant coach Garry Childerhose will guide the team in Reagan’s absence.
The Bombers might change a little this week as the Dec. 1 roster cutdown date was yesterday, Tuesday, with results unavailable at press time. All teams had to be down to 25 carded players.
However, by reducing below 25, teams can give themselves increased flexibility for any future deals before the Jan. 10 trade deadline.
“I like this team,” Reagan said. “I think I see something special in them.”
That said, Reagan would like to see a healthier group. The Bombers, even during their successful November, have had to deal with injuries to key players.
“We just need to get healthy so I can see what this team is capable of doing,” said Reagan, adding that the young players and depth players have stepped up and received valuable ice time and opportunities that will pay dividends in the future.
Last week Reagan brought in a reinforcement in forward Mitch Foyle, who was acquired from Melville to complete the Brett Kitt deal.
Foyle, 19, had two penalty minutes in one game last week. Reagan said he thinks Foyle will fit in well. The Fruitvale, BC, product brings speed, a strong hockey IQ and grit, Reagan said.
Last week the Bombers went 1-2 as they wrapped up a stretch in which they played five games in just eight days.
“We just ran out of steam, I think,” Reagan said. “The effort was there. … You could see they were giving it everything they had.”
The Bombers fell to the La Ronge Ice Wolves, 6-3, on Nov. 24 on the road in a battle of two of the SJHL’s hottest teams. The loss ended Flin Flon’s four-game winning streak,
But the Bombers bounced back with a 3-2 win over Estevan at home on Nov. 26. Flin Flon did all of its scoring in the third period with Brandon Switzer scoring twice and Greyson Reitmeier once.
After splitting up the line of Switzer, Alex Smith and Joel Kocur for much of the month to successfully create two strong offensive lines, Reagan moved the trio back together and it paid off. At the other end of the ice, Zac Robidoux made 40 saves.
On Nov. 27, Flin Flon lost a one-goal game, 4-3, at home to Notre Dame.
When asked about his team’s success in November, Reagan said there were a number of factors.
“I thought that playing well against Melfort early on in the month got us off to a good start,” he said.
Flin Flon started the month by beating their Sherwood Division rivals 4-3 and before losing to them 2-1 in a shootout loss.
Reagan pointed out that Robidoux played tremendously in November.
A pair of additions from Quebec via western leagues also seemed to buoy the Bombers. Former AJHL defenceman Pierre Luc-Morin has three goals in seven games.
Also, forward Jason Lavallee has four goals and eight points in eight games since joining the team from the BCHL.
