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.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer The rumblings around the Whitney Forum Tuesday night were that if the Bombers defeated the Yorkton Terriers, they would break a record. Sitting at 11-0 on home ice heading into the game, the Bombers may have been in place to set a new team record for most consecutive home wins to start a season. Plenty of stories were told around the arena, though there was no reliable confirmation of whether a 12-0 start would indeed set a new benchmark for Flin Flon. Nonetheless, the Bombers preserved their perfect record with a 4-0 victory over the Terriers. 'I think if it is a record that it's something that is a feather in the cap,' said head coach and GM Mike Reagan. Impressive Even though the record is, if true, impressive, Reagan says that's not the team's focus. 'We're not here to break records or anything like that, unless it's a championship record,' he said with a laugh. 'We're here to do one thing _ win a championship.' The Bombers extended their home winning streak as Konrad Litke, Brett Boehm, Dylan Balaski and Spencer Mault picked up markers against the Terriers. Earning a power play goal in the first period, the Bombers were up 1-0 thanks to Litke. Boehm was on target just five minutes later as he lit the lantern again. Flin Flon's third and fourth goals came in the second and third period. Balaski notched a goal at the 13-second mark to make it 3-0, while Mault's 15:42 power play goal was the last of the night. Reagan says the record that may have been broken is impressive, but it doesn't mean the team can stop. 'But it's always nice to be able to reach milestones.' See 'It...' on pg. 5 Continued from pg. 4 'And it gives you a sense of accomplishment,' said the coach. 'It can be rewarding for the guys.' Following Tuesday's game the Bombers remained on top of the SJHL and, of course, in first place in the Bauer Conference with an overall record of 17-4-0-0. Reagan says the success on home ice may help bring out the best in his players. 'Mentally, I think it could be a big thing for us,' Reagan says, noting that in the dressing room before games the guys are given a 'hey fellas, let's keep this streak going' pep talk. 'It can...keep the guys motivated,' he said. Reagan says a big challenge is to keep the players motivated and not to let them 'go mentally soft.' 'It's a good thing Humboldt is right on our tails (in the standings),' he said. 'If you don't keep going or don't have anything pushing you, sometimes it's hard to find reasons to play.' 'That sounds terrible,' Reagan said of finding reasons to play, 'but it's a long season and the guys get mentally tired.' Following the 4-0 win over Yorkton, Flin Flin sat with 34 points in first place overall. The Broncos sat in second place in the SJHL and Bauer Conference with 29 points. Meeting Goals Over the course of his time on the bench as coach, Reagan has made it clear he wants his team to be in the top three in the SJHL come playoffs. It's now a third of the way through the season and the Bombers claim first place by five points. 'To be in the position we're in is something that we were expecting and hoping when we built this team,' said Reagan. Last season, the Bombers fared well at the beginning of the season. Reagan says oftentimes fans and spectators have very high expectations. 'I give our staff a lot of credit for staying focused and not getting caught up in in the hoopla,' he said. 'It would have been easy for us to say, 'Maybe this year is our year and maybe we should be making some moves.'' The Bomber organization had a vision of what it hoped to accomplish this season. 'So we were patient and now it's paying off for us,' Reagan said, noting that there were no drastic changes to the lineup. Since the season has only reached November, Reagan says the Bombers haven't won anything yet. But they are on a good track. 'We have to keep going and stay motivated. That's the biggest challenge _ staying motivated night in and night out,' he said. Satisfied With consistency on the roster, the names and faces of the Bombers are becoming increasingly familiar to fans. The players are making a name for themselves. And Reagan is for the most part pleased with the lineup in front of him. 'I like our team (but) I think I would like to add something on our back end,' he said. 'I think we need to get a little deeper, but as far as forwards go we're happy.' Reagan says he won't be making any changes in net any time soon. Over the past three weeks, Devin Buffalo and Brandon Wildung have ranked first among SJHL goaltenders in terms of goals-against average. Following Tuesday's game, Buffalo was back on top of the rankings above Humboldt's Matt Hrynkiw. 'Obviously that bodes well for how the success of the team is going to be,' said the coach. 'It's nice to see Buffalo getting rewarded this year.' The returning goaltender was a big part of Flin Flon's backbone last year, though his efforts often fell by the wayside. 'He held us in a lot of games,' said Reagan. 'He's been sensational and so has Wildung.' Reagan isn't the only one impressed with the 19-year-old Buffalo's ability to guard the mesh, as he has had Division 1 schools interested in him. '...we could have him back next year, but the way he's going we might lose him for next year,' said the coach. Please see Monday's Reminder for further coverage and discussion of the season to date with Reagan.
