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.
It was a disappointing loss for the Flin Flon Bombers Wednesday night as the Estevan Bruins took over the scoreboard 4-2. While the Bombers lit the lantern early on, it wasn't enough to hold up against the visiting team in the end. Reid MacLeod scored his 32nd goal of the season, only 30 seconds into the game. Carsen Chubak was between the pipes and had 27 shots come his way throughout the game as the Bombers shot their 26 on Estevan's Karsetn Felske. In an attempt to bring up the score, the Bombers pulled Chubak during a play, but the decision backfired as the Bruins scored their final goal of the game. A total of 808 people turned out to the game on Wednesday in the Whitney Forum. And if they weren't watching every second they might have missed MacLeod's goal, which was assisted by Harley Garrioch. Scoring 30 seconds after the first face-off, the Bombers were up 1-0 and that goal stood for the Bombers through the first period, but it was the second period when the Bruins matched the Maroon and White. The first period saw three penalties for both teams. For the Bombers, David Linsley sat his two minutes in the sin bin for checking to the head and was given a 10 minute misconduct. Garrioch saw the box once for his own hooking and then later sat out Scott Day's penalty for roughing. Day was also given two minutes for roughing after the whistle and a 10 minute misconduct. The Bruins saw Chad Filteau behind the glass for interference, while Brenna Wrigley was called on roughing and given a 10 minute misconduct as well. The second 20 minutes of play started off slow as it was back and forth over the ice until the Bruins found their sticks and managed their first goal of the night. With the score tied at one apiece, the scoring was over for the second period. Once again the Bombers received two penalties, while Estevan saw three. Bomber J.M Allard was given two minutes in the cooler for tripping, while Barrett Penner was called on slashing. Bruin Davis Brown was called on his hooking, while Chad Filteau was sent to the box for goalie interference. And Riley Tetreault was given his two minute sentence for tripping. The third period saw more action than the first two combined as the Bruins scored three more goals and the Bombers scored one more. It was Estevan first as Chad Filtreau got one past Chubak, making the score 2-1 at 8:14. The Bombers answered back at 14:45 as Day got one past Felske with the help of linemate Cameron MacKinnon. With the score tied back at two apiece, the Whitney Forum was a rockin` as fans were yelling their nice and not so nice thoughts. Everything from dissing the Bruins to cheering on the Bombers and calling on the referees. The racket didn't seem to bother the Bruins as they got past Chubak for a third time that night at 18:09. A little over a minute later, when the Bombers pulled Chubak, the Bruins scored their fourth goal, and empty netter, to make the final score 4-2 for the visiting Gold and White. Bomber head coach Mike Reagan was disappointed as the team stayed in fourth place in the Itech Conference and was left three points under the La Ronge Ice Wolves. "I'm disappointed with the effort of the guys and I thought Estevan wanted the game more than we did," he says. The Bombers lost their third home game this year. Reagan says of Wednesday's effort that "we're fighting to find consistency to play a full 60 minutes." While the Bombers were playing the game physically, the coach says they weren't there mentally. "We need to stay focused for the full 60 minutes," he says, adding "they know their roles and they know their jobs." The Bombers scored the first goal, but Reagan says he didn't think the team showed up in full for the game. "I don't know if we're over confident or what," he says. "We just didn't look sharp tonight." The regular season is half over now, and Reagan says as the season progresses the team is supposed to find their identity, but "I think the guys are missing the point of our identity. "We only think of the offense and we don't concentrate on the defence," he says. The coach adds "we don't give up a lot of shots during the game. It's not the quantity of shots given up it's the quality of shots given up." New Name The Bombers added a new name to the roster as Michael Denis joined the Maroon and White. Denis came from the Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs of the LHJAAAQ from Chateauguay, Quebec. Reagan says the newly acquired Denis will give depth to the Bombers. "Tonight he finished his checks... and he's going to bring depth, and more energy to the team hopefully," says Reagan. Denis played his first game with the Bombers on Wednesday night, but hasn't had an opportunity to practice with the team yet. The Bombers challenge the La Ronge Ice Wolves in a must-win game tonight in their rescheduled make up game. Tomorrow night the Maroon and White take on the Weyburn Red Wings in the Whitney Forum.
