There’s nothing sweeter in hockey than winning a big game on home ice. Last weekend, the Flin Flon bantam Bombers, no strangers to big wins lately, got to feel the joy of hometown tournament gold.
The bantams won their fifth tournament in five tries and have still not lost a game in regulation, extending the team’s record to 16 wins, two ties and one overtime defeat.
The latest tournament for the Bombers started out inauspiciously with the team’s first loss of the season, a 4-3 overtime defeat against The Pas Huskies. From there, however, the Bombers clawed back, beating the Thompson King Miners 4-0 and tying the Norway House North Stars 2-2 to earn a spot in the gold medal game against Thompson.
In the second straight tournament final between the Thompson and Flin Flon teams in recent weeks, the Bombers came out on top. Despite goalie Ryan Pedwell playing through a nasty illness, Flin Flon won 4-2 and snagged home tournament glory.
It’s the fifth consecutive tournament win for the bantam Bombers this season. The team has previously won tournaments in Shellbrook, Sask., Thompson and Morden.
In The Pas earlier this month, the bantams claimed their fourth tournament win after beating The Pas Huskies 7-3, tying Thompson 4-4 and beating Hudson Bay 7-5 in the first round before Austin Weseen scored the tournament winner in a overtime 8-7 win against Thompson in the finals.
This season, the Bantams have been paced by the offence of forwards Jacob Kuzmiak, Embry Roberts and Nolan Rideout, while receiving contributions from others like Evan Reid, Weseen and Shayden Linklater and getting standout showings from goalies Pedwell and Paxton Moore.
