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.
The Flin Flon Kinsmen Bombers are geared up to host the Bantam 'AA' Provincial Championships this weekend. Games will be played at the Whitney Forum in Flin Flon and Creighton Sportex on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with nine rural teams playing for gold. Flin Flon will be playing in the red pool against Brandon and Steinbach. The white pool will feature Dauphin, Morden and The Pas, while Portage, Swan Valley and Thompson will battle in the black pool. After the round robin, the top six teams will advanvce to the playoff round, with the top two teams getting byes to the semifinals on Sunday morning. The winners will meet in the gold medal game at 5 p.m. on Sunday, with the champion advancing to play in the final four tournament in Winnipeg. The Kinsmen Bombers have had a good season so far, and coach Brad Snyder expects the weekend to be very competitive. "The kids have been getting progressively better every time out," he said. "We've got nine teams here for Provincials. We're only going to go as far as our best players take us. It's like any other team. If your best players aren't playing up to their potential, then you aren't going to be successful." Key players on the Bombers are Matthew Chambers and Steven Robinson, who Snyder says are two of the premiere Bantam players in the province Like any other team, you need leaders, and a solid supporting cast, which includes Rudy Pegg and Walker Wintoneak, who have been playing excellent hockey lately. As far as ranking the teams heading into the weekend, Snyder says that it would be very tough for anybody to seed the nine teams participating. Portage, Morden, Swan Valley, Dauphin and Flin Flon have all met in tournaments, and have wins and losses against each other this season. The Kinsmen Bombers were able to put together winning streaks of 11 games and 15 games in tournament play this season, and Snyder knows that a hot streak from any team may be all it takes to win this year. "This is going to be one of those Provincials that whoever shows up that weekend and plays the best will win," he said. Goaltending is always a big part of building a championship team, and Flin Flon has two outstanding netminders in Shayne Pearson and Ryan Scott. Both are second year Bantam players, but Pearson has a year of 'AA' experience under his belt, while Scott is playing his first year under Snyder. "Ryan has really come a long way this year," said Snyder. "He's a topnotch goalie now. He's been working hard, and has played in some big games for us and been successful." Flin Flon has been one of the stronger teams in the North this year, beating Thompson and The Pas by scores of 9-1 and 9-2 at previous tournaments, and shutting out Swan Valley 6-0. See 'Chance' P.# Con't from P.# "It's going to be very close this year," said Snyder. "Everybody is nip-and-tuck. We have, if not as good a chance, a better chance of winning, because we're playing at home." Snyder has been coaching the Kinsmen Bombers with Steve Pickering as his assistant for the past three seasons, and may be handing the reigns down next season. "Steve is a really good hockey guy," said Snyder. "He, or somebody else will likely be taking over the team next year. It's time for me to find something else to do and pass the torch." Snyder has been coaching the Bantam team off and on for a number of years, and has won the provincial title four times - three with the 'AA' and one with a 'AAA' team, as well as a Midget 'AA' title and a bronze medal at the Western Canadian Bantam Championships. "Over the years, we've done pretty well," he said. "It's been a lot of fun."
