The Flin Flon Bombers picked up three of a possible four points this past weekend when they hosted the Kindersley Klippers.
The Bombers ended a six-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over the visiting Kindersley Klippers on Friday, Oct. 21. The next night, Saturday, Oct. 22, Flin Flon fell 4-3 in overtime to the Klippers.
“We got back to skating. We got back to being aggressive,” said Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan. “That’s the strength of our team – being aggressive and skating.”
After the weekend, the Bombers sported a 7-6-2-1 record. They sat second behind Nipawin in the SJHL’s Sherwood Division.
Last Friday night, Flin Flon utilized a five-goal second period to boost it to victory. Reagan said it was good to see players like Greyson Reitmeier (two), Jason Lavallee, and Rylee Zimmer light the lamp.
“Finally some pucks went in for us,” Reagan said. “We just haven’t had a lot of puck luck. It seems like every team we play we run into a hot goaltender.”
Friday marked the debut of defenceman Eric Sinclair. Acquired earlier in the week from Melville, the former Melfort Mustang made his presence known with a pair of assists on Flin Flon’s first two goals.
Sinclair was paired with captain Braden Lacoursiere on Friday and, on Saturday, Joseph Leonidas, who had finished serving a three-game suspension on Friday for a match penalty.
“He is exactly what we needed and expected,” Reagan said of Sinclair. “It is phenomenal how he was able to play as well as he did without skating for a month.”
On Saturday, Flin Flon trailed 3-1 after the second intermission. Nick Shumlanski’s second goal of the night and Leonidas’ second of the season sent the game to an extra session.
“That showed a lot of character,” said Reagan, who noted that Shumlanski’s shorthanded goal seemed to change the momentum. “In the third period we had a lot of push.”
Reagan said his team needs to keep getting better. The Bombers host Weyburn (9-5-0-1 excluding Tuesday) on Friday night, while the Finning Division-leading Estevan Bruins (10-3-0-1) visit the Whitney Forum on Saturday.
Flin Flon wraps up a five-game home stand on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at the Whitney Forum against Sherwood Division rival Melfort Mustangs (5-8-0-2).
