The Flin Flon Bombers and Nipawin Hawks finished the weekend right where they started it, tied in the SJHL standings and chasing the Notre Dame Hounds for fourth place overall.
The two teams split a home and home series over the weekend, with Flin Flon winning 3-1 Friday and Nipawin taking Saturday’s game 5-2.
On Friday night in Flin Flon, the Bombers scored three times in the first period and held on to win 3-1 on the strength of their goaltender Simon Hofley.
Hofley made 37 saves on a rare night that saw the Bombers outshot 38-33.
Flin Flon got off to a good start, as Chris Rauckman netted his 36th of the season just 51 seconds after the opening faceoff.
Parker Evans Campbell made it 2-0 just two minutes later, and Austin Evans scored a power play goal at 10:59 to round out the scoring for the Bombers.
Before the period would end, Garrett Dunlop got the Hawks on the board with a power play goal at 19:07 to bring them within two goals.
Both teams had chances in the second and third periods, but both Hofley and Nipawin's Joe O'Brien were perfect through the rest of the night.
Perhaps Hofley's biggest test came during a strange moment in the dying seconds of the third period.
The celebratory moose leg was tossed over the glass and the foghorn sounded, but there were still five seconds left on the clock.
As the puck was deep in their own end, the Bombers were more concerned about protecting their lead than watching the clock.
When the horn sounded, the Bomber players took it to mean that the game was over, and Nipawin was able to get the puck in close for one final shot on net. Hofley got across the crease and made the save.
Stole game
On Saturday night in Nipawin, it was goaltender Joe O'Brien's turn to steal a game, as the Bombers outshot the Hawks 39-32 but fell 5-2 on the scoreboard.
Rob Cameron scored for Flin in the first period to tie the game at 1-1, and Tyler Bell's power play goal at 15:01 of the second period made it a 2-2 game.
A late second period power play goal from Brandan Arnold gave the Hawks the lead, and then Garret Lockeridge scored twice in the third period including and empty net goal to make it a 5-2 final.
According to head coach Mike Reagan, the difference between Friday and Saturday night's games came down to execution.
“I think the difference was that they were able to capitalize on the three mistakes we made on Saturday,” he said. “Friday we didn't make the same glowing mistakes.”
The Bombers played host to the league-leading Melfort Mustangs last night, after The Reminder went to press.
The Mustangs clinched their second straight Sherwood Division pennant on the weekend, as neither the Hawks nor the Bombers can catch them in the standings.
Flin Flon now has five games remaining before the start of the playoffs. They will be on the road this weekend for games in Melville and Yorkton.
The following weekend the Bombers will play a home and away series against the La Ronge Ice Wolves before finishing off the schedule with a game in Flin Flon against the Nipawin Hawks – a match-up that could determine playoff seeds.
SJHL Top Scorers
excluding yesterday’s games
Player Team GP G A PTS PIM
1 Travis Mayan Melfort Mustangs 50 34 39 73 18
2 Owen LaClare Kindersley Klippers 48 31 29 60 156
3 Chris Rauckman Flin Flon Bombers 50 36 21 57 49
4 Darcy DeRoose Kindersley Klippers (total) 51 20 32 52 73
5 Kris Spriggs Nipawin Hawks 50 17 34 51 20
6 Garrett Dunlop Nipawin Hawks 44 17 31 48 60
7 Dean Allison Flin Flon Bombers 50 14 34 48 41
8 Sam Aulie Notre Dame Hounds 50 18 28 46 29
9 Tristan Frei Melfort Mustangs 50 12 34 46 46
10 Alex Smith Flin Flon Bombers 48 17 28 45 120
