The pressure is definitely on the Battlefords North Stars.
The Flin Flon Bombers entered Tuesday’s game 3 with a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven semi-final series against the SJHL’s regular season champs.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Flin Flon head coach Mike Reagan said. “At the end of the day, we have to win four games…
“We have this opportunity and we need to cash in on it.”
The Bombers pulled out two tough road victories in North Battleford over the weekend.
In game 1 last Friday, April 1, Flin Flon beat the host Battlefords 3-1 with Kristian St. Onge’s game winner coming in the last minute. The following night, Brandon Switzer scored to give Flin Flon a 5-4 OT win in a game 2 thriller.
“The Stars didn’t like our physical play, which we used to our advantage,” said Bombers captain Tyson Empey, explaining what allowed the Bombers to be successful on the road. “We finished our checks and did our best to get pucks to the net and bang in some playoff-type goals.”
Game 2 went Tuesday night (after The Reminder went to press) and Game 3 is tonight, Wednesday, with both match-ups at the Whitney Forum.
The North Stars find themselves in the unenviable position of having to win four out of a possible five games in order to claim the series and advance to the league final.
They would have to win at least two games at the Whitney Forum, but the Bombers’ home rink is certainly not a place opponents enjoy visiting.
“The fans at the Whitney Forum are the loudest fans in the league and the building has a great atmosphere to play in front of,” said Bombers rookie forward Brandon Lesko. “With the playoffs here, we are getting even more support, which is great for us. It gets the guys fired up coming out onto the ice seeing a packed barn.”
In game 2, Flin Flon received a boost with the return of four players: forwards Jason Lavallee and Lesko as well as defencemen Brandon Masson and Joseph Leonidas.
They had been suspended for two games each after the melee that occurred when Weyburn’s Tucker Neuberger tried to steal the celebratory moose leg following game 4 of the quarter-finals at the Whitney. Lesko returned to score Flin Flon’s first goal in game 2 against Battlefords.
“We seemed recharged and with a lot of energy with the four guys in the lineup,” Reagan said of the early goings of game 2.
Empey has been a crucial player for the Bombers in the series. He tallied five points, including three goals, in the first two games. In addition to his point production, the 20-year-old Swift Current SK product has provided important leadership.
“Tyson is a guy that comes to the rink every day and you know he will give 110 per cent and he will do whatever it takes to win,” Lesko said. “It’s nice to have a captain like that, who shows you exactly what it takes to win.”
While in North Battleford, the Bombers received a boost from a strong contingent of vocal fans who made the trip for games 1 and 2.
“Having that many fans on the road is why Flin Flon is the best place to play junior hockey,” Empey said. “When our fans are just as loud as the opposing team’s, it gives you that extra energy you need and makes you want to win that much more.”
The captain noted that the team travelled a day early and were able to get on the ice in North Battleford on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. He said that makes a big difference.
In game 1, the contest was tied 1-1 until late in the third period. A goalmouth scramble occurred and Flin Flon’s Kristian St. Onge went to the net and put the puck in with 34 seconds remaining to give the visitors the victory.
“That is the way you score in the playoffs,” Reagan said of going hard to the net and getting gritty goals.
With the North Stars pulling their goalie to desperately try to tie things up, Empey added an empty-net marker. Flin Flon goalie Brenden Newton stopped 41 of the 42 shots he faced.
With the four Bombers missing game 1 due to suspension, young players such as Tyler Millar, Ben Lanfermann and Rylan Tkachuk were again counted on and played well, Reagan said.
After a low-scoring game 1, the teams combined for nine goals in Saturday’s game 2. It was a game of big momentum swings as the Bombers outscored the North Stars 3-1 in the first period, while Battlefords returned the favour in the second session.
Neither team was able to score in the third period. In overtime, Alex Smith, who had four points on the weekend, got the puck behind the net and found Switzer in the slot. Switzer shot, got his rebound, and then backhanded it into the net with 50 seconds into the extra frame.
Newton made 37 saves for his sixth straight playoff victory. Defenceman Curtis Roach had a goal and three points on the night.
The Bombers remain without injured blueliner Pierre-Luc Morin, who is not expected to return until the next round should Flin Flon advance. Rookie Cory Thomas has been taking his place in the lineup.
The atmosphere for Tuesday’s game at the Whitney was expected to be intense. Thanks to sponsors, the Bombers planned to give away rally towels bearing the now-familiar rallying cry of “Don’t mess with the moose leg.”
Melfort-Nipawin
With one victory for both the Nipawin Hawks and Melfort Mustangs, the SJHL’s other semi-final series was tied 1-1 heading into game 3 Tuesday night.
Melfort took game 1 last Friday, April 1 by a score of 3-2. Nipawin evened the series the following night by a 2-1 tally.
Game 3 went Tuesday in Melfort, after The Reminder went to press. Game 4 is scheduled for Thursday in Nipawin.
– With files from Jonathon Naylor
