After missing an opportunity to move up in the standings Wednesday in La Ronge, the Flin Flon Bombers will face off against the Nipawin Hawks for a home and away series this weekend.
The two teams do battle at the Whitney Forum tonight before heading to Nipawin tomorrow for a rematch.
The Bombers and Hawks were tied for fifth place, two points behind the Notre Dame Hounds for fourth, after Flin Flon dropped a 2-1 decision to the La Ronge Ice Wolves on Wednesday.
Fighting for their playoff lives, the Ice Wolves took advantage of a depleted Bomber lineup to pull within two points of the final spot.
Flin Flon was without four of their regulars after last Friday’s Hockey Night In Flin Flon altercation with the Melville Millionaires.
Tyler Bell, Alex Smith and Brandon Masson were out of the lineup for participating in a line brawl, and Braden Lacoursiere was suspended for another incident. Masson will return tonight, while the rest will have to wait until tomorrow.
The Bombers outshot the Ice Wolves 45-34 but couldn't beat goaltender Kris Joyce until Austin Evans found the back of the net midway through the third period.
Special teams definitely played a part in deciding this game, as the Ice Wolves scored both their goals on seven power play attempts, while the Bombers failed to score on three tries.
In six games so far this season, this was the first time the Wolves beat the Bombers in regulation. The two teams will face each other twice more over the last three weeks of the season.
