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 Midget AA Bombers attended a tournament in Dauphin the weekend of January 7, 8 and 9. The games were two 15 minute stop periods, and a 20 minute stop period. Game one - Flin Flon vs. Roblin/Grand Plains, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. The Bombers came out flying in this first game at Matt Kritzer would score 25 seconds into the game shorthanded. The Bombers would make it 2-0 at 12:49 when Travis Ford would score with an assist going to John Jacobson. The first period would end 3-0 with Kevin Sewap scoring at 4:11 with assists from Rice, Kritzer. Flin Flon would add three more in the second as Chris Danis would score at 10:00 unassisted followed by two goals from Walker Wintoneak, both assisted by Travis Ford. Four more goals in the third would see Rice from Sewap at 15:30, Johnston unassisted at 13:44, Norman from Bear a powerplay at 12:27 and Sewap finished the goal barrage at 7:28 assisted by Wintoneak and Pruden. The game ended 10-0 with Flin Flon going 1 for 3 on the powerplay while Roblin went 0 for 8. Ryan Scott made 12 saves for the shutout while a tired Roblin goalie faced 52 shots. Game two - Semifinal, 5:00 p.m., Saturday This game would be a lot tighter contest as Melville actually scored first a powerplay goal 30 seconds into the game. Rudy Pegg would tie the game halfway through the first with a nice snapshot from the slot assisted by Matt Kritzer and Cody Rice. 1-1 after one. Flin Flon would score three goals in the last three minutes of the second to take a 4-1 lead after two periods. Wintoneak (Spiller, Johnston) 3:01, Spiller (Wintoneak) at 2:52 and Jacobson with a nice tip in from a point shot from Brent Neufeld with 1:41 left in the second. The third period saw the lone goal of the period go to Walker Wintoneak from Doyle Bear at 9:33. Blair Chaisson played a steady game between the pipes facing 18 shots. Bombers had 37 shots. Flin Flon 0/2 while Melville went 1/7 on the powerplay. Final 5-1 Bombers. A-Side Final Flin Flon vs. Portage, Sunday, 3:00 p.m. Both teams would wait almost a full day before the final was decided. The wait was well worth it as Portage would come out flying in this one as they were trying to avenge a last second loss to the Bombers on their home turf just three weeks before. Portage hemmed the Bombers in their own zone for most of the first period but timely saves from goaltender Ryan Scott and good defensive work that saw a lot of shots come from the outside left the score 0-0 after one. The second period would be a different story as the Bombers put on a clinic. The first goal of the game would come off the stick of Kiley Spiller, a beautiful goal that saw Walker Wintoneak fire a beautiful pass to the slot and hit a streaking Spiller who timed it perfectly, tipping it in over a sprawled Portage goalie. The second goal of the game would come off a miscue from the Portage goalie. He came out and tried to clear it out of the zone off the boards. Instead it went on to the stick of Ashton Crone who quickly deposited it into the gaping net at 8:07. Walker Wintoneak would make it 3-0 shorthanded as he pounded away at a loose puck in the crease assisted by Spiller at 3:50. Then with 3:00 left in the second period Kevin Sewap would let a blistering slap shot from just inside the blue line that went low blocker side. Brent Neufeld would get the assist. 4-0 after two periods. The third period again saw a rejuvenated Portage team as they would not go down without a fight. Finally with 5:17 gone in the third, they would be rewarded from a scramble in front that saw the puck sneak in under the right pad of Ryan Scott. Matt Kritzer would regain the four goal lead with a nice deek on a defender then roofed it in tight with the goalie having no chance. Portage wasn't done, however, as they would make it interesting as they would score two goals 44 seconds apart at 11:23 and 10:39. Wintoneak would restore a three goal lead as he back handed a pass in the slot from Lee Johnston. A power play goal with Greg Pruden getting the other assist. Then Matt Kritzer snuffed out any thought of a Portage comeback on this night as he streaked down the right wing and you guessed it, top shelf, where Grandma puts the cookies. He knocked the water bottle five feet in the air. Again the goalie had no chance. The goal came at 7:44 with assists to Rice and Mike Phair. Final 7-3 Bombers. This was a great game which saw many bone crunching clean hits from both sides. Power plays were Bombers 1/7 while Portage went 0/7. Ryan Scott faced 30 shots in the nets for Flin Flon while the Bombers fired 33 shots on net. Summary: After starting the season 0-7-1 which saw them go to two AAA tournaments in Prince Albert and Battleford, the Bombers have turned things around winning seven of their last eight games, attending AA tournaments in Portage and Dauphin. The addition of Greg Pruden who has AAA experience in Thompson has anchored an already solid defence. Ashton Crone and John Jacobson have also been added to roundout four solid lines up front. This Bomber team over the last two tournaments has got a rabid forecheck going. They're fearless in front of the net. The defence is also fearless annihilating anybody silly enough to have his head down. What's most nice to watch is the ability for this team to cycle the puck down low in the opposition end. This frustrates and wears teams down. The goalies seem to be getting used to a three man system and are coming into their own. Greg Phair and his coaching staff deserve a lot of credit as the boys seem to be buying into their system. As Greg says, however, there are eight weeks left until Provincials. Every practice is crucial. Everybody else is getting better, we have to keep pace as well. They seem to be having fun and that is important. Also helping I believe is playing in the Rec League. It's unbelievable the amount of talent in the Rec League. Plenty of former Bombers and many good players allow our kids to play against bigger, stronger, highly skilled players. When they go against kids their own size and strength they seem to be winning the one on one battles and seem to get stronger as the game goes on.
