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.
For the Flin Flon Bombers, next season starts tonight. Coach and general manager Ryan Hoffman says that for the remaining five games of the season, the team wants to show the fans what they can expect to see next season. "For us, there are a few motivations," said Hoffman. "We have 20 guys eligible to return, but all 20 won't be on the team next year. This is their chance to show how badly they want to be a part of this. We want to show what next year is all about." The Bombers also have a chance to wreck the plans of a few other teams down the stretch with two games each against Battleford and La Ronge. The North Stars are only one point ahead of the Kindersley Klippers for top spot in the ITECH Conference. Flin Flon has played them well at times this year. The Ice Wolves are currently in third place, one point ahead of the Nipawin Hawks. The fourth place team will meet the Melfort Mustangs in the best-of-seven elimination series, while the third place team will play in the round robin with a guarantee of seeing the second round. Up first is the North Stars, who will play two games in the Whitney Forum this weekend. "We know with Battleford, we are going to have to be very disciplined," said Hoffman. "They have an excellent power play, and some guys up front that can really put it home. Special teams is going to be huge this weekend." Last year the Bombers were able to give some AP's a chance to show their stuff in the final few games of the season. Due to injuries and playoff races, it is not likely that the Bombers will call up any midget 'AAA' players, although Wednesday's game in Melfort is still up in the air. "We're healthy enough to finish the year with the guys we've got here," said Hoffman. The only scratch, knock-on-wood, is Clete Mastad who is done for the year with a shoulder injury. Clete has returned home. Although the Bombers haven't set any numerical goals to finish the season there are a few targets worth mentioning - both good and bad. Currently, the Bombers' streak of four consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs is already a team record. The league record is seven seasons, owned by Minot. There are a few season markers the Bombers would like to hit to avoid ending up in the record books. Keep in mind that this year's 55 games was the shortest season in history, five games less than the previous two years. The Bombers currently have eight wins and 24 points with five games left. The record for fewest wins in a season is 10, set in 2001-02 and repeated in 2002-03. The fewest points earned in a season is 27, set in 1985-86 and again in 1986-87. If the Bombers played a 60 or 64 game season this year, they would likely break both of those marks. One record they may not have broken is the fewest goals in a season which stands at 168, set in 2002-03. The Bombers have only netted 116 goals this season, and unless they can average over 10 goals per game, a new mark will be set. The Bombers currently have the fewest penalty minutes of any team. However, I predict that the Bombers will rise to the occasion and break this mark by Wednesday's game in Melfort. The fewest PMS in a season was 2126 in 1992-93. So far this season the Bombers have 1848. It is hard to say that an individual goal is more important than a team goal, but in this case with the Bombers out of the playoffs, an exception can be made. Tyler Beachell is leading all SJHL rookies in scoring with 46 points. He is two points ahead of Kris Desjarlais of the Ice Wolves and five ahead of Notre Dame's Chad Anderson. It would be nice to see the team finish well and give Beachell a chance to finish on top. The Bombers will play the North Stars tonight and tomorrow, before heading on the road Wednesday for a date with the Melfort Mustangs. They will finish the year with a home game against the Ice Wolves on February 18 and a game in La Ronge on February 19.
