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.
In a rare inter-conference trade, the Flin Flon Bombers and La Ronge Ice Wolves have connected on a major four-player deal. Going to La Ronge is 20-year-old defenceman Keith Spencer and 17-year-old prospect Ken Neufeld. In return, Flin Flon will receive 20-year-olds Donovan Hall and Dan McIlwain. So far this season, Spencer had just one goal and five assists in 13 games for the Bombers. He is currently nursing an injury, and is not expected to be in the La Ronge lineup for another two weeks. Neufeld is currently playing with the Beardy's Blackhawks of the Saskatchewan 'AAA' Midget Hockey League, and is from Duck Lake, Saskatchewan. The key to this deal for the Bombers is Hall, who immediately becomes the leading scorer in the Flin Flon lineup with five goals and five assists for 10 points, tying him with Clayton Geiger for the team lead. He is a 6'1", 185 Ibs native of Wishart, Saskatchewan. McIlwain will look to fill Spencer's spot on the blue line, as a 6'3", 215 Ibs product of Thunder Bay, ON. In 14 games this season, he had one goal and one assist with the Ice Wolves. In a separate deal the Bombers acquired forward Andrew Leslie from the Yorkton Terriers for future considerations. Leslie, a Calgary native, has gone pointless in six games with the Terriers this season. The move to bring in two 20-year-olds should inject some much-needed life into the Bomber lineup, and should go a long way to convince the fans that the team hasn't given up on the season just yet. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, and the coaching staff continues to try and better their hockey club. It would be nice to see a large crowd at the Whitney Forum on Friday night when the Bombers try to snap an eight-game losing streak. A full house would be a nice welcome for the three or four new faces the Bombers will have on the bench. Flin Flon hockey fans are notorious at causing headaches for visiting teams, and the Bombers will need all the help they can get as the red-hot Kindersley Klippers will be in town for two games this weekend.
