The Flin Flon Bombers displayed their defensive prowess as they opened the SJHL season with a pair of wins.
The squad held its Sherwood Division rivals, the Nipawin Hawks, to 43 shots en route to a sweep of a home-and-home series.
After a 4-3 overtime win at home on Friday, Sept. 16, Flin Flon beat the Hawks 2-0 on Saturday, Sept. 17 with goalie Brendon Newton making 16 saves for the shutout.
“My teammates and, more specifically, the defence deserve most of the credit for our shutout win last night,” Newton said in a Sunday interview. “Anytime they’re able to limit the amount of shots against to under 20, it’s going to make my job a lot easier.”
When asked what most pleased him about the weekend, Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan pointed to his team’s ability to limit shots. He believes the club has potential to be very good in that area this season.
“Our goal is to limit [opponents] to 30 shots or less. I feel that there are many nights where we can hold teams to 25 shots or under,” he said.
After the first weekend of SJHL play, six teams sat undefeated. Estevan, Weyburn, Melfort, Humboldt and Battlefords joined Flin Flon in sweeping home-and-home series.
“Starting out the season two and ‘O’ is a big confidence booster for us,” said Bombers forward Brandon Lesko, who scored his team’s first goal of the season. “We just need to keep playing hard though and don’t take any team lightly.”
As of Sunday, the Bombers had 27 players remaining on the roster. The SJHL limits teams to eight 20-year-olds a night. Flin Flon is currently carrying nine.
The Bombers also have three goaltenders: Newton, 20-year-old Zac Robidoux, who backstopped Portage la Prairie to a national title two seasons ago, and California native Dakota Delbride.
Reagan said the team will go with three goalies for now. The club has done so in the past early in the season. As well as providing insurance in case of injury, Reagan likes the competition it creates.
The Bombers’ depth was definitely on display over the weekend. The team lit the lamp six times with a different player doing the scoring each time. Eleven Bombers accumulated at least a point. Defenceman Joseph Leonidas led Flin Flon with two points on the weekend.
On Friday night, the Bombers thrilled the Whitney Forum crowd with a 4-3 overtime win.
Through the first two periods, Flin Flon outshot its opponent 32-14 and led 2-1. A pair of power-play goals gave Nipawin the lead. Newcomer Keegan Matthew sent the game to an extra session and fellow newcomer Dondre Watson scored the game-winner.
“The ability to come from behind is something we have talked a lot about,” said Reagan, who was pleased with the resiliency his team displayed. “If we are behind, we don’t stop.”
The Bombers will have a home-and-home series against Sherwood Division foe La Ronge this weekend. The Friday night tilt will be at the Whitney Forum. The Ice Wolves went 0-2 on the weekend.
SJHL Showcase
The annual SJHL Showcase will begin this Sunday, Sept. 25 and run until Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Warman.
The event brings the league’s 12 teams together and in front of the eyes of NCAA, CIS, WHL and NHL scouts. The event has averaged 70 scouts over the the past few years.
“I’m looking forward to playing in front of all the scouts and showing them I have what it takes to play at the next level,” said Lesko.
The Bombers play Weyburn on Monday, Sept. 26. The next day they compete with the Yorkton Terriers.
“At the Showcase I’ll be looking forward to seeing our team continue to do the things that have given us success so far,” Newton said. “Having a good start to this season and stringing together a few wins is a goal for this team, and these games at the Showcase could give us a chance to do just that.”
