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.
When people invite friends to go out, they tend to say 'the more, the merrier.' The Flin Flon Bombers would definitely be merrier if they had more defenseman. Captain Blake McCullough was lost for the season with a knee injury, now it's Evan Smith with what the team has said is an upper body problem. The Bombers defense core is getting thin as Smith was injured during the 6-3 loss to the Battlefords' North Stars on Dec. 7 at the Whitney Forum. "I don't know the extent of Smith's injury at this point," said Doug Stokes, the Bombers coach-GM. "(Bradyn) McCullough has gone home for Christmas right now to deal with some personal things, you know we're down to five defenseman and that's tough to go." With Christmas two weeks away, Stokes might be hoping Santa will give him a quality defenseman. "We have some room for 20-year-olds," Stokes explained, about his young group of defenseman. "We're only carrying three (on the team), so we have plenty of room." When Brad Snyder was the interim coach-GM, The Reminder reported that several deals would be made with Ronald Marcoux, Fritz Sauter, and Clayton Geiger seeking trades. Only Geiger was dealt. Braden Olszewski came as a result of the Geiger trade when Jesse Gulbraa refused to report. This time it's likely deals will be made with the trade deadline coming on Jan 10. "We're tirelessly trying to get some healthy bodies here so we have a little depth," Stokes said. "For a number of reasons obviously. When you get these injuries that occur, you need to have a little depth in your lineup and I've always felt that competition is a healthy thing. "I think part of the problem you run into sometimes when your roster is limited is lack of competition," he added. While Stokes wants bodies, he isn't about to make trades just for the sake of making them. His staff has sat down and identified the areas of need to strengthen a team with a 10-20-0-1 record after 31 games. With any luck, he may add a body in time for their game in Nipawin tomorrow.12/12/05
