After five games, three suspensions and one moose-leg-inspired melee, the Flin Flon Bombers are ready for the SJHL’s best.
Having dusted off the Weyburn Red Wings, the Bombers are back on the road Friday to open their semi-final series against the Battlefords North Stars.
“We know how badly this town wants to win, and we’re working every day for that to happen,” said Bombers winger Brandon Switzer. “I can’t wait to see what the Whitney Forum looks like next Tuesday night!”
Flin Flon had success against Battlefords in the regular season, going 4-2 in six games, including an 8-4 thrashing in October that marked the Bombers’ first win of the campaign.
The Bombers beat the North Stars four straight times between October and December before losing to them twice in late February, including a 9-1 shellacking on the road. Battlefords outscored Flin Flon 26-25 in the six-game series.
The North Stars are the top seed in the playoffs, having compiled a league-best 90 points (43-11-2-2). The Bombers were sixth in the league with 72 points (34-20-0-4) but were the SJHL’s best team in the regular season after Dec. 1.
Igor Leonenko leads Battlefords. The 6-foot-4, Santa Cruz, California native had a team-high 88 points in 58 regular season games. He had six goals and 10 points in the North Stars’ five-game series against Kindersley.
Of course those are just numbers. What matters now is taking things one game at a time, and in that regard, Bombers head coach Mike Reagan likes his team’s chances.
“We are confident that we can beat them,” Reagan said.
Reagan said the North Stars are a fast squad and that the Bombers will have to play at a high temp.
“We have to play physical to slow them down,” he added.
The Bombers advanced to the third round last Saturday, March 26 with a 3-1 win in Weyburn to send the Red Wings packing after five games.
“It was huge to close out the series [Saturday] night,” said Switzer, who scored twice in Game 5. “We wanted to beat them on home ice and we did just that. It gives us about a week off to regroup and prepare for Battleford, and just more resting time for us.”
Switzer expressed his appreciation for the Flin Flon faithful’s support during the Weyburn series. Games 3 and 4 at the Whitney Forum brought out 1,006 and 1,089 fans, respectively, and a significant contingent of fans travelled to Weyburn to cheer on the Bombers.
Reagan estimated about 200 Bomber fans were at Weyburn’s rink for the deciding game. A photo of Bomber fans taken after the win shows about 80 or more people, many of them children, smiling and making “number one!” gestures in front of the team bus.
After losing the first game of the series 4-1 on the road, the Bombers won the next four games against the third-seeded Wings.
Two of those victories came on the road. So what allowed Flin Flon to be successful at Crescent Point Place?
“Just playing the right way, I think,” Reagan said. “…I thought that our guys executed our game plan.”
Reagan also emphasized that the Bombers had strong play up and down the line-up. The team’s depth really came into play in Game 5 when a combined total of seven players from Flin Flon and Weyburn were missing due to suspensions.
The SJHL handed out the suspensions following a scuffle that broke out after Game 4 at the Whitney Forum when a Weyburn player tried to make off with a celebratory moose leg tossed onto the ice.
Flin Flon lost three players for two games each: defenceman Joseph Leonidas and forward Brandon Lesko for fighting at the end of the game, and defenceman Brandon Masson for throwing equipment into the stands.
Two-game suspensions also went to Weyburn’s Jacob Jeske and Drake Glover for fighting at the end of the game, and Aiden Teilborg for throwing equipment into the stands. Weyburn’s Shaun Fleming got three games for a match penalty. Both teams were also fined $1,500 each.
As a result, forward Tyler Millar and blueliners Ben Lanfermann and Rylan Tkachuk made their Bomber playoff debuts in Game 5.
“We have been saying all season long that we need our depth to pay off, and we feel it did,” Reagan said.
“Three young guys that haven’t played a ton this year and stepped into a big game like that, and all of them played exceptionally well,” Switzer said.
Rookie Flin Flon goalie Brenden Newton excelled in the series. He relieved starter Zac Robidoux partway through Game 1 and never looked back. He leads the SJHL playoffs with a 1.32 goals-against average and 0.964 save percentage.
“He’s making a name for himself and giving us a chance to win every night,” Switzer said of the 19-year-old puckstopper.
Switzer himself was a key player for the Bombers. The 20-year-old winger led Flin Flon with six points (4G, 2A) in five games.
“He’s not afraid of the dirty areas of the ice,” Reagan said of Switzer. “…He does a lot of the little things well.”
Reagan said his team “played a pretty intelligent road game” in Game 5, adding that scoring 15 seconds after the opening face-off always helps.
Rookie forward Nick Shumlanski put a rebound home on a two-on-one play to jumpstart the Bombers. Reagan said the marker put the pressure on the Wings.
That pressure increased when Switzer scored on a power play in the second period to put Flin Flon on top 2-0. In the third period, Weyburn pulled within a goal on a power play, but Switzer struck again. Newton made 32 saves.
Like Switzer, Reagan emphasized the importance of fan support during the series.
“We are looking forward to seeing how loud the Whitney Forum can be,” he said.
Flin Flon last reached Round 3 of the playoffs in 2013, losing 4-1 to the Humboldt Broncos.
Games 1 and 2 of the Battlefords series go this Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2 in Weyburn. Games 3 and 4 will be Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6 in Flin Flon.
If necessary, Game 5 will be Saturday, April 9 in North Battleford; Game 6 on Monday, April 11 in Flin Flon; and Game 7 on Wednesday, April 13 in North Battleford. All games start at 7:30 (Saskatchewan time in North Battleford; Manitoba time in
Flin Flon).
In the other semi-final series, the Melfort Mustangs host the Nipawin Hawks on Friday. Game 2 goes Saturday in Nipawin. Games 3 and 4 will be Tuesday, April 5 in Melfort and Thursday, April 7 in Nipawin.
If necessary, Game 5 will be Saturday, April 9 in Melfort; Game 6 on Sunday, April 10 in Nipawin; and Game 7 on Wednesday, April 13 in Melfort.
– With files from Jonathon Naylor
