Three’s company in the Flin Flon Bombers’ crease.
The club has carried three goaltenders this season. Zac Robidoux, Brendon Newton and Connor Slipp have each contributed to the team in their own way.
While their numbers are maybe not what they had hoped for, Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said he is happy with his ’tending trio.
But choosing whom to start has been a bit of a balancing act for Reagan, who is looking for wins as well as trying to provide opportunities and confidence for his goalies.
Robidoux joined the team in the offseason as its anticipated No. 1. Last season he backstopped the MJHL’s Portage Terriers to a national Junior A championship at the Royal Bank Cup.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder also spent time last season with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes.
“He has proven he can get the job done,” Reagan said.
Robidoux, 19, has a 3.35 goals-against average with a 0.890 save percentage. As indicated by his solid play in a shootout in Yorkton last Friday, Oct. 16, the Winnipeg product, who has a 2-4-0-1 record, has had stronger outings as of late.
“He is starting to turn the corner,” Reagan said. “You can see his play getting better. …We are just waiting for him to find his groove.”
Newton, an 18-year-old from Medicine Hat, has impressed in limited play this season. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound puckstopper is 1-1-0-1 with a 3.26 GAA and a 0.911 save percentage.
“He has played well. … He is very athletic,” Reagan said. “We see him as a guy who will be our next (NCAA) Division I goaltender.”
Slipp, a Calgary product, has played in only one game this season. The 19-year-old played in five games with the Bombers last season. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder also saw time in Junior B with Tri-Town of the Prairie Junior Hockey League.
“He is such a good teammate,” Reagan said. “His work ethic is tremendous. He is well liked by everyone.”
The Bombers are now 3-6-0-2. Reagan said the team is not panicking.
“We are 11 games into the season,” he said. “It is a 58-game schedule. …We are getting to the point where we need to see more consistency out of everybody, not just our goaltenders.”
The Bombers play host this weekend to a pair of contests. The Viterra Division-leading Weyburn Red Wings (8-2-1-0 heading into last night) visit this Friday, Oct. 23. The Bombers host Melville (2-9-0-0 heading into last night) the following night.
One area Reagan is looking for improvement is in overall team defence. Limiting quality shots will certainly help the team’s goaltending corps.
Bombers split weekend games on the road
The Bombers split two road games last weekend. They beat Yorkton 4-3 in a shootout on Friday, Oct. 16 to post their first winning streak of the season.
Curtis Roach had the lone goal in the shootout. Goalie Zac Robidoux kept all five Yorkton shooters from lighting the lamp.
“I think the fact that we can win tight games was good for our confidence,” head coach and GM Mike Reagan said. “I thought we just did the little things right.”
The next night, Saturday, Oct. 17, Melville beat Flin Flon 6-4 to halt the Bombers’ winning streak at two games.
“We had some momentum going in our direction and maybe could have turned around our season,” Reagan said. “…We were frustrated by the loss.”
Recently acquired forward Josh Hayward, 18, played in his first two games as a Bomber. He had an assist against Melville.
“You can tell he has a good hockey IQ,” Reagan said. “He is shifty. He has good hands.”
Hayward tallied 33 points in 34 Midget AAA games last season for the SSAC Athletics.
The Bombers put in a strong effort to recruit him, but he opted to join the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Flin Flon acquired him for a player development fee.
