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.
If there was any question before as to whether or not the Flin Flon Bombers will lead the league in penalty minutes this year, there won't be any more. Daryl Fransoo arrived in Flin Flon from Tri-cities last night after a 25 hour drive. Fransoo played Midget 'AAA' last season in Saskatoon with the Blazers. He was a late release this year from the Tri-city Americans of the Western Hockey League. Last year , the 6'2, 215 lb defenceman played in 33 games and had one goal and seven assists for eight points and 100 penalty minutes. He was fourth in the Saskatchewan Midget 'AAA' League in penalty minutes, where misconducts don't count. In the SJHL, a misconduct adds 10 minutes to your total. "He's very physical, and he will help us in our own end," said head coach Ryan Hoffman. "He won't have trouble controlling guys on the wall; an area where we had some problems with against La Ronge." Fransoo is expected to fill Keith Spencer's spot on the blueline, as he will not be returning to Flin Flon. Fransoo adds a certain threat on the blueline, and will likely accumulate over 200 penalty minutes at the SJHL level this year. With players like Burwell, Skrabek and Black already adding up the pms, Fransoo could put them over the top. After two games, the Bombers lead the league with 154 minutes. Humboldt is the next closest, with 108 minutes in three games. Also, the Bombers finally completed a deal with the Melfort Mustangs, picking up 18 year-old forward Jordan Gudelot to finalize the deal that sent Sheldon Wing to the Mustangs. The player that the Bombers had agreed on last year was unable to report to Flin Flon, as he was forced to quit playing hockey due to a heart condition. Gudelot spent last season with the Melfort 'AA' Midget team, and led the league in scoring with 37 goals and 39 assists for 76 points and 101 penalty minutes in 23 games. "He's a guy that could have played Midget 'AAA'," said Hoffman. "I've been watching him play since he was 14, and I've always like the way he's played. He's a good player that will be able to score in this league." With two additions, Hoffman expects to trim the roster down to 25 or 26 players before this weekend's series with the Humboldt Broncos. The Bombers and Broncos will battle on Friday and Saturday night at the Whitney Forum.
