Alex Smith isn’t getting ahead of himself.
Yes, his Flin Flon Bombers are just one win away from their first SJHL final appearance in more than two decades.
And yes, they will have up to three chances to capture that victory, whereas their opponents, the Battlefords North Stars, must somehow thrice defeat them.
For Smith, Flin Flon’s leading playoff scorer and an early candidate for playoff MVP, there is a “but.” As there should be.
“We also know that the next win will be the hardest,” he said following his team’s 5-2 triumph in game 4 Wednesday.
Bombers head coach Mike Reagan offered similar thoughts.
“We feel great about being this close, but we know that the fourth win is the hardest,” he said.
Added Reagan: “We want to make Bomber history. Our guys are hungry.”
Wednesday’s win at the Whitney Forum gave the Bombers a 3-1 semifinal series stranglehold against the North Stars. It followed a 4-0 home loss the previous night that saw goalie Brenden Newton pulled in favour of Zac Robidoux.
Robidoux, who himself lost the starter’s job in game 1 of the quarterfinals, was solid in Wednesday’s victory. The starter’s job is now most certainly his unless something goes awry.
The Whitney Forum faithful were ecstatic, fervently waving white “Don’t Mess With The Moose Leg” towels. The team gave away the towels to rev up fans, and the promotion has been a success.
Announced attendance Tuesday and Wednesday was 1,252 and 1,151 respectively, though some fans felt those figures were inaccurately low with relatively few empty seats available.
The Bombers are in North Battleford Saturday for game 5, with many Flin Flon fans expected to make the six-and-a-half hour trek. If necessary, game 6 will be Monday in Flin Flon; game 7 would go Wednesday in North Battleford.
In the other semifinal series, the Melfort Mustangs were up 2-1 against the Nipawin Hawks heading into Thursday’s game 4, played after The Reminder went to press.
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