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.
It was a tough loss at home for the Flin Flon Bombers on Friday night as they dropped the ball and lost their first game of the season 5-2. The team, which won all five of their pre-season games, fell short in game one of a double-header weekend against the Weyburn Red Wings. The Whitney Forum housed just over 1,000 people for the much-anticipated game against one of the best teams in the league. In a previous interview, Bomber head coach and GM Mike Reagan said Weyburn will be one of the top teams to compete against in the SJHL. And that was made apparent Friday as a much different team than what the Bombers had been facing stepped out on the ice. The Maroon and White, who will be dressed in their whites for home games this year, saw heavier hits as well as a team more adept at keeping the puck away from their opponents. ÒThey are at a different level,Ó says Reagan, referring to Weyburn. ÒThey are a veteran squad who is expected to finish very high (in the standings) this year.Ó The Bombers took on the Red Wings at home for their first double-header weekend of the season. The games, which Reagan called a Ògood test,Ó had the Bombers giving it their all. But Reagan says heÕs Ònot sure if (we) passedÓ that test. A lot of mixed feelings surround the test aspect, as Reagan says the team was pleased with their Saturday performance, but ÒI think if we had of been consistent Friday night, we would have had two wins.Ó Big news came from the Bomber dressing room last week as goalie Carsen Chubak made his decision to move back home to B.C. to wait for a trade. As Chubak moved out, former Norman North Star goalie Ryan Kerpan moved in. But standing between the pipes was Calvin Bartel, the returning goalie from last season. Due to surgery earlier, Bartel had been out of the net for quite sometime. ÒBartel hasnÕt played a lot of hockey since surgery,Ó said the coach. ÒIt was important to get his weekend in to build his confidence. ÒIt was down (from FridayÕs game) and even the first period of (Saturday nightÕs game) but it was up after the second and third period.Ó Even though the Bombers outshot the Red Wings 41-19, they were unable to pull out a win. The following is a summary from the first of two games this past weekend: It was a slower first period from both the Bombers and the Red Wings, but Weyburn opened up the scoring in the first period with a goal just past the 13-minute mark. And both teams received a few penalties as Bomber Brennan Cox was in the bin for interference, while Frank Riddle was given two minutes for slashing. The Red Wings had one of their own in for too many men on the ice as well as slashing and goaltender interference. The Bombers fired off 15 shots in the first to AJ Whiffen, while Bartel faced seven. The second period had the Bombers coming out flat as the visitors scored their second goal of the season only 50 seconds in. And then they made it 3-0 before the Bombers were able to answer back with a goal from Alex Lamontagne on a power play. The Maroon and White got their confidence back as David Dykstra found the back of the net only 20 seconds later, The second period offered a few penalties to the Red Wings, but the Bombers managed to stay away from the sin bin. Weyburn was called on tripping, cross-checking and hooking. And it was a slow period for Bartel as he saw just four shots, while the Bombers fired off 19. Flin Flon had finished their scoring for the game, but with a score of 3-2, Weyburn had more in them. They found the back of the net once more before Reagan pulled Bartel Ð giving the home team an extra player on the ice. But it backfired on the team as Weyburn scored their fifth and final goal of the game.
