Late penalties derailed what could have been a big upset win for the Flin Flon Bombers.
The Nipawin Hawks scored two late 5-on-3 power play goals to take a 3-2 win over Flin Flon Friday night.
The Bombers led 1-0 after two periods after a first period power play marker by captain Ben Lanfermann.
Brett Harasymuk tied things up midway through the third period for Nipawin, but Brandson Hein got Flin Flon the lead back seconds later. Hein potted his seventh goal after a highlight-reel assist by Nate Hooper, who dangled through three Nipawin defenders before setting Hein up with an open net.
Things broke for the Bombers after the second goal. Daylan Marchi was ejected after a head check on a Nipawin player, and later on the same sequence, Chrystopher Collin drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Despite a volley of boos from the Whitney Forum faithful, the Bombers would have to keep the lead while down two players for two full minutes.
It was a tall task that the Bombers could not handle. Josh McDougall scored on Brenden Newton within seconds to tie the game.
Seven seconds later, captain Lanfermann was assessed a tripping penalty, putting the Bombers down two men once again.
For the second time, the Hawks capitalized, with Brandan Arnold scoring the go-ahead goal. Despite a late push, the Bombers could not overcome the late calls.
Newton finished with 27 saves in the loss, while Nipawin netminder Declan Hobbs made 30 stops.
The Bombers have clinched a playoff spot, but it's unclear what seed the team will have heading into the postseason. Flin Flon currently sits in ninth place overall in the SJHL with 47 points and seven games left to play. Eighth place Kindersley is ten points clear of the Bombers, but the tenth-ranked Melville Millionaires are only four points behind the Bombers.
Flin Flon will be back in action against the Hawks Saturday night, playing the return date of a home and home series in Nipawin. The Bombers will then play their next four games on the road before finishing the season with home games on Mar. 6 and 9.
