The Flin Flon Bombers are officially off the schneid, thanks to a 2-1 overtime win against La Ronge Saturday night.
In one of the team's last contests before the Jan. 10 roster deadline, the Bombers headed into La Ronge on a three-game losing streak - with all three losses coming against the Ice Wolves.
It was Flin Flon who struck first, with Mason Martin opening the scoring three minutes in with a powerplay blast from the point. Martin's goal was the only marker for more than a half hour of game time, until La Ronge star Daylon Mannon tied things up with his 27th goal of the year.
The rest of the game, while entertaining - Bomber Troy Quinn and La Ronge's Chad McIlwain dropped the mitts late in the second - didn't bring in more goals in regulation.
The Bombers were given a gift at the final whistle - a high-sticking penalty against Ice Wolf Kaiden Collumb, assessed at the end of regulation. With Collumb in the box, the Bombers' powerplay had two minutes or less to get to work.
It wouldn't take two minutes. Cole Rafuse solved La Ronge's Liam McGarva 1:12 into the 4-on-3 period, giving the Bombers a much-needed two points.
Jacob Delorme made 45 saves in a busy night, getting a win after playing in 13 of the Bombers' last 14 games. McGarva made 30 stops.
Saturday's win included a milestone for Bomber head coach and general manager Mike Reagan. Reagan, already the longest-serving coach in the team's nine-decade-plus history, won his 400th game behind the Bomber bench against the Ice Wolves.
The Bombers sneak back into second place in the league with the win, now standing in sole possession with 53 points. Yorkton, who started the night tied with the Bombers, lost 6-5 to Humboldt, setting the Bombers loose.
The Ice Wolves now sit fourth in the league and second in the Sherwood division with 49 points - four back of the Bombers.
Before the Jan. 10 roster deadline, the Bombers have one more game - an away game against Melfort Jan. 8. Flin Flon will see the Mustangs three nights later (and one night after the deadline) at the Whitney Forum.
