It couldn't have been written any better for Bomber fans - a full house, an exciting game, free admission and a complete buttkicking of the top team in the league.
The Bombers put out the Battlefords North Stars 6-1 at home Friday night during the team's annual Hockey Night in the North free game. With 1,112 in the Whitney free of charge, the Bombers came out early and often.
Flin Flon's first goal came courtesy of a point shot by Dane Hirst. The shot took a couple of funny bounces before skipping right past Stars goalie Kristian Lyon. Another bouncer, this time from Chase Haygarth, found the twine only moments later.
The Bombers kept the momentum going in the second, with a picturesque effort by the team's top powerplay unit pushing the lead up once more. Cole Rafuse caught a pass while streaking into the zone, then ditched it off to Donavan Houle-Villeneuve, who zoomed in and put one past Lyon with authority.
Not long after, Alec Malo got in on the act, taking two steps in from the blueline and scoring a bulls-eye with a wrister that found the corner from 55 feet out.
The Bombers led 4-0 heading into the third. Battlefords' Austin Becker ruined the party for a short time with a powerplay goal, but Easton Haygarth jumped on a juicy rebound to restore Flin Flon's four goal lead. Mason Martin shut down the shooting gallery with another slick wrister from just inside the point that snuck past Lyon.
The win belonged to Flin Flon and goalie Jacob Delorme, who came one bad bounce away from his second career junior shutout. Though he didn't get the bagel, he did make 44 saves in the win. Lyon, on the other hand, was pelted all night, making 52 saves total.
The SJHL's two best teams will face off again Saturday night at the Forum for paying customers.
Both teams stay first and second in the SJHL, almost completely out of touch of any other team. The Bombers currently have 71 points in 50 games, good for second in the league and first in the Sherwood division.
Flin Flon can clinch a division title soon - with 73 points and seven games left, the Bombers are near the maximum amount of points that La Ronge (61 points with six remaining, a maximum of 73 points) Nipawin (60 points and seven games left, a maximum of 74 points) and Melfort (59 points with eight games left, a maximum of 75 points) can end the year with. One more win in the Bombers' last eight games will ice a Sherwood division title.
