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Diamond in the rough: Bomber goalie huge part of success

When Flin Flon Bombers goalie Pierce Diamond heard head coach Mike Reagan talk about the team’s tradition and how strong it would be this season, it sounded like the perfect fit.
Diamond
Flin Flon Bomber goalie Pierce Diamond has been a valuable asset in the team's net. - FILE PHOTO

When Flin Flon Bombers goalie Pierce Diamond heard head coach Mike Reagan talk about the team’s tradition and how strong it would be this season, it sounded like the perfect fit.

“When my season ended last year, I knew I wanted to get back to a championship team and an organization that excels in pushing their players to the next level and I believe the Bombers are first class in both those areas. That, along with the rich history and tradition of super passionate fans in a small town, really made it seem like this was a great opportunity for me,” the 20-year-old said.

Diamond was acquired in July from the Lloydminster Bobcats, and has proven to be a good fit for the Bombers. With 20 points, the team sat just behind Kindersley and Humboldt, who each had 21 points, in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League standings. The team had nine victories with Diamond backstopping them to seven of those wins.

“I think that he’s been a huge part of our success,” head coach Mike Reagan said.

 As of Sunday, the 5-foot-11, 177 pound player was tied for the SJHL lead with seven wins. Diamond was ranked fourth with a 2.27 goals against average. When asked about his success, he said, “I think more than anything the overall team defence has been the biggest factor to my personal success lately. The guys have really started to buy into the systems our coaches put in place and that really limits the other team’s chances and makes my job much easier.”

“That along with the feeling of the team and coaches having confidence in me has really allowed me to settle in each and every game. When you’re confident in the guys in front of you and they’re confident in you, it makes everything roll a lot easier.”

Diamond, an Edmonton product, started his junior career as a 17-year-old with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Bobcats. The team hosted the Royal Bank Cup that season. Lloydminster made it all the way to the finals, where it lost to the West Kelowna Warriors.

“I was lucky enough to play with a team where over half of the guys went on to play NCAA D1 the next season, and just being able to learn from each and every one of them and soak up all the experience and knowledge they had from their junior careers really taught me a lot,” Diamond said. “More than anyone, my goalie partner Alex Leclerc [Colorado College] that season was the best mentor I could’ve asked for. He showed me how to handle the highs and lows of junior and how to go day to day while always making sure you found a way to get better that day and take something positive out of every experience.”

Bobcats head coach Gord Thibodeau departed after that season for the Whitecourt Wolverines. He traded for Diamond – who then helped the team make it to the AJHL finals. Diamond said a level-headed mindset is needed in the postseason.

“Playoffs are a completely different season and it’s a roller coaster of extreme highs and extreme lows,” he said. “Everyone is more passionate and every play means that much more and the further you go the more you realize the most successful teams are the ones who don’t let the successes bring them too high or the losses get them too low. I really learned how to take games one day at a time and take each day as a new challenge no matter what happened the day before.”

That playoff run included a game seven. Diamond said being pushed to the brink and finding a way to win brought the team together.

“I already feel like the group we have here is an extremely tight-knit family that will go to war for each other, which is a vital quality of a championship team,” he said.

Diamond, who hopes to earn a scholarship for next season, split the 2017-2018 AJHL campaign between the Calgary Canucks and the Bobcats. He is happy to be with a strong Bombers team.

“I definitely think the best part about being a Bomber is knowing and seeing the mass amounts of tradition you’re representing each and everyday. Playing for the most passionate fans in the league and knowing that those same fans were in the same rink cheering just as loud decades ago when hall of famers like [Gerry] Hart, [Bobby] Clarke and [Reggie] Leach were playing for the Bombers really makes you feel like you’re a part of something bigger and more special than you could get anywhere else.”

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