It was the kind of game that almost made you feel bad for the other team. The Flin Flon Bombers manhandled the Estevan Bruins 9-2 in a Whitney Forum whuppin' Wednesday night.
Flin Flon took an early lead when a Donavan Houle-Villeneuve knuckler flipped into Estevan's net two minutes in. Not long after, Reid Robertson roofed a puck over Bruins netminder Keenan Rancier. Mason Martin found the net on a powerplay three minutes later, then Billy Klymchuk poked a bouncing puck past Rancier.
Rancier was pulled just 13:23 into the game, having given up four goals on 14 shots. His teammates hadn't helped him much - Estevan managed only four shots on net when Rancier got yanked.
With the Bombers having scored more goals than the Bruins had shots, Cole Rafuse got in on the action, scoring one of two shorthanded goals for the Bombers after intercepting a poorly played breakout pass.
The Bombers didn't let up in the second. Easton and Chase Haygarth worked together on another shorthanded goal, with Chase feeding it to brother Easton for the final touch. Martin added another powerplay marker moments later, pleasing fans who led a brief chant of "We want chicken!" once the Bombers got a seven goal lead. Zach Bannister scored his first as a Bomber to increase the lead even further.
At the halfway point of the game, the Bombers led 8-0. Reid Robertson made it 9-0 during the game's back nine, after which the Bomber offence let off the gas.
Estevan got two goals later from Tyson Manz and Brady Nicholas, but the game was over long before the final whistle. Jacob Delorme got more than enough run support, making 30 saves in the win. Rancier and backup Randy Cooke got through the night with a combined 36 saves in a defensive showing uglier than the Bruins' all-white uniforms.
Flin Flon is now five points clear of Yorkton for second place in the league with 61 points and four games in hand. Melfort sits second in the Sherwood division and fourth in the league with 54 points, followed by Nipawin and La Ronge both tied at 53 points.
The Bombers will play a pair of home games Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 against Weyburn and La Ronge.
