Some late-game heroics and a career-best game from a rookie drove the Bombers to a 5-4 win over Humboldt Thursday night.
The Bombers were missing one-third of their top line Thursday night as Donavan Houle-Villeneuve sat out the contest for the Bombers. While no discipline has yet been announced by the SJHL, Houle-Villeneuve may currently be serving a suspension for the hit that sent him out of the Bombers' previous game with the Nipawin Hawks.
Houle-Villeneuve or no Houle-Villeneuve, the Bombers came to play. Rookie Tristan Lemyre stepped into Houle-Villeneuve's spot on the first line and shot the lights out.
The Bombers started the evening with a pair of quick goals from Billy Klymchuk and Lemyre before Logan Foster and Tristan Shewchuk tied things back up for the Broncos. A powerplay marker by Mason Martin regained the lead for the Bombers, but that wouldn't last. Max Gudnason tied the game back up barely a minute later, then Braiden Koran gave Humboldt a 4-3 lead heading into the third.
With the Bombers down a goal with five minutes to go, the first line got to work. Cole Rafuse scored his first of the night with 4:52 remaining, then with barely a minute left on the clock, Alec Malo found the twine behind Humboldt goalie Dawson Cochrane to give the Bombers a 5-4 lead. That lead proved safe.
Jacob Delorme earned his 14th win of the year after a 40 save performance. Cochrane ended the game with an L and 36 stops.
Lemyre factored in on every Bomber goal of the night. The rookie finished the night with one goal and four assists total. Despite sitting out 12 games with an injury, Lemyre sits second in SJHL rookie scoring with 25 points in 20 games, only trailing La Ronge's Kyle Ford.
The Bombers still sit atop the Sherwood Division standings with 48 points in 32 games, second in the SJHL to only the Battlefords North Stars' 54 points in 33 games. The Melfort Mustangs are five points behind the Bombers for the top spot in the Sherwood and second place in the league.
Flin Flon currently has points in all but six of their 32 games so far this year, getting 13 of a possible 14 points in their last seven games. The Bombers also boast the SJHL's most vicious offence, having scored 143 goals - 13 more than second place Battlefords.
The Bombers will now dive into their toughest test of the season so far this week, heading to the lions' den in North Battleford for a two-games-in-two-nights road stand against the league leading North Stars Friday and Saturday night.
