The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
If Monday night's rookie game between the Flin Flon Bombers and La Ronge Ice Wolves is any indication of things to come, I'm proud to be a fan of the maroon and white. The Bombers battled from behind to defeat the Wolves by a score of 6-4 in La Ronge. The young Bombers faced a lot of adversity in the first exhibition action of the season, as the Wolves were handed 12 power play chances in front of their home crowd. They scored on three of those chances. Flin Flon scored one power-play goal on four chances, and added a shorthanded marker as well. Nerves may have been a factor early in the game, as La Ronge scored just 58 seconds into the contest. Brent Henley got credit for the goal, with Kenny Brown assisting. The Bombers bounced back, and Jordan Pidskalny scored from Tyler Hennessey to tie the game at 5:11. Quinn McIntosh gave the Bombers their first lead of the game at 9:31 scoring short handed, but the Ice Wolves replied on the same power play. Todd Currie's goal at 9:41 tied the game, with Jordan Zurowski and TJ Parkinson assisting. Kyle Patterson made it 3-2 for La Ronge with a goal from Braden Olszewski during a five-on-three power play. Goaltender Josh Milburn was sharp after the first goal, keeping the Bombers in the game during the La Ronge attack on the power play. In the second period, Olszewski scored La Ronge's third power-play goal 31 seconds in to make it a 4-2 game. The Ice Wolves switched goalies at the halfway point of the second period, and it didn't take the Bombers long to get to the fresh netminder. Ricky Stabback scored Flin Flon's only power-play goal of the game at 1:35, with Kevin Burwell assisting. Dustin Huculiak evened the score for Flin Flon at 18:35, with Kurt Matthewson and Jordan Pidskalny assisting. Burwell was the story of the game for the Bombers, at least until the end of the second period. He completed his "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" (goal, assist, fight), first by scoring a goal from Josh Milburn at 19:24, and then beating up on Jordin Morin just seconds later. Fans in Flin Flon will enjoy watching Burwell stand in front of the opposing team's net and hand out punishment during the season. Curtis McCombie was also doing his job, clearing the crease and mixing it up in front of the net from his first shift. Flin Flon continued their attack in the third period, and Josh Milburn was sharp in net when called upon. Tyler Hennessey scored the only goal of the period, with Jordan Pidskalny assisting at 19:12. The Bombers out shot the Wolves 39-37, including 26-22 in the third period. It was refreshing to watch the renewed enthusiasm of the young players having fun on the ice. In other team news, Daryl Blais and Dustin Huculiak both returned home after Monday night's game. Blais, the younger brother of Bomber veteran Derek Blais, hopes to play Junior 'B' this year, while Huculiak will be playing with the Saskatoon Blazers of the Midget 'AAA' league. The Bombers will cut down to around 28 players after Tuesday night's game in The Pas. Also, former Bomber trainer Troy "T-ball" Slywka is a new dad. His wife had a baby boy on Saturday, named Logan George Slywka.
