The Bombers' first road game of the season went sideways Saturday night, ending in a 6-2 loss to Melfort.
The game began with Melfort's home opener festivities, including the team hoisting their league championship banner from last season - won by the Mustangs against Flin Flon during the Bombers' last game at the Northern Lights Palace.
The Bombers opened the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway, with Keefe Gruener rushing in on Kristian Coombs and scoring on him, giving Flin Flon an early lead. Melfort would counter that later in the first, with new acquisition Nick Andrusiak scoring to tie the game. The score was 1-1 after 20.
The wheels came off for the Bombers in the second, where the team fell behind in a big way. Jake Giacobbo and Logan Belton scored early in the frame to give the Mustangs the lead and then extend it, putting the Bomber down two in the middle of the period.
A scary incident took place midway through the period, with the Mustangs' Nolan Roberts and Flin Flon's Joey Lies chasing after the puck into the Mustangs zone. Roberts and Lies collided on the end boards and Lies was hurt, knocked to the ice where he laid motionless.
Both teams' trainers came to tend to Lies, followed by paramedics and then an ambulance. After 20 agonizing minutes, Lies was taken off the ice in the ambulance and taken to hospital for further examination. Sources with the team have told The Reminder that Lies was responsive and alert following the hit. Roberts was given a five-minute major for a blow to the head and a game misconduct and the game continued.
On the ensuing powerplay, Gruener struck again, taking a pass into the slot from Luke Lepper and firing it past Coombs, cutting the lead to one. Flin Flon could not strike again on the five-minute powerplay and it came to bite them, with a Bo Eisner shot getting through traffic and beating Marquart, making it 4-2 Melfort. The Mustangs' Reilley Kotai extended the lead further late in the frame with a powerplay goal, making it a three-goal deficit for Flin Flon going into the third.
Marquart got the sympathy pull to start the third period, being replaced with Massimo Urbani. Another key player was also not on the ice in the third - Carter Anderson did not return to the game in the third, leaving the Bombers down a top offensive threat.
The Bombers failed to convert on a pair of powerplays and it came back to bite them when they took a penalty of their own and Belton converted on it, making it 6-2 Mustangs. Kylynn Olafson would get the gate for nailing Tristan Ziola from behind with less than two minutes to go, ending off what was far from a banner night for the maroon and white.
Coombs picked up the win with a 26-save showing. Marquart got the L for Flin Flon, stopping 14 of 19 Melfort shots - Urbani made seven saves in relief.
Flin Flon now sits at 1-1-0-0 after the season's opening weekend, putting them in the middle of the league's standings. Only Melville and Kindersley emerged from the first weekend with two wins.
The Bombers will be back in action during a home-and-home next weekend against La Ronge.
