Reports of the Flin Flon Bombers' demise were greatly exaggerated. The maroon and white will live to play another game, picking up an overtime 4-3 W in a win-or-go-home Game 4 on the road against Melfort.
Kylynn Olafson banged home the decisive goal after 15 minutes of bonus hockey, cutting the Mustangs' series lead to 3-1 and keeping Flin Flon's season alive.
Flin Flon entered Game 4 with the unenviable task of having to win or go home, having lost the first three games of the series. Game 3 ended in double overtime on a goal that roused controversy, as video of the goal showed the Mustangs were offside on the scoring play - the goal still stood and the Bombers were unable to appeal the decision or result with the league, confirming a 3-0 series lead for Melfort.
The Bombers would also be down a 20-year-old for the game, with Matt Egan catching a two-game suspension for a collision in Game 3 that left Melfort's Nolan Roberts injured. With Egan out, forward Jacob Vockler, who missed the previous two games hurt, slotted back in, as did Dawson Karol, coming in for the snakebitten Jerome Gilbert.
With the Bombers' season hanging in the balance, the Bombers got early chances and forced pressure at the Melfort net. Kylynn Olafson got a hack on a puck out front before taking a big hit, while other chances from Vockler and Carter Anderson came throughout the frame.
Flin Flon opened the scoring midway through the period - Justin Lies and Anderson raced in on a two-on-one. Anderson fed Lies, who made no mistake, scoring his 12th goal of the playoffs to pull Flin Flon ahead.
The Bombers almost pulled ahead further on a second two-on-one with Anthony Piccininno and Noah Houle, but Piccininno was robbed on a big save by James Venne. More back-and-forth action continued, but the Bombers would head into the second with a 1-0 lead - just the second time this postseason where the Mustangs entered the first intermission behind.
Early in the second, Flin Flon extended the lead with Vockler going post-in with a dangerous wrister, scoring in his first game back in the lineup. While the Bombers would end up taking a penalty soon after, Piccininno would chase the puck down and score - not quite a shorthanded goal, but close to it - to get Flin Flon up 3-0. Venne was taken out of the game briefly after the Bombers' third goal, replaced with backup Kristian Coombs, but came right back to the net after fixing an equipment issue.
Melfort got on the board late in the second period, scoring on what was their fifth powerplay chance of the night - leading goalscorer Ryan Duguay did the deed for the blue and green, bringing the home team back within two goals. Anderson almost capitalized for the Bombers later in the frame, but while his shot beat Venne, it hit the post and bounced off - another chance for Dawson Karol, playing his first game of the finals, went just over the net in close.
The Mustangs made late pushes in the period, but the Bomber defence and Harmon Laser-Hume stood tall when needed to keep the game 3-1 heading into the third.
While the Bombers had some early momentum, it was the Mustangs who'd hit the net first. Aidyn Hutchinson scored on a redirection that beat Laser-Hume midway through the third, bringing Melfort within one.
The Mustangs' top line would not go away, with Hutchinson, Clay Sleeva and Logan Belton rushing in on the Bomber zone. Laser-Hume stopped several shots in a row from that top unit.
Flin Flon got a powerplay with seven minutes left when Ty Thornton hauled Piccininno down near the Melfort net. The Mustangs jumped in on a shorthanded chance, with Sleeva and Hutchinson, out on the penalty kill, coming in two-on-one, but the shot was knocked away from the goal.
The Bombers could not generate much with the man up and immediately were put on the defensive, trying to hold off the Mustang attack for the final five minutes. The home team crashed the net and kept the Bombers on their heels, especially during a four-on-four stretch where James Venne headed to the bench, giving Melfort a man advantage.
Finally, with only moments left and with Venne on the bench, Melfort struck. After wearing down the Bomber defence, Duguay beat Laser-Hume with a shot in close, tying the game with one minute of regulation time left.
With eight seconds left, Hutchinson was tripped up near centre ice by Anderson, putting the Bombers down a man in the dying seconds. Melfort stacked the zone and tried to score a go-ahead goal, but Laser-Hume and defence pushed hard enough to keep the puck out. For the second straight game, Flin Flon and Melfort would head to overtime, tied 3-3 after an hour of puck - next goal wins and for Flin Flon, win or go home.
The Bombers would start the extra frame with a man down, with Anderson still in the box. Laser-Hume made a couple of big saves to start overtime, including a glove save on Chase Friedt-Mohr. Flin Flon would kill off the penalty and continue on, even getting a shorthanded rush chance from Alexi Sylvestre.
Melfort controlled play in the first nine minutes of OT, but the Bombers gradually fought back, with Laser-Hume, whose junior A career would be over if he gave up a goal, laying it all on the line multiple times. On the other side of the ice, Anthony Bax forced Venne to make a big save with his paddle, among the Bombers' offensive tries.
The Bombers got a piece of good fortune with seven minutes to go on the clock, as Sleeva made contact with Laser-Hume near the Flin Flon net and knocked the goalie down, putting the Bombers on an overtime powerplay. With no success on five prior tries on the night, Flin Flon's powerplay was provided a golden chance to leave their stamp on the night.
It would be for naught - Melfort's penalty kill was up to the task and the Bombers' powerplay could not set up, getting skunked for the sixth straight time. However, it would not matter.
The Bombers would rally late, with Olafson and Keefe Gruener each battling near Venne. Olafson finally gained the upper hand, scoring the biggest goal of his life for Flin Flon when it mattered most in front of a group of friends and family, who came in from Lanigan. The Bombers would live to play another day and force a Game 5 in Flin Flon Saturday night.
Laser-Hume got the victory with a 43-save performance, while Venne made 42 stops for just his fifth loss of the playoffs.
The Bombers still have a long road ahead of them if they want to end the team's 31-year championship drought. That road will start with Saturday night, when the Bombers will play Game 5 of the series at the Whitney Forum. If the Bombers win, they will force a Game 6 in Melfort April 30, with a possible Game 7 being played at home May 3. If the Mustangs win Saturday night, an opposing team will - for the third time in the past seven playoff campaigns - hoist the SJHL league championship on the Whitney Forum ice.
The official online streaming partner of the league, FloHockey, malfunctioned during the game, leaving many Bomber fans unable to watch the game. Bomber officials say the Whitney Forum's video system will be working for Game 5, but the game would be best experienced in person - tickets will be available online via the Bombers' website and at the team office on Main Street.
