The Bombers are in trouble. Flin Flon's team took a hard 4-1 loss at home to Weyburn Saturday, going down 2-0 in their series.
Flin Flon was stuck in neutral for much of the night, unable to solve the Wings' defence and goalie Angelo Zol until late in the third, while the Wings took an early lead and held on until the end.
After the opening whistle, Weyburn pushed the puck into the Bombers' zone and was able to stay there for long stretches, with the Wings keeping up relentless pressure. That paid off about seven minutes in, with a point shot by Simon Martin going through a mess of bodies in front and getting past Matt Kieper, giving the Wings a 1-0 lead.
The Bombers got but then wasted an early powerplay, which gave Weyburn another chance to get on the board - they took it, with Liam Fitzgerald getting a whack on a puck near the net that found its way past Kieper. The Bomber goalie was very busy throughout Saturday's game, making high-danger saves throughout the night, saving face for Flin Flon in what ended up being one to forget for the home team.
Flin Flon entered the second down 2-0 and took an early penalty, but almost got chances while a man down. Keefe Gruener nearly generated a prime chance, while Liam Hunks got in close and nearly cut the lead in half - Hunks ended up in the Weyburn net, but sadly for the Bombers, the puck didn't.
Weyburn pushed forward and got a powerplay goal of their own - Fitzgerald struck again, corralling a rebound near Kieper and getting his second of the night. Weyburn would gift the Bombers a powerplay to start the third, but the visitors ended the final frame already with a three-goal lead.
Flin Flon couldn't deliver with the man up, then ended up getting into more penalty trouble - with captain Cole Tanchuk in the box for a high stick, Weyburn sunk another dagger into the Bombers, this time in the form of a wide-open Josh Sale shot in the slot that snuck through Kieper.
The Bombers, now down four, looked defeated. The home team couldn't get established in the Wings' zone, then couldn't get the Wings out of their own zone. Making matters worse, Gruener got hurt by some friendly fire late in the period, taking a hard slapshot from the point off his foot - Gruener laboured to his feet and skated to the bench on one foot, but would return later in the game.
Weyburn's Matty Edwards and Kyle Marsden would drop the mitts late in the third, with Edwards getting the final takedown and both players getting an early trip to the showers. Even in fights, the Bombers just couldn't get a win this weekend.
Flin Flon got on the board late in the third period, with a powerplay goal at long last - Leighton Carruthers, back in the lineup after missing a few games with injury, scooped up a rebound and got it past Zol, getting the Bombers their only goal of the night. The Bombers would leave the ice with loss number two on the weekend and final exclamation point - a big hit shortly before the final whistle by Ryder Mucha on Josh Karman, which left the Weyburn D man sprawled on the ice. Mucha was assessed a major for checking from behind at the final horn, but the end result was unchanged.
Zol made 31 saves on the night, while Kieper stopped 34 shots in a losing cause.
The game wasn't without its own off-ice intrigue - one of Weyburn's players, Simon Martin, was listed on the Wings' roster on the SJHL website but not on the official game sheet. According to league sources, Martin was added to the Wings' official roster in time for puck drop, meaning Weyburn avoided dressing an ineligible player.
The other league semifinal series is also now a 2-0 affair, with Melfort handing Yorkton a 3-0 loss.
Games 3 and 4 will be played in Weyburn's Crescent Point Place Tuesday and Wednesday night. Flin Flon will need to win at least one of those games to keep their season alive - if they can, Game 5 will take place at the Whitney Forum next Saturday night.
