Flin Flon entered 2025 with a firework-like bang Saturday night, handing regional rivals La Ronge a 10-4 whoopin' on the road.
Despite playing from behind for much of the first half of the night, the offence exploded in the second half of the night, at one point scoring six straight goals.
The Bombers got off to a slow start, with La Ronge opening the scoring with a pair of early goals. A high hit by Landon Alexander on Connor Frost put the Bombers a man down three and a half minutes in, with Frost getting the last laugh by scoring a powerplay goal moments later. Soon after, Tyson Matthews got a wrister over Matt Kieper's shoulder, making it 2-0 Ice Wolves.
Flin Flon was down, but not out - the Bomber offence climbed out of their post-holiday break turkey coma after the second goal. Ryder Ringor got the Bombers on the board with a powerplay tap-in on a Leighton Carruthers pass, then moments later Carruthers tied the game shorthanded by blowing a shot past La Ronge goalie Logan Falk. The game would be tied 2-2 entering the second.
The second frame opened with a four-minute Bomber powerplay as Rylan Silzer caught Carter Cormier in the face with a high-stick and drew blood, but Flin Flon couldn't convert. Wylie Smith woke the Bombers up with a big hit on both Tate Donkin and Frost, followed by Frost stepping to him for a fight. Smith and Frost chucked the gloves and the much-larger Smith got some shots in before both players fell to the ice and were sent to the showers.
La Ronge opened up a lead soon after, with Cole Thomas pouncing on a broken Bomber defensive play - a blown clearing attempt went to Thomas in the slot, who then buried it past Kieper. The maroon and white didn't get flustered though, scoring another one to tie it up - Keefe Gruener snuck one through traffic that hit sticks in front to make it 3-3.
The Bombers had dug their way back into it for the second time on the night, but hadn't had a lead at the halfway point. Nate Schaefer changed that, getting a feed on an odd-man rush, booming a shot past Falk's glove hand and hushing the Mel Hegland Uniplex. Flin Flon then extended that lead, with Carter Cormier getting another shot through traffic that fooled Falk. That would end Falk's night, chasing the former Kindersley goalie in favour of Graham Brown.
Alexander took another penalty for a careless hit late in the frame, but just like the first period, the Bombers kept it up shorthanded. Gruener picked up his second of the night with the man down, then not long after, Joey Lies struck down the wing and buried it on Brown. In about six minutes of game time, the Bombers not only tied the game, but pulled out to a four-goal lead - they would keep it 7-3 going into the third, despite chances late to extend the lead further.
Cormier brought that to a five-goal lead early in the third, answered soon after by a goal from Thomas to bring the score to 8-4 Flin Flon. The Bombers got into more penalty trouble late, but once again they delivered shorthanded, with Ringor getting his own second of the night. In just one game, the Bombers scored more shorthanded goals than five other SJHL teams have all season.
Carruthers put the Bombers into double digits with five minutes to go, going post-in from distance to make it 10-4. Anthony Piccininno almost got another one moments later, doinking the post with a shot off the rush. Jacob Cossette and Reid Arberry would toss the gloves aside after Cossette caught Leo Seitz with a shoulder to the head, sending both off the sheet early. Seitz made his way back to the bench slowly and didn't hit the ice for the remainder of the game.
The Bombers would hold on to the victory, earning up their third straight win against the Ice Wolves, their fourth-straight victory and their 15th straight game with at least one point. Flin Flon racked up well over a shot per minute on average, setting a new season-high with 68 shots on goal.
Kieper picked up his 10th win in 10 games as the Bombers' netminder, making 40 saves, while Falk ate the loss, making 36 saves in just over a half hour of work - Brown stopped 22 more shots.
Flin Flon and La Ronge will renew hostilities at the Whitney Forum Sunday, with an unusual early start time at 6 p.m. The team will host a youth skate and autograph session following the game.
