The Bombers' recent hot streak continued on the road Friday night, beating La Ronge 4-1.
There is no love lost between these two archrival squads and that was clear early on. La Ronge's Jacob Cossette got himself tossed from the game in the first after checking the Bombers' Koen Senft from behind, putting the Ice Wolves down one of their best forwards.
With La Ronge down a man for the night, the Bombers got to work later in the frame, getting the first goal of the game courtesy of Jacob Vockler. There was controversy on the goal from the La Ronge bench as coach Kevin Kaminski thought there was goaltender interference - Alexi Sylvestre made contact with goalie Topher Chirico and both fell, but video of the play shows Sylvestre was cross-checked into Chirico. Kaminski let the officials have it from the bench, putting the Wolves down a man after taking a bench minor for shouting at the refs.
After an eventful end to the first, the Bombers extended the lead with moments to go in the second, with Vockler firing a no-doubter from the high slot past Chirico, doubling Flin Flon's advantage.
In the third, La Ronge started to fight back, drawing within one on a powerplay goal by Dylan Handel, but the Bombers would keep their advantage going. League scoring leader Justin Lies surprised the Wolves while shorthanded by blocking a shot, forcing a turnover, going on a breakaway and burning Chirico with a quick wrister, making it 3-1.
La Ronge got a late chance when William Forsberg had a penalty shot awarded with less than six minutes to go, but Harmon Laser-Hume made the stop, keeping the game 3-1. Lies would close the lights on the Bombers' rivals with a minute to go, scoring his 26th of the season on an empty net.
Laser-Hume picked up the win with a 43-save performance, while Chirico stopped 45 pucks for La Ronge.
Flin Flon stays on top of the SJHL standings with a 27-1-2-0 record and continues on their winning streak, now stretching to eight games. With 56 points, the Bombers are sitting pretty after 30 games in first place - Battlefords and Melfort are second tied with 45 points, 11 back, but both have played more games than Flin Flon have, one more for the Stars and three more for the Mustangs.
With his performance Friday, Lies is now the first SJHL player to crack both the 25-goal and 50-point mark, with 26 goals and 50 points even in 29 games. Sylvestre sits second with 47 points, including 18 goals, in 30 games. Vockler, now sitting fifth in league scoring with 17 goals and 43 points this season, has feasted while playing against the Bombers' archrivals this season - he has nine goals and 11 points in four games against the Wolves this season.
The win guarantees that the Bombers will win the season series against the Wolves, going 4-0 through the teams' four meetings this year with just two left. The two sides will play each other again at the Whitney Forum Saturday night, then the Bombers will go on their holiday break, returning in January with a home game against Nipawin Jan. 5. Following Saturday's home game, the Bombers and Ice Wolves will play each other only one more time this season - in Flin Flon March 8.
