The Bombers have now entered their fourth month without a regulation loss. Flin Flon took down top-ranked Melfort at the Forum 4-0 Saturday night in the latest edition of an SJHL blood feud.
The maroon and white extended the point streak to 26 games and got within two points of Melfort for top spot in the league. Keefe Gruener got a hat-trick for the home team and goalie Matt Kieper earned his third shutout of the season.
Flin Flon, playing their first game after this week's SJHL/MJHL Showcase, started slow, putting only three shots on goalie Madden Mulawka despite getting three separate chances on the powerplay.
Business picked up in the second early on, with Landon Alexander setting a tone by dumping Nolan Roberts into the boards with a big hit - Roberts cartwheeled into the boards and landed awkwardly, laying on the ice hurt, while Melfort's Austin Shepherd took a penalty for slashing Alexander after the whistle. Roberts went to the dressing room for repairs and the Bombers got another shot a man up.
The Bombers couldn't convert once again, but they did build momentum - enough for Gruener to open the scoring six minutes in, banging home a one-timer in the slot from Pierce Yakimchuk.
The physicality continued moments later, with Koen Senft getting buried into the boards from behind by Melfort's Ashton Hutchinson on a delayed penalty against the Bombers. Melfort coach Trevor Blevins made diving gestures toward the officials to insinuate Senft embellished the hit - no matter what the reigning SJHL champion coach wanted, Hutchinson got the gate for boarding.
The Bombers had their own experience with on-the-edge hits later in the frame, with Alexander catching Will Munro with a hit to the back of his knee from behind. Alexander got a kneeing penalty for his trouble, while Kyle Marsden would get a roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct for rousing some rabble with former Bomber Ashton Paul, making his return to the Whitney Forum for the first time since being traded last January.
With Flin Flon in penalty trouble, the Mustangs tried to tie the game, but Gruener and the Bombers had the last laugh, poking the puck loose from a Melfort defender, rushing in on a breakaway, dangling out Mulawka and scoring his league-leading fifth shorthanded goal of the year. Gruener now has more shorties by himself as four entire SJHL teams have managed all year and as many shorthanded markers as two others have had this season, including Melfort. Flin Flon led 2-0 at the break.
Gruener kept up his frantic pace in the third, finishing a natural hat-trick with a goal five minutes in, getting a long wrister in off a give-and-go with Carter Cormier that Mulawka never saw coming. The Bombers had a three-goal lead, with the Whitney Forum ice littered with hats - Gruener encouraged the fans, taking his glove off in celebration and pretending to take off and toss a hat of his own. Almost a thousand Bomber fans were in a frenzy, with the home team up three on Canada's third-ranked junior A club.
More of the rough stuff came later in the third. Leo Seitz caught Melfort's Cole Unger with a high hit, getting the attention of Melfort's Zach Turner who knocked him to the ice. That brought in Emerson Clark, who dropped the mitts with Turner - the Mustang got a quick takedown, both players were sent to their dressing rooms and the game continued.
Roberts, who returned to the game following the awkward hit he took in the first, was ejected from the game with a 10-minute misconduct for using one too many choice words with the officials.
