Flin Flon isn't going down without a fight, forcing a Game 6 against Weyburn with a huge 6-1 home win.
The Bombers kept the season going with the victory, taking control early and keeping the game in their hand for almost the whole night.
Game 5 saw a big arrival for the Bombers in the return of Kylynn Olafson. After an injury-plagued 20-year-old season this year, the Bomber assistant captain made his first appearance on Whitney Forum ice in nearly five months. With forward Leighton Carruthers out of the lineup, a spot opened up for a 20-year-old player, giving Olafson a chance. If the Bombers lost, it would have been Olafson's final junior A game - a win would keep both his and eight of his teammates' careers alive.
An electric Whitney Forum crowd knew the stakes and showed up loud and proud - and so did the Bombers' offence. Flin Flon owned possession early on, with it paying off less than four minutes in. Liam Hunks took a shot from the point that had eyes, finding its way through a crowded slot and past Weyburn's Angelo Zol. The Forum exploded with joyful noise and the maroon and white, for the second game in a row, opened the scoring.
Flin Flon got the gate soon after, with Rhett Ewen catching Josh Karman up high with a hit and taking a penalty - play went on after the ref's whistle, as the Forum was so loud, no one could hear it. While the Wings got the powerplay, the Bombers would get the goal - Keefe Gruener, seeking to keep his own junior career going, took down Jerome Maharaj at the blueline, raced in all alone on a breakaway and did what he does best, scoring shorthanded. The Weyburn bench cried foul saying Maharaj was tripped, but no penalty came and Flin Flon was up by two just six minutes in.
Gruener almost did it again on the same call, getting a set-up from Koen Senft after he stripped Zol of the puck, but the goalie made a big stop.
Wyatt Stinton got taken out with a knee-on-knee hit by Weyburn's Luke Schraeder - no penalty came, though Stinton's night would be over soon after. The Wings would get caught on another hit soon after, putting the Bombers up a man, where Gruener took advantage again, jumping on a rebound in front and stuffing it home. That third goal spelled the end of Zol's night, with the Wings' starter getting yanked from the crease after giving up three goals on seven shots - the goalie was serenaded with chants from the Bombers' Dynamite Alley while he sat on the bench.
The Wings would battle back throughout the first, outshooting the home team, but the Bombers held the 3-0 lead after 20.
Weyburn would break their goose-egg on a powerplay in the second, with Liam Fitzgerald sprung in on a breakaway and beating Matt Kieper to cut the lead to two. Flin Flon wasn't crazy with that and tried to regain a three-goal lead, almost getting a goal from Joey Lies with a deflection that nailed the post and bounced away.
The Bombers did get that next goal, with Ewen coming through, getting wide open, taking a feed and beating backup Ty Matonovich clean with a wrister. The penalty pendulum was swinging in the Bombers' favour in the second, with the team getting a pair of late powerplays - even though they didn't convert, they still led 4-1 going into the third.
Weyburn opened the third with momentum, but the Bombers crushed it quick. With the team getting a shot from the point, Koen Senft swallowed up the shot in his chest, then knocked it down to the ice in the crease where he easily knocked it home - 5-1 Bombers. The lead sprung up even more later in the frame, with another shot ending up in front, where Lies knocked it back to Anthony Piccininno, who found the twine. Carter Cormier almost extended the lead, but a Weyburn defender came in to lift his stick right before he shot, saving the Wings from further ignominy.
Weyburn's offence disappeared, keeping the puck for long stretched by not getting many shots - just four in the final 20 minutes. Ewen and Chad Lebeau would be both kicked from the game late after a wrestling match in the final minutes, while the Wings' Matty Edwards was also sent to the room in the final minutes to keep the peace. The Bombers' win pulled the series to 3-2, with Weyburn still ahead but momentum now on the Bombers' side.
Kieper earned win number six on the playoffs, making 24 saves to do it. Flin Flon chased a starting goalie from the crease for the fourth time this playoffs, with Zol stuck with the loss - Matonovich, playing most of the game, made 29 saves.
Melfort has already clinched one spot in the SJHL final, having swept Yorkton in the other league semi. Either the Bombers or Wings will join them, depending on the results that come next. Game 6 will take place in Weyburn's Crescent Point Place April 14 - the Wings will head to the finals and knock out the Bombers if they win. If Flin Flon wins, they would force a Game 7 at the Forum April 16.
Meanwhile, Bomber fans will have the chance to see the team off on their way down south for Game 6 Sunday morning - the team's bus will leave Sunday for Monday night's game. Fans are asked to head to the Perimeter Highway near Balsam Avenue - the turnoff near the bridge over the railway tracks - for 10:30 a.m. Sunday with Bomber gear and noisemakers to cheer the team on.
