Flin Flon's second-period scaries came back to haunt them Wednesday, with a rush of goals by Melfort spelling doom and handing the Bombers a 3-2 loss.
The Bombers welcomed in a new forward during the game, with Nova Scotia import Leighton Carruthers making his debut in maroon and white. A veteran with over 200 games of experience in the QMJHL, the 2004-born Carruthers joined the club just in time for the Melfort trip. With Carruthers coming in, the Bombers parted ways with Austin Montgomery-Parsons, moving him to MJHL Niverville for cash.
Melfort also boasted a new 20-year-old forward, one at least one Bomber was very familiar with - Rylan Ringor, the twin brother of Flin Flon's Ryder Ringor, suited up for his first game as a 'Stang. Melfort picked him up from an AJHL club over the weekend and gave him jersey number 46 - exactly double Ryder's number 23 with the Bombers.
Little of note took place in the first period, but the two sides were evenly matched through 20 minutes. Flin Flon had a trio of early breakaways, but were stopped each time by Melfort goalie Kristian Coombs. The Mustangs, in their two wins over the Bombers in Melfort earlier this season, scored lots of goals in short bursts in the second period - the Bombers would need to push back to keep a shot at winning.
Flin Flon opened the scoring on a second-period powerplay, with Carter Anderson sneaking away from the Melfort defence and blasting a shot past Coombs.
Reid Arberry almost shovelled in a rebound past Coombs to extend the lead midway through the frame, but the Bombers' ongoing battle with awful puck luck showed up again - the biscuit skipped away from the net.
Melfort made their best shot at a late push. With the Bomber defence falling apart for a brief moment, the Mustangs almost took advantage, but Kenny Marquart robbed a group of blue and green forecheckers blind, then stopped a breakaway on Rylan Ringor to rob him of his first SJHL goal.
The Bombers lost their lead late in the frame, with a bad collision giving Melfort a prime chance. Rhett Ewen and Joey Lies crashed into each other at high speed near the puck, taking each other out of the play and then bumping into Evin Bossel in the bargain - the Mustangs then took that chance to rush into the Flin Flon zone, come in on Marquart and score, with Owen Nelson tying the game up.
Melfort's momentum picked up again, much like it did in the previous two games, with the Mustangs gaining the lead on a Nolan Roberts point blast that got through traffic and past Marquart. Roberts' goal came less than a minute after their first goal.
History would then repeat itself again, with Melfort getting a third goal and the Bombers' defence falling apart. Nolan Patterson came in with little resistance and put one up high and in on Marquart, 20 seconds after Roberts' goal. The Bombers' third game in Melfort was following the same script as the first two - a strong first half before a sudden and dramatic mid-game collapse. Flin Flon went from up 1-0 to down 3-1 going into the locker room, falling behind fast yet again.
Flin Flon pushed through the third period and finally broke through late, with Carruthers finding Ryder Ringor on a rush after a Mustangs defender toepicked. Ringor tipped it home, bringing the Bombers within one.
The Mustangs gave Flin Flon a great chance with a late high-sticking penalty, giving the Bombers a powerplay in the final minutes. A pair of chances on redirects almost tied things up, but the Bombers couldn't convert, missing on their best - and, as it turned out, last - chance to tie the game. Even with Marquart pulled, the Bombers never got close again.
Marquart stepped 29 of 32 Melfort shots on the night - Coombs got the win with 38 stops.
The loss ends a truly wretched October for the Bombers, who went 4-8 through the month. The Bombers now sport a record of 6-9-1-0 on the season, dropping them out of a playoff spot. La Ronge beat Notre Dame Wednesday night and jumped over the Bombers in the standings, pushing Flin Flon from eighth to ninth.
The Bombers were down five forwards due to injuries and suspensions, including three 2004-born players - Carter Cormier, Keefe Gruener and Kylynn Olafson. Flin Flon called up AAA star Eric Han as an affiliate player. Han, who plays for the Tisdale Trojans and was a teammate of Bomber Ryder Mucha last season, had a standout performance but, like most of his teammates, couldn't find the twine. Gruener may be able to return to the lineup following the team's upcoming break.
The Bombers will get more than a week between games to regroup before hitting the ice again Nov. 8 - once again, against Melfort, this time at the Whitney Forum.
