The Bombers and Cal Schell put on a clinic Friday night at the Whitney Forum, snagging a 4-0 shutout win.
The Bomber faithful paid a small tribute to Battlefords North Stars assistant coach Garry Childerhose pregame. Childerhose spent five seasons on the Bombers' bench as an assistant coach from 2014-19.
The Whitney Forum was also in a festive mood, with a larger crowd under new, loosened Manitoba health restrictions. While the rink was previously limited to 250 spectators for all home games since the holiday break, 540 fans (according to the SJHL's official game sheet) came to cheer on the maroon and white. The arena can be filled up to 50 per cent capacity (around 1,000 fans maximum) under current orders.
The cordial mood went away quick for Battlefords, with the Bombers striking first - Reece Richmond put the home team on the board with a salvo from the hash marks three minutes in. Zak Smith got a goal of his own moments later, going five-hole on Battlefords goalie Lowen Kenyon and giving Flin Flon a 2-0 lead less than five minutes in. Later in the frame with a man advantage, Xavier Lapointe made it 3-0 with a one-timer top corner.
Midway through the second, a Bomber point shot added another tally to Flin Flon's lead, with Rylan Thiessen getting credit.
Physical hockey ruled the roost from start to finish, with the Stars finding the penalty box far more often. Those penalties would cost the visitors as the game went on, with the Stars ending the night with double-digit penalties. That lack of discipline culminated with a Sam Witt boarding penalty on Bomber Gabriel Shipper in the third, starting a fracas and leaving Shipper sprawled on the ice. The Bomber forward would stay in the game and the home team would go back on the powerplay again, not scoring a goal but helping to kill what was left on the game clock, sealing a home team victory.
Schell earned shutout number six on the season and his second one in a row, making 38 saves during a busy running in the Bomber crease. Kenyon saw a similar volume but had worse results, making 35 saves. Thiessen led the way offensively for Flin Flon, getting three points.
Schell's sixth shutout ties him for the Bombers' modern team record for most shutouts in a season - Zac Robidoux ended the 2016-17 season with six shutouts, setting the current record. Schell also has a shutout streak going, dating back to the team's recent southern road trip, which ended with the Bombers blanking Weyburn. Schell's shutout streak now sits at 123:39 as of Friday night.
Flin Flon still sits third in the SJHL and tops in the Sherwood division with 63 points, behind only Estevan and Humboldt in the league standings. With two games in hand, the Bombers now sit five points ahead of Melfort and seven points clear of the Stars, who've played two fewer games than Flin Flon.
The two teams will face off again at the Forum Saturday night.
