Another weekend sweep is in the books for Flin Flon, beating resurgent Battlefords 3-1 Saturday night.
The Stars may have had a rough night Friday, but after a good night's rest and time to reset, the visitors were a much tougher team for game two. For Flin Flon, Saturday night's game started with celebration - captain Cole Tanchuk suited up for his 200th regular season SJHL game, each of which have been with the Bombers. A pre-game video package for the Shellbrook native marked the occasion before the puck dropped.
The game started much more even than Friday's game, with more even shots and physical play. Wyatt Stinton took the hardest hit early on, getting nailed from behind by the Stars' Jace Rask - no penalty was assessed and Stinton hobbled to the bench, but stayed in the game. Few shots came in the opening 10 minutes.
The Bombers were woken up in part by a cheapshot - while trying to gain the zone, Reid Arberry took a hard shoulder check to the head from Battlefords' Sebastian Miles. Arberry was out cold on impact and couldn't catch himself during his fall, hitting the ice hard face-first. Miles was sent to the showers early, given five minutes for head contact and a game misconduct - Arberry's game was also over, as he headed to the dressing room and did not return. The game would need to be stopped for a moment while officials scraped Arberry's blood off the ice with a shovel.
With a pair of Stars in the box, the Bombers got revenge quickly, opening the scoring on the ensuing powerplay. Stinton jumped on a rebound from a one-timer shot, firing it past Connor Baumbach and making it 1-0 Flin Flon.
The lead wouldn't last. After Kyle Marsden got caught taking a hack at a Stars player and got two minutes or less, Anthony Campbell got the Stars on the board, getting his stick on a loose puck in close that beat Matt Kieper. While both teams had back-and-forth chances, the score stayed tied at one after 20.
More big chances came for the Stars to pull ahead, including a prime one for Elijah Anderson, sneaking past the defence and getting a wide-open break, despite bumping into an official. Anderson went for the one-hand Peter Forsberg finish, but Kieper kicked out a leg to stop what would have been a possible goal-of-the-year candidate.
Another big hit came from the Stars later in the second, with Josh Knittig boarding Ryder Mucha - Keefe Gruener took exception and tangled up with Knittig, sending both to the box and an extra penalty on Knittig. That powerplay disappeared soon after, with Luke Lepper catching Seth Dragan up high with a stick. Flin Flon still had chances, including a three-on-one, but couldn't convert - the game stayed in a 1-1 deadlock into the final frame.
Much like the first, the period was close until the Stars' lack of discipline came back to bite them - this time in the form of a Braden Nienaber crosscheck to Stinton next to the net, right in front of a referee. Nienaber got two minutes or less and the Bombers made sure it was "or less" - this time, Luke Lepper did the honours with a clapper from the point that got through traffic and eventually through Baumbach.
Flin Flon's run to the end was not smooth. The Stars came up with chances late and got their own extended five-on-three in the final moments after the Bombers took two penalties on one play, but thanks to big shotblocks, saves by Matt Kieper and two straight minutes of solid D from Tanchuk, Flin Flon got out unscathed.
With the Bombers up late, the Stars pulled Baumbach - Rhett Ewen made that decision hurt Battlefords with a backhand clearing attempt and a puck that rolled and curled its way straight into the net. Flin Flon would win their third straight game and send a possible first-round playoff opponent home empty-handed.
Kieper got his 23rd win of the season with a 26-save showing. Baumbach had a good night in the Stars' crease, saving 41 shots, but was still stuck with the loss.
The Bombers now move to 37-12-3-1 on the season and 78 points, firmly entrenching themselves in second place in the SJHL's standings. Flin Flon is guaranteed a second-place finish - the Melfort Mustangs are 10 points ahead, too far ahead to catch, while Flin Flon is 10 points ahead of third-place Weyburn, who now can't catch the Bombers.
With a second-place finish guaranteed, the Bombers will play the seventh-place team in the league in the first round of the playoffs. That could be three possible teams, with the final weekend of the regular season deciding who comes north first. As of Saturday night, the Stars and Humboldt Broncos are now tied at 59 points apiece. Humboldt has three games left and play two playoff teams, Kindersley and Weyburn, before ending their regular season in Nipawin - the Stars play just two games, a weekend home-and-home with the Klippers next weekend.
There is an unlikely but outside chance that Flin Flon could face Melville in the first round - the Millionaires' last two games are both against Yorkton next weekend. The Mils are currently four points ahead of both Humboldt and Battlefords.
Flin Flon's regular season is now down to three games - one in Nipawin Tuesday night and a home-and-home against La Ronge, first in what could be the team's final game at the Mel Hegland Uniplex March 14, then again at the Forum March 15. The Ice Wolves are the only team outside of a playoff spot who could potentially move into a spot, three points behind the Klippers for eighth with four games left.
