The Bombers put a bow on a perfect November and extended their win streak to seven, beating Yorkton 6-3.
The team put a hurt on a beaten-up Terriers team and continued their push up the league's standings, making a statement in their first game after a key defection.
Flin Flon's biggest story surrounding the game was this week's sudden departure of leading goalscorer Carter Anderson. The Thompson-born forward, who'd scored 14 times for the Bombers this season, abruptly quit the club this week and joined up with a BCHL team. That left the Bombers with a big hole to fill up front and a winning streak on the line.
Early in the first, Koen Senft got the Bombers on the board, jumping on a rebound on a Pierce Yakimchuk point shot and knocking it past goalie Callum Creig. Barely five minutes into the game, the Bombers were up. Yorkton almost tied it up with both Keenan Ingram and Dustin Renas in close and Matt Kieper down and out, but Ingram missed a nearly open net and nailed the post.
The Bomber lead would get extended with Wyatt Stinton, making his mark with an absolute missile, pulling up off the rush and blasting a slapshot bar-down from 40 feet. A true goalscorer's goal put the Bombers up two, where they would stay at the end of the first.
The Terriers were ornery from early in the game, handing out shoves to Stinton and others as the game wore on - Stinton was playing his first game after a seven-game suspension for a hit he laid during the Bombers' last game against Yorkton. Everyone's gloves stayed on and tempers stayed mostly cool through the first, except for a big hit by Rhett Ewen, getting him two minutes for kneeing.
Flin Flon looked like they might blow it early in the second - the team blew things wide open later instead. An early penalty by Senft led to a powerplay marker for Yorkton - David Coyle capitalized on a backboard bounce that sputtered back into the slot and past Kieper. Not long after that, William Leonard tied it up for Yorkton, pouncing on a terrible giveaway by the Bomber D and firing in a point-blank shot.
The game was tied but the Bombers pushed past it, stacking four straight goals on the visiting parkland pups. Rhett Ewen got the ball rolling in the middle of the frame, taking a pass from Stinton and jumping on his own rebound, burying it in close. Less than a minute later, Keefe Gruener caught a stretch pass, got behind the D and made no mistake on Creig, extending the lead.
Gruener got a pair of great chances to extend the lead further on the same shift, as did rookie Ryder Mucha. Neither could convert, but it was clear entering the second half of the game that Flin Flon was in control.
That continued with the team's fifth goal, a rip from the high slot by Leighton Carruthers. The puck easily went past Creig and imploded the goalie's water bottle, popping the lid off and causing a splash on his first goal in the Whitney Forum. Carruthers made a splash of his own following the goal, picking the goalie's bottle up from the ice and taking a swig from inside in celebration. He would get a 10-minute misconduct for the goof, but both the shot and celly brought the Forum to its collective feet.
The Bombers weren't done. Ryder Ringor started a two-on-one rush by knocking down defender Harrison Aldridge, taking the puck and coming in with Carter Cormier. Ringor fed Cormier, who dodged a two-handed chop from Aldridge and buried it on Creig, making it a 6-2 game.
More late chances came for the Bombers, jumping on a Yorkton defence that almost looked that they'd given up. Senft and Gruener jumped in on a rare shorthanded two-on-none, which led to a Gruener one-timer and a massive save by Creig. The Yorkton goalie, one of the leaders in all statistic categories for netminders, got almost no help defensively but made big saves to keep the score somewhat close.
The Terriers began taking more liberties with the game out of reach, with Riley Cormier planting a few Bombers in a corner with checks from behind. The hits led to a fracas in the corner and a couple of shots thrown, but no penalties. Cool heads were still in control going into the third.
The final 20 minutes is where discipline broke down. Nate Schaefer took a penalty in the first minute of the third, beginning a parade to the box for both teams that only ended with the final horn. No penalty was assessed.
Tylan Henrikson and Gruener got into a minor tussle by the Bomber goal, with both getting roughing penalties. Anthony Piccininno got tangled up with Yorkton's Vinay Junek, coming together and knocking Junek into the boards full speed. Junek stayed on the ice for a few moments before getting up and going to the dressing room - no penalties were assessed, but Piccininno was a marked man for the rest of the game. After eating a few hits, Piccininno fought with Thomas Ries - two inches and 40 pounds heavier than him - and both were booted from the game.
Senft and Thierry Laliberte were called for roughing and while the referees escorted them to the box, the Terriers on the ice went after Ryder Ringor. Ringor didn't fight, but Carter Cormier got involved, dropping the mitts with Evan Cormier (no relation) and getting the takedown - Evan appeared to throw a kick from the ground with his skate blade at Carter after the fight was broken up.
There would be no more fights on the night, but a continual parade to the box. The Bombers had a chance at a late 5-on-3, but did not convert and soon after ended up down two players themselves. Jye Zawatsky got on the board for Yorkton with a powerplay blast late, but the final result was long since decided. The Bombers would win the game, hand Stinton his hometown team's treasured moose leg, then pose together for an all-players team photo on their way off the ice.
Kieper stopped 38 of 41 Yorkton shots for the win, while Creig made 37 stops in a losing cause.
With the victory, the Bombers stay in the logjam in the middle of the SJHL standings, one of three teams tied for fifth place with 27 points - all three teams have 13-9-1-0 records, but the Bombers pull ahead on the league's tiebreaker. If teams are tied, the nod goes to the team who has the most wins in regulation or overtime, with shootout wins disallowed - the Bombers' 13 wins have all come from regulation and overtime, while Humboldt and Yorkton each have a shootout win, bumping them down.
Flin Flon is also just one point behind Weyburn and Battlefords, both tied for third with 28 points.
The Bombers' next games will come against second-place Melville, who sit two points ahead of the Bombers in the standings. Both games will take place at the Whitney Forum, first Dec. 6, then again Dec. 7.
