Having a man advantage against the Flin Flon Bombers hasn’t been much of an advantage this season.
Flin Flon is fourth in the SJHL, excluding Tuesday’s games, in overall penalty killing with an 84.4 per cent success rate. The Bombers were second on the road with 84.1 per cent and third at home with 84.8 per cent.
Flin Flon also had the third-most shorthanded goals in the SJHL with eight on the season.
“We take a lot of pride in our PK,” Bombers captain Tyson Empey said. “We have high expectations for ourselves. A big reason why we have success is because we aren’t afraid to block shots, and we outwork our opponents.”
The penalty kill has definitely played a factor in the team’s success this season. Flin Flon went 1-1 last week and own a 27-15-0-4 record.
“Without a good penalty kill unit, it is really tough to be successful,” Flin Flon head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said.
When asked about his team’s penalty killing success, Reagan said: “It is just guys buying into their roles – blocking shots and doing the little things.”
Sacrificing your body and doing the detailed work necessary on the penalty kill is not exactly glamorous, stat-sheet-stuffing work.
“I have always been more worried about defence than offence,” said Bombers blueliner and penalty killer Pierre-Luc Morin. “So penalty kill might seem unglamorous by some people, but not by me. I enjoy taking part in it because it’s a challenge for me to make sure the other team won’t score.”
Empey, a forward who sees time on the penalty kill, also enjoys the challenge of the role.
“The best part about playing PK is that you know you are up against the other team’s top players, so shutting them down feels pretty good,” he said.
Morin said that like a power play, an effective penalty kill can bring momentum and change a game.
Forwards Empey, Kristian St. Onge, Alex Smith and Brandon Switzer as well as defencemen Morin, Braden Lacoursiere, Curtis Roach and Brandon Masson have routinely played on the penalty kill.
Reagan said Greyson Reitmeier and Adam Wilson have recently been added to the PK and had an impact with their physical style of play.
Other players also contribute at times to Flin Flon’s efficient penalty kill. For example, Reagan said rookie defenceman Cory Thomas has been effective with his long reach.
The Bombers’ depth certainly shows on penalty kill. However, Reagan does utilize top-line forwards Switzer and Smith because of their penalty-killing prowess.
In Smith, Reagan has one of the league’s top face-off men. The coach cited having Smith win the first faceoff and the Bombers getting the puck down the ice as key to a successful penalty kill.
Another factor? The play of the men in the nets.
“The most important player on your penalty kill is your goaltender, and that’s the main reason why we succeed,” Morin said. “Zac Robidoux and Brenden Newton have both been a difference-maker for our team so far.”
