After a tight couple periods last night the Flin Flon Bombers exploded for four goals in the third period to beat the Nipawin Hawks 5 to 1 and picked up their 40th win of the season.
The Bombers really showed their depth as they were able to get the job done despite not having 9 regulars in the lineup last night. 7 players sat out due to nagging injuries and the Bombers lost Reid Arberry early to a fight and Nash Holmes left after receiving a high stick.
Flin Flon didn't allow that to slow them down and Joey Lies opened the scoring with a beautiful powerplay goal converting a nice one timer from Xavier Fauchon.
This was Lies team leading 26th of the year and 13th on the powerplay.
Nipawin would tie the game in the second period when Brady Seabrook took advantage of a Bomber turn over in their own zone and picked up his 4th of the year.
With the game tied at 1 entering the final period, it didn't take long for the Bombers to get the game winning goal when Nathan Lalumiere was able to redirect a Pierce Yakimchuk shot from the blueline to pick up his 7th of the year, just 23 seconds in.
The Bombers kept rolling after that with Daniel Morozov (10), Rhett Ewen (10) and Joey Lies scoring his second of the night and 27th of the season all finding the back of the net to make the final 5 to 1.
This was Flin Flon's 6th win against the Hawks this season and league leading 40th win overall.
Finn Werner was fantastic for the Bombers and he made a lot of key saves, especially in the second period when the Hawks were turning it on and fired 11 shots, only beating him once. Werner improves to 13-2 on the season to go along with a .925 save %.
Gage Roberts did everything he could to keep the Hawks in it and ended up with 28 saves on 32 shots. Rhet Ewen scored his goal into the empty net.
The Bombers will close out the regular season this weekend with a home and home against the Laronge Ice Wolves at home on Friday, then off to Laronge for a Saturday afternoon game.
Flin Flon clinched first place overall on the weekend and are now a league best 40-11-2-1 including an incredible 26-0-1 at the Whitney Forum. If the playoffs were to start today Flin Flon would face the Estevan Bruins in the opening round.
It was a tough loss for Nipawin last night who failed to move into a tie with Battleford and Yorkton for second and sit tied with the fourth place Weyburn Red Wings with 70 points.
Weyburn could still clinch second with two games remaining while the Hawks only have one game remaining against the Melfort Mustangs on Friday night.
It will be interesting and we may not know the final standings til the last day of the season.
