Sports News Archives for 2016-04

Play Ball

It is just about time for another Flin Flon Creighton Minor Ball season.

 

Flin Flon Creighton Minor Ball have extended their registration for 102.9 CFAR'S 33rd annual Trade and Leisure Show this weekend at the Creighton Sportex starting tomorrow at 4.

 

The season is set to start Monday May the 9th weather permitting.

 

Here is this year's schedule


Blastball Mon/Wed 5:30-6:15 Centoba 3
T-ball Mon/Wed 6:15-7:15 Centoba 2/3
Rookie Tues/Thurs 6:00-7:15 Centoba 1
Mosquito Mon/Wed 6:00-7:15 Creighton/ Centoba 1
Pee Wee Tues/Thurs 6:00-7:15 Creighton

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Bomber Season Comes To An End

 

The Flin Flon Bombers incredible playoff  run has come to a close, after a heart breaking 2-1 loss to the Melfort Mustangs last night in front of a packed house at the Whitney Forum.

 

Alex Smith and SJHL Playoff MVP Travis Mayan traded power play goals in the second period, and the score stayed 1-1 til the dieing minutes of the third period.

 

Wyatt Hinson scored his 6th goal of the playoffs when he just snuck a puck past Zac Robidoux at the tail end of a Mustang power play with less than 3 minutes remaining in regulation and Melfort were able to hang on to win 2-1 and capture their second straight Canalta Cup.

 

Flin Flon pulled the goalie and got the puck deep in the Mustang end but could not get another puck past Richard Palmer who was the difference in this game stopping 46 out of 47 Bomber shots.

 

Matter of fact the Bombers had a 2-1 series lead before Palmer would start his first game of the playoffs in game 3 of the final, reeling off three straight wins and allowing just 4 goals in 3 games.

 

Despite losing the league final, this was the most impressive playoff run in 23 years, which saw the Bombers knock off the no.3 ranked Weyburn Red Wings and no.1 ranked Battleford Stars both in 5 games.

 

Mike Reagan had this to say on last night's CFAR Post Game Show . " This is one of the toughest moments I have ever had in either my coaching or playing career, we told the guys we are not losers, we didn't lose this and they deserve better. I am so proud of this team and I have never had so many characters in one group who play with their hearts and I couldn't ask for anything more."

 

Flin Flon outshot Melfort in every game including 47-39 last night and once again seemed to have the edge in play and were generating better scoring chances but were only  able to score the one goal.

 

 

Last night's game was the final for  5 graduating 20 year olds including 4 year player and captain Tyson Empey, Alex Smith, Brandon Switzer, Joel Kocur and Pierre Luc Morin. Morin suited up for the first time since being hurt in the opening round against Weyburn and was solid.

 

Reagan was quick to point out on last night's post game show that this was the best group of leaders he has ever had and wished some of his former players could see how these guys carried and conducted themselves and bought into everything that they were teaching. He said these 5 players were instrumental in getting Flin Flon to the league final.

 

It is an incredible run that I will never forget and am very thankful to broadcast a league final for the first time in my 20 year career. Congrats to Mike, Bort, Chilly, Tanner and a very exciting group of players who don't know the meaning of the word quit.

 

I also want to congratulate President Hank Kozar, the head scout Jon Klassen and the entire board of directors and volunteers whose commitment hasn't gone unnoticed.

 

A BIG THANK YOU to the best fans in the league who were between 400 and 600 strong for all the playoff series and were a great inspiration to these players on this exciting journey.

 

I am sad it is over and feel rejuvintated and ready for September.

 

The Bombers will officially wind things up with their awards banquet this weekend at a location yet to be determined.

 

Do Or Die Tonight

After a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in OT on Friday night, the Flin Flon Bombers are just 1 win away from being eliminated on this tremendous post season run.

 

It looked like the Bombers might be the team who would get to throw the knockout punch after Rylee Zimmer scored his 5th of the playoffs to tie the game early in the third period. Zimmer has been a house on fire in these playoffs and was one of the best Bomber forwards on the ice and is a very good defensive hockey player too.

 

Flin Flon had lots of good chances in the third but could not get another puck past Richard Palmer, although it did look like Mitch Foyle jammed a puck in with about 7 minutes remaining in the third, but the referee lost sight of it.

 

We would see OT for the first time in the final and it was the Mustangs who were the better team in the extra period and if it were not for Zac Robidoux, the game could have ended rather quickly.

 

Justin Boyer was left alone at the side of the Bomber net and took a great pass from Travis Mayan, but was denied by Robidoux in the first couple of minutes into the extra period.

 

Melfort kept coming and Craig Leverton was able to spring frree and cut to the Bomber net and flipped a back hander into the back of the net to send the 2000 plus at the Palace into a frenzy at the 12:36 mark.

 

Leverton has been the best Mustang in this series and now has 8 points in 5 games which leads his team. The Bombers will need to find a way to shut him down if they are going to come back and win this series.

 

The Bomber top line continues to get the job done and have combined for 23 points, 10 from Kocur alone but are in desperate need of secondary scoring.

 

The rest of the team have only combined for only 17 points and will have to go the rest of the final without talented forward Jason Lavallee who injured his arm in game 4 and Mike Reagan has confirmed that his season is done.

 

Reagan commented that they were hoping to have Kristian St.Onge back for game 6 tonight and certainly missed his tough aggressive play in game 5. He is a very under rated player who is physical and is great at getting in the face of the opposition. His shot blocks in game 3 showed us what type of a warrior this guy is.

 

Flin Flon will also have to find a way to get more pucks past Richard Palmer who hadn't played a single minute of the playoffs prior to his start in game 4. He has stopped 76 out of 79 shots in his two starts and has looked anything but rusty. His experiance is really showing and the fact that he is back is turning out to be a real inspiration to the rest of his team.

 

I thought Zac Robidoux played really well in game 5 and certainly gave his team a chance to win. Mike Reagan mentioned on the CFAR Post Game Show that he wasn't sure who he would start in game 6 tonight.

 

No matter what go's down make sure you make it to the Whitney Forum tonight and bring a friend as this will be the final game in Flin Flon nno matter what happens. This team has been on an incredible run and nothing would be more fitting than a crowd of over 2,000 people to pump up the boys and get this final back to Melfort for game 7 Tuesday.

 

Put on your favorite jersey and don't forget to bring those rally towels.

 

It is a chance to be part of modern history and could go down as one of the best night's at the Whitney in a long time. Bring your radios and tell people out of town to tune into flinflononline.com.

 

Go Bombers go.

 

Two More Wins

 

 

The Flin Flon Bombers are now just two wins away from picking up their first league Championship in 23 years after a 4-2 win against Melfort in game 3 of the Canalta Cup Final last night.

 

A very energetic and loud crowd watched a very determined Bomber team come and play their hearts out and show everyone in attendance how bad they want this.

 

The big story to me is the game within the game, whether it was St.Onge blocking shots, Smith winning big face offs or great work along the boards by Wilson and Foyle, this team is a pure pleasure to watch every night.

 

There are lots of things that don't show up in score sheets, but like Mike Reagan pointed out last night on the CFAR Post Game Show, blocking a shot is just as good as a goal. This is a team that is willing to battle and do all the little things it takes to win a game and a Championship.

 

Melfort opened the scoring when SJHL scoring champion Travis Mayan got control of the puck on a faceoff in the Bomber zone, and was able to move in and flip a back hand past Brenden Newton who got his first start of the league final.

 

The Bombers answered on the powerplay when Kocur stormed the Mustang zone and centered a perfect pass to Alex Smith who jumped up in the slot and buried his 5th of the playoffs.

 

It was 1-1 after 1, and Rylee Zimmer was the only one to score in the second when he picked up a Mustang turn over at center ice  and raced down the ice firing a pefect wrist shot past Evan Plotnick to give the Bombers a 2-1 lead after 2.

 

Reitmeier who continues to be an unsung hero night after night turned another Mustang turn over into a short handed goal, when he grabbed a loose puck at the side of the Mustang goal and shovelled it between Plotnick's legs to make it 3-1. This would stand up as the game winner.

 

Brandon Switzer would score an insurance goal on the powerplay firing a booming slapshot in the top corner to send the 1800 plus at the Whitney into a frenzy and put Flin Flon up 4-1

 

Melfort wasn't done yet, with a 5 on 3 and the goalie pulled the Stangs got to within two when Mayan got his second of the night and 11th of the playoffs , getting a rebound off the back boards to give the Stangs some life.

 

The Bombers would win some key faceoffs and were able to hold Melfort  off and took game three 4-2 and hold home ice advantage. Final shots were 46-36 in favour of Flin Flon.

 

Specialty teams were a big part of the game with the Bombers scoring two power play goals and adding a short handed goal, but I was really impressed with how Flin Flon dominated five on five. The exploded out of the gate and generated some great chances early but were denied on some great saves by Plotnick.

 

Richard Palmer, Melfort's starting goalie the past couple of seasons has yet to start in this post season did back up last night and you have to wonder if he will make his first start of the playoffs tonight. It could be a tough decision for Melfort bench boss Trevor Blevins with Plotnick playing so well.

 

We will find out tonight as the Whitney Forum will be the sight for game 4 of this Canalta Cup Final. Don't forget to pick up your tickets at the Bomber office which is open at the Flin Flon Community Hall til 4 PM today.

 

Bring your radios and tell your friends out of town to listen to 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com. Murray GM Coach's Show starts at 7:15.

All Even

What started out as a best of 7 for the league Championship is now a best of 5, after the Bombers and Mustangs split the opening two games at the Palace in Melfort this past weekend.

 

Flin Flon stormed out to a 6-0 lead in the opener on Friday and ended up winning 6-3 on the strength of a Joel Kocur hattrick. He ended up with 4 points in the game as the Bombers were able to chase starter Evan Plotnick after the 6th goal.

 

Melfort were able to mount a third period come back in which they scored three goals and gave themselves some much needed confidence for game two.

 

The third period come back seemed to inspire the Mustangs on Saturday as they came flying out of the gate and built up a 4-1 lead after one period. This time it was the Bombers who made a goaltending change as Zac Robidoux was chased after the third Mustang goal.

 

Robidoux gave up 3 goals on 9 shots before giving way to Brenden Newton who allowed 4 goals on 24 shots. The Bombers fought back all night long and had plenty of good opportunities but ended up losing game two 7-4. Joel Kocur had another good night, collecting two more goals and an assist to give him 7 points in the opening two games.

 

The Minions line of Mayan, Boyer and Frei combined for 5 points to help the Mustangs win game two.

 

The series shifts back to the Whitney Forum for games three and four, tonight and tomorrow and should be an electric atmosphere as Flin Flon will host a game in the league final for the first time in 23 years.

 

At last word over 1,300 tickets had ben sold for tonight and tomorrow and you need to get to the Bomber office by 4 PM today to make sure you can get a ticket for tonight's game.

 

There has been a lot of talk about the no.1 line for both these teams and they are not disappointing, as they occupy 6 out of the top 10 scorers in this years playoffs.

 

Mayan and Frei lead the way with 18 points followed by Boyer and Smith who have 17 . Switzer has 15 points, while the red hot Joel Kocur has 14.

 

There has been some good secondary scoring too including some big goals for the Bombers from Wilson, Shumlanski and Reitmeier and a great playoff run from second year defenseman Curtis Roach.

 

Melfort got some big goals in game two from Matt Goudy who didn't even play in game 1 and the eventual game winner from Rylan Freed, who picked a great time to get his first of the playoffs.

 

A couple of big questions for tonight is who will be the next to step up for their team? That is one of the best things I like about the  playoffs, it's the guy who you never expect  who ends up  doing something great, like scoring a thrilling overtime goal, blocking a big shot, making that unbelievable save or throwing a nice body check. It will also be interesting to see who Mike Reagan starts in goal, as he will keeping us in suspense until game time tonight.

 

I can hardly wait to see that next great moment which will unfold before our eyes tonight at the one and only Whitney Forum. Don't forget to bring your radios and listen in to all the action on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com starting with the Murray GM Coach's Show at 7:15.

Basketball Camp

Hapnot Collegiate will be hosting another development basketball camp this upcoming summer.

 

This Northern Youth Basketball Camp will take place July the 8th to the 10th at Hapnot and is open to both boys and girls ages 11-14.

 

It is $50.00 per child and the coach's include Don Dyke the Head Coach of the SR Hapnot Kings, Sam Kinsley from the U of M Bisons as well as many other coach's from Hapnot.

 

All registration forms can be picked up from the various schools in Flin Flon and Creighton and must be filled out and returned to your school's main office by May the 27th.

 

 

Any questions can be directed to Don Dyke at : 204 -271-5170 or 204-687-4804.

Lee Brothers At Nationals

Congratulations to both Hunter and Carson Lee who competed at Wrestling Nationals this past weekend in Calgary.

 

Carson competed in the 69 KG in Cadets and placed 5th, which is exceptional for a first time at Nationals.

 

Hunter placed 5th in the Juvenile, third in Greco and won the Filas which means he will represent Canada at Worlds and other events throughout 2016.

Bombers Ready For Canalta Final

For the first time in 23 years the Flin Flon Bombers will have a chance to play for the Canalta Cup, when they square off with the defending league Champion Melfort Mustangs at the Northern Lights Palace starting tonight.

 

The Bombers have knocked off the no.3 seed Weyburn Red Wings and no.1 seed Battleford Stars, both in 5 games, winning an incredible 5 games on the road.

 

Flin Flon won all 3 at the Civic Centre in the semi final where the Stars only lost 4 games all year in their first round of the playoffs and regular season.

 

Melfort is fresh off a tough 7 game series with Nipawin, where the home team won every game including the Mustangs 5-4 win in game 7 on Wednesday. The Mustangs swept Laronge 4 games to none in the opening series.

 

There is lots of hype as there should be with a league final and there should be capacity crowds every night. Melfort is expected to be a sell out tonight and tomorrow, and there are already over 1000 tickets sold for games 3 and 4 in Flin Flon next week.

 

It is great to see so many Bomber fans following the team throughout the playoffs and 800 are expected to arrive for tonight. It is also good to see the different businesses decorating their store windows and all the classic jerseys and jackets that are getting dusted off after spending years in people's closets.

 

This should be a very fun series to watch and the regular season  head to heads were very close with Flin Flon holding an edge 3-2-0-1, with the Bombers out scoring the Stangs 20-19. Melfort did manage to win the last matchup in Flin Flon 4-2 on February the 13th.

 

Melfort had the second best record overall at 39-14-3-2 including a league best 25-3-1 record at the Northern Lights Palace. The Bombers were one of the teams to win in Melfort this year.

 

Flin Flon was sixth overall and finshed with a record of: 34-20-0-4 and were very consistent at home and on the road. The Bombers won 19 times at the Whitney Forum and had one of their best road records in recent memory picking up 15 wins on the season.

 

Both these teams come in on emotional highs. Melfort is just 4 wins away from repeating as SJHL Champions and the Bombers are trying to eclipse a 23 year drought between titles.

 

Mike Reagan has said all year he likes this group very much and that this was a team that has a lot of depth and character. We have seen that through injuries and suspensions so far in the playoffs, especially in the Weyburn series when Flin Flon were down 5 regulars for games 4 and 5.

 

Rylan Tkachuk, Ben Lanferman, and Tyler Miller despite limited time in the regular season have all jumped in and have had solid contributions.

 

Zac Robidoux has been able to step back in between the pipes after a tough start in the Weyburn series and has won his last two starts.

 

The entire back end have battled hard blocking shots, playing physical and really making it tough on the opposition when they want to sit in front of the Bomber net.

 

We can't forget about the offense which is coming from all 4 lines and it seems like there is a different player stepping up each night. Tyson Empey, Grayson Reitmeier, Brandon Switzer and Rylee Zimmer all had big goals last series, with Zimmer delivering the knock out punch with his thrilling double OT winner in game 5.

 

Melfort continues to be led by the Minions line of Boyer, Frei and SJHL scoring champion Travis Mayan who have 44 points combined so far in the playoffs. Their offense drops off significantly after that with Sinclair picking up 6 points in 11 games and Boutin 5 points in 10 games.

 

Rookie goalie Evan Plotnick has carried the mail starting all 11 games for injured starter Richard Palmer who got injured in warm up just before game 1 of the playoffs. His status is still unknown for the league final. Plotnick is getting the job done going 8-3 with a save % of .908 and a gaa of 2.71.

 

No matter what go's down you will have the best seat in the house with the entire Canalta Cup Final on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com. here is the schedule of games

 

FULL SJHL CANALTA CUP FINALS SCHEDULE

Game 1: Fri/Apr/15 @ Melfort

Game 2: Sat/Apr/16 @ Melfort

Game 3: Tue/Apr/19 @ Flin Flon

Game 4: Wed/Apr/20 @ Flin Flon

Game 5: Fri/Apr/22 @ Melfort

Game 6: Sun/Apr/24 @ Flin Flon

Game 7: Tue/Apr/26 @ Melfort

Big Weekend For Hapnot Athlete

The accolades continue to roll in for Hapnot Collegiate's Will Hatherly who has a very big weekend coming up.

 

Will has been selected to play in the AAA High School Graduating Basketball All Star Game in Winnipeg this Saturday.

 

He will also receive an award from Basketball Manitoba for being selected  second year in a row for the 3A Boys SR Varsity All Star team. Will is the first Hapnot athlete to ever win this award two years in a row.

 

 

 

Bombers Off To Final

The Flin Flon Bombers have done the unthinkable, by overcoming a 3-0 deficit after the first period Saturday and defeating the Battleford Stars 6-5 in double OT to win the SJHL Semi Final 4 games to 1.

 

Mason Etter scored a powerplay goal early in the second period and it seemed to give his team life. Brandon Switzer would also score to get the Bombers within one  at 3-2.

 

Battleford restored the 2 goal lead when Leonenko got his second of the series on the powerplay with just over 5 minutes remaining in the middle frame.

 

Flin Flon once again responded when Reitmeier scored a late powerplay goal at 17:49 to make it a 4-3 Battleford lead after 2.

 

The Stars came out with a good start in the third when Kanter was able to bury a nice shot past  Robidoux just 3:55 into the final period. Battleford looked like they were in control and would get the series back to the Whitney for game 6.

 

The Bombers never panicked and were able to take advantage of their opportunities. The first one came from Switzer when he wa able to get in close on Tyler Fuhr and slide a shot past him low glove side.

 

This was Switzer's second of the night and team leading 7th of the playoffs.

 

Enter Rylee Zimmer who would score the tieing goal when he converted a beautiful feed from Wilson and pot a puck into the empty net on a delayed peanalty coming to the Stars.

 

Zimmer didn't know it yet but he was going to score an even bigger goal than this. Zimmer's tieing goal came at the 8:23 mark to make it 5-5 and the score would hold up for the rest of regulation.

 

The first overtime decided nothing so a second overtime was needed. It looked like the Stars had won the game when Dustin Gorgi took a pass in front of the Bomber net and had Zac Robidoux on the other side of the goal but he fired it off the post in disbelief.

 

Some of the Stars had raised  their sticks in the air as they thought Gorgi scored, but Zimmer realized it hit the pipe and he raced up the ice, cut across the Battleford blue line and fired a shot through Tyler Fuhr's legs and he and his team- mates celebrated the biggest goal of his career.

 

This was especially sweet for Zimmer who had lots of family and friends in attendance. Matter of fact out of the over 2000 in attendance at the Civic centre, I would say 400 had to be Bomber fans.

 

Zac Robidoux picked up his second straight win, stopping 41 out of 46 Battleford shots. Flin Flon fired 61 shots at Tyler Fuhr.

 

What an impressive playoff  run for this team who are 8-2 in the post season, with 5 wins on the road. Battleford only lost 4 games in their building all season but Flin Flon managed to win all 3 on the road in this series.

 

The Bombers now return to the league final for the first time in 23 years and will get a few days rest with the other SJHL Semi Final going to a seventh game in Melfort Wednesday. Nipawin won 2-0 Sunday to force game 7.

 

No matter who wins the Bombers will once again start the series on the road and it will be an all Sherwood Final.

 

I am very happy for Head Coach Mike Reagan who has worked very hard over 9 seasons and has put together some very talented teams that always seemed to come up short. Not this time as this seems to be a special group that truly believe in their coach and one another.

 

I feel truly blessed to be broadcasting these games and to think I almost retired this year and would have missed out on this once in a lifetime opportunity. I have never broacast a league final before and I am relishing this chance to call the biggest series for the Bombers in my 20 years at the helm.

 

The organization has always treated me well and I respect the entire franchise very much. I have met a lot of great people throughout the years and am proud to say that many of the players that have put on that jersey are some of my best friends today.

 

Look forward to seeing you at the rink for the Canalta Cup and continue to cheer loudly, it has been overwelming.

 

As soon as the league final schedule is released, I will post on this blog.

Bombers Go For Series Win

 

The Flin Flon Bombers are back in Battleford preparing for game 5 of their SJHL Semi Final series with a chance to do something that they haven't been able to do in 23 years, and that is advance to the league final.

 

After the Bombers took the first two games at the Civic Centre, the teams split games 3 and 4 at the Whitney Forum.

 

Battleford looked good winning game 3  with a solid 4-0 win, but Flin Flon responded with a 5-2 win in game 4.

 

Zac Robidoux was able to pick up his first win of the playoffs with a solid 37 save performance and has looked very good since coming in relief of Brenden Newton in game 3. Robidoux hadn't seen any playing time since game 1 in the Weyburn series and is really showing his veteran savy.

 

The Bombers are also getting scoring from everyone and it was nice to see both Reitmeier and Zimmer get their first goals of the playoffs. Even though they just collected their first goals they have been very good in this post season push and continue to work very hard every game.

 

Curtis Roach is having a playoff for the ages and is third in team scoring with 7 points in 9 games. Roach scored twice in game 4 including a goal just 1:04 into the game.

 

This series has been tough on the goalies, with both starters pulled in the two games in Flin Flon. Newton yanked in game 3 and Fuhr was pulled in game 4 after a shutout in game 3.

 

It will be interesting to see who Kevin Hasselberg go's with in game 5 tonight, especially since Ryan Rewerts has only started a couple games since January. I am sure Fuhr will get the nod.

 

Specialty teams were huge in game 4 , with the Bombers striking three times on the powerplay and adding a short handed goal. Flin Flon has vaulted their powerplay to 24.2 % scoring 8 times on 33 opportunities. Battleford is 7 for 50 good for only 14 %.

 

This is an area the Stars will have to be better if they hope to extend the series. They move the puck around well but have not been able to get to the good areas.

 

Igor Leonenko broke through with his first of the series and that should help the Stars big time if he is back on track. He is still the overall point leader in these playoffs with 12 points in 9 games, tied with team mate Layne Young.

 

No matter what go's down you will have the best seat in the house with all the action on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com. Murray GM Coach's Show kicks things off at 8:15 Manitoba time.

Stars Back In Series

 

With their backs against the wall the Battleford Stars came out with a gigantic first period in which they scored 3 goals en route to a 4-0 win at the Whitney Forum last night.

 

This was as good as a Battleford team I have seen who were all business and did not let a huge crowd at the Forum stop them from what they had to do.

 

It  took the Stars only 5:22  to get on the board in the first period when Buziak fired a beautiful snapshot past Brenden Newton just inside the Bomber blueline. This would stand up as the game winner.

 

Battleford got other first period goals from Young and Gorgi, and chased Newton from the net after Gorgi's powerplay goal at 14:17.

 

Enter Zac Robidoux, who hadn't played since the opening game in Weyburn 2 weeks ago. If Robidoux had any rust you wouldn't know it as he played very well, was composed and looked very comfortable.

 

The only puck to beat him was Gorgi's second of the night, a late powerplay goal in the second period.

Robidoux finished the night stopping 35 out of 36 shots including all 12 he faced in the third period. It will be interesting to see who Mike Reagan starts in goal tonight, which will be the most important game of the season.

 

Tyler Fuhr the starting goalie for the Stars did not have a lot of work at times , but was solid when he had to be stopping all 34 Bomber shots for his first career playoff  shutout.

 

A couple things jumped out at me last night. The Bombers cannot afford to take penaltys if they want to win this series. Flin Flon was shorthanded 7 times and seemed to take penaltys at bad times killing any momentum that they were working so hard to restore.

 

Battleford had the second best powerplay in the league over the regular season and did score a couple of powerplay goals last night. Flin Flon only had two opportunities and did not score.

 

Another factor from last night was their inability to hit the net. The Bombers came out with a great start in the second and were able to get quality chances on Fuhr in tight, but missed the net on at least 5 glorious chances.

 

Flin Flon is still in a good position leading the top team in the SJHL 2 games to 1, and I expect a lot better Bomber team tonight. You also have to give Battleford a lot of credit, they are very well coached and you knew they weren't just going to lay down and let the Bombers take this series without a fight.

 

Here's hoping for another great crowd tonight, with lots of goals from the home side so everyone can get fired up in a frenzy.

 

It is a pleasure to see all the strorefronts painted up with the Bomber logo, fans dragging out all their old jerseys throughout the years and lots of signage dedicated to the players at the Whitney Forum.

 

You truly are the best fans in the league. Bring your radios tonight as we will once again hit the air waves with the Murray GM Coach's Show at 7:15 and play by play 7:30 on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

Up Two Heading Home

 

 

The Flin Flon Bombers have done the unthinkable winning both games in the Battlefords this weekend to take a 2-0 lead in their best of 7 SJHL Semi Final.

 

After pulling out a 3-1 win Friday, the Bombers took over right where they left off needing only 4 minutes and 38 seconds to hit the board in game 2 Saturday night.

 

Lesko redirected a Mason Etter shot from the point between Tyler Fuhr's legs to give the Bombers an early 1-0 lead. Battleford responded when Kantner took a nice pass from behind the Bomber net to even the score at 1.

 

Flin Flon kept coming and team captain Tyson Empey, playing like a house on fire scored twice on the powerplay and a nice short handed goal with only 36 seconds remaining in the first period to give the Bombers a 3-1 lead after 1.

 

Battleford needed to regroup for the second period and they did just that , scoring two quick goals to tie the game before the period was even four minutes old.

 

Gorgi was able to get open and finish a nice pass from Downs blocker side on Brenden Newton to get the Stars within one at 3-2. Just 56 seconds later Buziak tied the game and it looked like the Stars had taken away the momentum.

 

Flin Flon never trailed in this game and would once again take the lead, when Curtis Roach was able to jam a puck in the slot past Tyler Fuhr on the powerplay to once again put the Bombers up 4-3.  This was Roach's first goal of the playoffs.

 

The Stars would once again tie things up late in the second when Davidson finished up a 2 on 1getting a rebound past Newton with only 1:28 remaining in the period to tie the game at 4.

 

Neither team would find the back of the net in the remaining minute or third for that matter, so this one would be settled in OT.

 

This was the first overtime game for both these teams in the 2016 playoffs and the Bombers did not disappoint the great legions of fans who made their way to the Civic Centre.

 

The electrifying Alex Smith raced behind the Battleford net and centred a perfect pass to Brandon Switzer who made no mistake,  flipping in a backhand over Fuhr's left pad for his team leading 5th of the playoffs just 50 seconds into the extra period to give the Bombers the incredible 5-4 win.

 

This is also Switzer's second game winning goal in these playoffs.

 

The Bombers have put themselves in a great position up 2 games to none and returning to the Whitney Forum for games 3 and 4 Tuesday, Wednesday.

 

It seems like an eternity for me anyway since the Bombers played a home game, with this mammoth road schedule which has the team leaving the day before scheduled games due to the distance with both Weyburn and Battleford.

 

Flin Flon since droppping their first post season game in Weburn have reeled off 6 straight wins including 4 on the road. WOW who saw that coming. We always knew they were tough to beat at the Whitney, but now appear to be tough to beat anywhere.

 

Battleford had not lost a home game since January the 6th before dropping both games this weekend.

 

The Bombers look to keep things going when they get set to host game 3 tuesday, don't forget to bring your radios to the game and tell all your friends out of town to listen to flinflononline.com. We hit the air at 7:15 with the Murray GM Coach's Show.

Hudbay Hockey Tourney Results

 

The 25th annual Hudbay Hockey Tournament wrapped up today at the Whitney Forum.

 

A-Side Final The Zinc Plant beat Electrical 4-3. Brett Jones the difference, great in goal.

 

B-Side  Powerhouse over Triple 7  6-5. Colin Hynes scored on a breakaway with only 9 seconds left in the game to win it.

 

C-Side Boilermakers over Snow Lake 10-7.

 

Bombers Stars Preview

 

 

The Flin Flon Bombers are in the Battlefords preparing for game 1 of their SJHL Semi final series.

 

Flin Flon took out Weyburn in 5 games while the heavilly favoured North Stars beat Kindersley in 5 despite some tough injuries and battling the flew.

 

This is the first playoff meeting since 2011 when the Bombers beat the Stars 3 games to 1 to win the Wild Card. A lot has changed since their last playoff meeting, Ken Persen was the head coach and Dan O'Conner was the play by play guy.

 

The North Stars had the best record during the regular season at : 43-11-2-2 and were the only team to hit 90 points. They were also 23-4-0-2 at home. Flin Flon finished at : 34-20-0-4 to finish 6th overall and did beat the Stars 4 out of 6 regular season matchups including all 3 at the Whitney Forum.

 

Battleford entered the post season red hot winning their last 10 games and are 14-1 in their last 15. They also haven't lost a home game since Jan the 6th.

 

Flin Flon went 5-5 in their last 10, but after a minor hic-cup in game 1 against the Wings are looking like that team that rattled off 7 straight wins before Christmas and another 8 in a row in January.

 

This is a very intriguing matchup , where we should see some very entertaining end to end hockey. Both these teams can fly and there will be no shortage of excitement in what has become a very good rivalry.

 

Rumour has it lots of Bomber fans will make their way to the Civic Centre this weekend as they have been a big part of the post season story including 200 strong in Weyburn last Saturday.

 

I think goaltending as it always is will be a big factor and you can't get much better between the pipes than the Bombers did in the opening round. Rookie sensation Brenden Newton since coming in relief of Zac Robidoux in game 1 , picked up 4 straight wins with sensational numbers including a gaa of 1.32 and a save % of .964. He allowed just 5 goals in his 4 starts including a big shut out in game 2.

 

Tyler Fuhr has been the go to guy for Battleford after picking him up from Estevan January the 10th. So far in the playoffs Fuhr is 4-1 with solid numbers including a gaa of 2.42 and a save % of .917. He struggled against the Bombers while in Estevan this year, but got a confidence builder when he was able to beat them in back to back starts with Batlleford in late February.

 

Newton only played the Stars once all season and that just happened to be his first SJHL win on October the 3rd, when the Bombers doubled the Stars 8-4 at the Whitney Forum.

 

Igor Leonenko who scored 47 times in the regular season, had good success against the Bombers picking up 11 points in the 6 meetings including 7 goals. He had 5 in the last 2 meetings including a natural hat -trick and might be the best player in the league right now. McMillen and Delainey who may be injured  also had good seasons against Flin Flon and combined for 18 points.

 

The trio of Smith, Switzer and Kocur combined for 29 points against the Stars and all three are playing very well in the post season including Switzer who has 4 goals, including a pair of goals  which helped knock Weyburn out last Saturday.

 

Flin Flon will have to start game one tonight without the services of defensemen Joseph Leonidas, Brandom Masson and forwards Brandon Lesko and Jason Lavallee who will all serve the second game of their suspensions which occured at the end of game 4 against Weyburn. Morin also remains out with an injury.

 

Here is the schedule of games and don't forget to listen in to all the action on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com including the Murray GM Coach's Show 15 minutes before puck drop.

 

Game 1 Apr 1 Flin Flon at Battlefords 8:30 MB time

Game 2 Apr 2 Flin Flon at Battlefords 8:30 MB time

Game 3 Apr 5 Battlefords at Flin Flon 7:30 PM

Game 4 Apr 6 Battlefords at Flin Flon 7:30 PM 

Game 5 Apr 9 Flin Flon at Battlefords 8:30MB time

Game 6 Apr 11 Battlefords at Flin Flon 7:30 PM

 Game 7 Apr 13 Flin Flon at Battlefords 8:30 MB time

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