Friday, December 17th, the Bombers rolled into town for a weekend Home & Away series against the Wolves. It was a chilly night outside the Mel, but the action in the rink was hot, hot, hot!
The game started off fast and physical and stayed that way for the full 60 minutes. Flin Flon would open the scoring 7 minutes into the first period with a zinger of a shot from Xavier Lapointe. Lapointe would follow that goal up with another, less than 3 minutes later. Two back to back goals had the Wolves’ fans concerned, but a media time out proved to be the trick, as the Wolves’ came out fired up and ready to giver er’. The Wolves did not back down and continued to pressure the Bombers in both ends. Four and half minutes later, Gavin Mattey & Walker Jerome set Brandon Della-Paolera up for a beauty of a goal. The period ended 2-1 for the Bombers.
The first period saw the Wolves’ on the Power Play once and on the penalty kill 3 times. The PK was tight and no goals were scored against as a result.
The second period saw the same intensity from both teams, as it was in the first. Every square inch of ice was covered and the play continued to be fast and physical. Just over 3 minutes into the 2nd period, Aaron Greyeyes set Captain Holden Knights up with a shot and Knights delivered, bringing the score up to 2-2. The tie game had the fans on the edge of their seats throughout the second period. Wolves’ Goalie Xavier Cannon had some great saves throughout. With only 2 minutes in the 2nd, the Wolves pulled ahead with a goal from Ryley Morgan, assisted by Holden Knights and Tye Evans.
The second period saw penalties for both teams, with one clear power play for the Wolves’, but no goal. Our PK stayed tight, and no goals were scored against.
The start of the third period, well it wasn’t great for the Wolves. The team came out a little flat and scrambled for possession. At about the 5 minute mark, they got their groove back and went to work. Third period scoring was opened by Kole Christianson unassisted at 8:45. Christianson played a heck of game, demonstrating his speed and grit throughout. At 10:40 Holden Knights buried his 2nd of the night, unassisted. Nate Looft, assisted by Holden Knights, snapped one in at 14:37 – bringing to the score to 6-2 for the Wolves. And the evening’s last goal at 15:42 was scored by Brandon Della-Paolera for his 2nd of the night, assisted by Parker Layton and Gavin Mattey. Third period penalties had the Wolves facing a 5 on 3 at one point, but hard work and grit saw them through it with no goals against. The final score of the game was 7-2 for the Ice Wolves (which means $140 for La Ronge & Area KidSport through the SaskEnergy Goals for KidSport program). And that puts the teamat 5 wins in a row.
The game overall saw an excellent performance from the Ice Wolves. The shots on goal for the evening was 35:25 in favour of the Wolves. Captain Holden Knights had 4 points in the night, Brandon Della-Paolera saw 2 points, Gavin Mattey also put up 2 points. Wolves had 10 players with points in the game. The hockey action was fast and physical, high energy which made for a great match and of course a well earned win.
Fans were treated to an absolutely great night of entertainment. Fantastic hockey to watch and in addition to that, tons of off ice (sort of) entertainment. Great Western and Original 16 held a fan appreciation night – giving away a ton of swag and free samples in the Wolves’ Den. Bedrock Electric sponsored their 4th annual Plunger Toss, where Jenna Roberts showed laser like precision in nailing the porcelain vessel with her plunger, kids 12 and under got into the game for free courtesy of JRMCC, and the fans donated winter gear for those less fortunate.
A couple firsts, Alejandro Apud played his first SJHL game, making him the first Mexican born player in the SJHL. Apud also got his first SJHL penalty, but no further comment on that 😏
Our fans that tuned in online and through HockeyTV, heard new voices calling the game. Megan Heyhurst provided play by play for the game, and her colour commentary was provided by Mike Heyhurst. Megan is the first woman to call play by play in an SJHL game, and the Heyhurst’s were the first wife-husband combo to call an SJHL game. And while this is certainly not their full time jobs, they provided a fantastic broadcast. The reviews from fans, player parents and billet families has been nothing but positive, and we hope they will do it again. Megan and Mike have been a billet family for the past few years, die hard fans and volunteers with the club. And if you follow our FB or IG, you will see Megan’s great photography and interviews with all of our players.
The team is off to Flin Flon today, to finish off the Home & Away series. We hope the guys play with the same energy, grit and determination they did last night. Thank you to our sponsors and volunteers for making the night so great as well. And of course, thank you to the fans that braved the frigid temperatures and came out to cheer the Wolves on throughout the game. Our next home game is New Years’ Day against the Flin Flon Bombers. #bleedteal
