The Flin Flon Bombers only needed one goal last night, but ended up with 9 as they took it to the Humboldt Broncos in a convincing 9 to 0 win in game 5 of the SJHL Quarter Final Series.

 

The Whitney Forum was an absolute madhouse,  and it is a goosebump experience every time I get to call a game in this legendary building in the playoffs.

 

Anthony Piccininno scored his first of the playoffs, a short handed goal to put Flin Flon up 1 to 0 after the first period. That would stand up as the game winner as the Bombers would score 4 times in just under 5 minutes to break the game open in the second period.

 

Liam Hunks, Luke Lepper, Carter Cormier and Koen Senft would all pick up their first goal of the series as the Broncos were reeling, down 5 goals after two and were very deflated.

 

For the second time in the series the Bombers chased Dazza Mitchell from the net as local product Brady Holtvogt came out to play the third period.

 

Mitchell ended up making 21 saves on 26 shots and was the big story from games three and four in Humboldt where he made over 100 saves in the two games.

 

Mitchell didn't have a lot of support from the team in front of him and Head Coach Brayden Klimosko decided to give him a rest to get ready for game number 6.

 

Holtvogt didn't fare much better and ended up giving up 4 goals on 20 shots as Ryder Ringor got his team leading 5th of the series,  with Ryder Mucha (2), Leo Seitz (1) and AP call up Hudson Brehaut all finding the back of the net in the third period. 

 

This was not only a statement game for the Bombers but a nice bounce back for their netminder Matthew Kieper,  who fought the puck a little bit in game four in Humboldt. Kieper was dialled in when he needed to be,  and made 27 saves for his second shutout of the series.

 

The Broncos came out and had some good chances in the first and had the Bombers a little back on their heels but Kieper was sharp early.

 

Specialty teams were big for Flin Flon who went 3 for 7 on the powerplay to go along with their shorthanded goal. Humboldt went 0 for 4.

 

Flin Flon now leads the best of 7 SJHL Quarter Final 3 games to 2 and will have a chance to wrap up the series in Humboldt Monday night at the Elgar Petersen Arena with puck drop at 8:30 Manitoba time.

 

Don't forget to listen to all the action once again on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com with the Great North GM Coach's Show at 8:10 and drop of the puck for Creighton Furniture at 8:30.

Flin Flon Creighton Minor Ball is excited about the start of their season and have released their schedule for the up coming year.

 

U-5 and U-7 will play Mondays and Wednesdays.

 

U-9 Tuesdays and Thursdays 

 

U-11 Mondays and Wednesdays

 

U-13 and U 15/18  Tuesdays and Thursdays 

 

The tentative start date is April the 28th and they will play games at both Centoba and Creighton.

The Phantom Lake Soccer Club would like to congratulate and welcome their travel coach's for the up coming season.

 

U9 Girls Head coach: Tyler Kittle. Assistant Coach: Kristina Lewis

U9 Boys: Vacant (please send us a message if you would like to be part of this years amazing team)

U11 Girls Head Coach: Steve Brushett. Assistant Coach: Nicole Kendrick

U11 Boys: Vacant (please send us a message if you would like to be a part of this amazing team)

U13 Girls: Head Coach: Nicole Kendrick. Assistant Coach: Steve Brushett

U13 Boys: Head Coach Jessie Koehnlein. Assistant Coach: Andre Longmore
Manager: Kara Kozar

U15/17 Boys: Head Coach: Philip Jobes. Assistant Coach: Steve Brushett

U15 Girls: Blair Etienne

U17: Girls: Teli Keramydas

The OCN Storm will begin their championship series on the road tonight against the number two-seeded Peguis Juniors. The Storm had to go through the Cross Lake Islanders and NCN Flames before earning their place in the finals; Cross Lake, on the other hand, only had to play against Norway House due to their placement in the standings. The regular season series between the two teams was tied at 4-4, adding even more excitement to this thrilling postseason finale. The series is set to return to OCN on April 2nd and April 3rd. Tonight's game should be broadcast live on the OCN Storms Facebook page.     

Tonight, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard can secure their spot in the next round of the Turnbull Cup Playoffs with a win over the Neepawa Titans. Since this past weekend, the Blizz have picked up two very impressive wins against the Titans on the road and will look to add one more to tally in front of a home crowd. Tonight's puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. Advance tickets can be picked up at FunkyThreadz or by contacting Bonnie White or Jenn Reynolds. Bonnie's number is 204-620-2263, and Jenn's number is 204-620-5200; if you plan to stop by FunkyThreadz, please ensure you have cash on hand. Tonight's game will be broadcast live on 102.9 CJAR; our pre-game show will begin at around 6:45 p.m.

If you are interested in finding out what playing for a soccer travel team would be like,  There are practices  open to any players that would like to give it a try.

 

U9 Boys/ Kylie McKinnon

Tuesday, April 8 5:00-6:00

Tuesday, April 15 5:00-6:00

U11 Boys/ Brandy Kuzmiak

Thursday, April 10 5:30-6:30

Monday, April 14 6:00-7:00

U11 and 13 girls/ Nicole Kendrick and Steve Brushett

Wednesday, April 9 5:30-7:00

Wednesday, April 16 6:00-7:00

U13 Boys/ Jessie Koenhlein and Andre Longmore

Wednesday, April 9 5:30-7:00

Tuesday, April 15 5:00-6:00

U15 and U17 Girls/ Blair Etienne and Teli Keramydas

Monday, April 7 7:45-9:00

Monday April 14 7:45-9:00

U15/17 Boys/ Philip Jobes and Steve Brushett

Tuesday, April 8 8:00-9:00

Tuesday, April 15 7:00-8:00

Goalkeeper Clinic/ Nicole Kendrick

Thursday, April 10 5:30-6:30

Indoor runners, socks and shin pads required.

(all of the above time and dates will be held at the Sportex)

 

If there are any issues, please send us an email.

The Flin Flon Bombers return home after a couple of tough OT  losses to the Humboldt Broncos in the SJHL Quarter Final series.

 

On Tuesday,  Flin Flon erased a two goal lead and managed to tie the game at two in the third on goals from Landon Alexander and Cole Tanchuk.

 

It looked like the Bombers might end the game in regulation with all kinds of chances but couldn't solve Dazza Mitchell who ended up making a sensational 62 saves. 

 

The game went to OT and Flin Flon had a couple of real good looks early but couldn't capitalize and both goalies stood tall so a second over time was needed.

 

Humboldt would get a powerplay early in the second OT  when Rhett Ewen  got called for interference. Even though the Bronco's didn't score with the extra attacker, they kept the pressure on and were rewarded when Zach Bansley was left alone in the slot and he beat Matthew Kieper with a nice low wrist shot to make the final 3 to 2.

 

A great crowd was on hand at the Elgar Peterson Arena and they were as loud and voistrous as I have heard in there in a long time.

 

Dazza Mitchell was the big  story for the Broncos  and he  ended up making 62 saves for his first playoff win against the Bombers. Matthew Kieper suffered the loss and gave up 3 goals on 32 shots.

 

Specialty teams were also a big part of the story with Humboldt cashing in on 2 of their 4 opportunities while Flin Flon went 1 for 4.

 

The Bombers were hoping for a better result on Wednesday and still had a chance to get the split if they could pull out game 4.

 

Humboldt started well and got a real fluky goal from Tre Foquette,  who shot a puck from the blue line that hit the boards behind the net and then bounced in off the back of  Kieper's skate.

 

Ryder Ringor would get his team leading fourth of the playoffs when he tied the game on the powerplay just a few minutes later.

 

Humboldt then got their powerplay working and scored two of their own from Jacob Strizzi and Madox Amaral to put the Broncos ahead 3 to 1.

 

Once again the Bombers entered the third period down a pair of goals and for the second straight night mounted a third period come back.

 

Local product Ryder Mucha who had multiple chances in both games was able to bury a rebound on Dazza Mitchell and made the score 3 to 2. Just 33 seconds later Keefe Gruener blasted down the ice and beat Mitchell low glove side for his second of the series.

 

It looked like the Bombers would once again end the game in regulation but couldn't bury on many of their chances late in the game so once again extra time was needed.

 

With less than three minute remaining in the first over time, Kye Benoche was able to take advantage of a big rebound,  and flipped the puck over Matthew Kieper's left shoulder for the game winner.

 

This was Benoche's team leading fourth of the series.

 

Both team's powerplays were solid with Flin Flon going 2 for 9 while Humboldt was 2 for 7.

 

Home ice has been the story with both teams able to win in their own buildings and now the series will come back to the Whitney Forum for game 5 on Saturday.

 

One big concern for the Bombers has got to be the amount of injuries piling up, as they lost Koen Senft in the second period last night. That means they have 7 regulars out of the lineup including Leighton Carruthers, Reid Arberry, Wyatt Stinton, Kylynn Olafson, Emerson Clark and Kyle Marsden.

 

Hopefully  they can get some bodies back for Saturday as the Broncos will be bringing a lot of momentum into the Whitney Forum for game 5 , in particular  their goaltender Dazza Mitchell who has stopped over 100 shots in the last two games.

 

Don't forget to catch all the action once again on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com beginning with the Great North GM Coach's Show at 7:10.

The Provincial AA Girls and Boys Basketball Championship wrapped up this past weekend, with both postseason tournaments occurring here in the north. The Provincial Girls Championship took place in Flin Flon, where the Warren Willd Cats secured first place with their 52-36 win over the Souris Sabres. The Provincial Boys Championship was set up here in The Pas and had the Gabrielle-Roy Les Roys win the top spot after defeating the Immanuel Christian Falcons 85-65. The MBCI Boys team placed third after besting the Carberry Cougars in the bronze medal game. The Hapnot Kopper Kweens and MBCI Girls would place sixth and seventh in their tourney.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard managed to squeak out a gutsy come-from-behind win last night in game three of their first-round series against Neepawa. The opening period saw the two squads each put up a pair of goals. Ryan Gower and Carter McLeod scored for Neepawa, whereas Cheechoo Lathlin and Louis-Jacob Beauregard potted the two goals for team Norman. In the second, Neepawa's Kyle Weisgarber and Carter McLeod notched back-to-back goals to make it a two-goal deficit for the Blizz. The Blizz, however, were able to come back in the third and tie things up; Marlen Edwards and the Blizzard power play unit orchestrated a goal early in the period. Just before the midway point, Aaron Krestanowich netted an even-strength goal to tie things up, and the game-winner came from Quincy Supprien, who capitalized while the Blizz were short-handed.  The Blizz now lead the series 2-1 after securing last night's 5-4 win. Once again, the two teams are back at it tonight. This exciting postseason matchup will return here at home this Friday.  

The Kelsey Recreation and Wellness Centre are calling on all future lifeguards to register for next month's three-day bronze medallion course. The first class will start on Tuesday, April 1st and run till Thursday, April 3rd. Each session will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. The overall cost is $240; to take part, you must have your Bronze Star or be thirteen or older. You can sign up at the Wellness Centre, and for more information, call 204-627-1134.

 

After scoring back-to-back impressive wins here at home, the OCN Storm have officially punched their ticket to a KJHL championship series against the Peguis Juniors. The Storm dominated NCN from start to finish on Saturday and Sunday, finishing the weekend with a combined score of 15-7. In the regular season, the two squads met eight times and went 4-4 against each other. The Juniors are fresh off a series sweep against the Norway House North Stars and will get home ice advantage in their championship match-up against the Storm. The first two games in this best-of-seven contest will go down this Saturday and Sunday; the Storm will return home to play on Wednesday and Thursday next week. To stay up to date, follow the OCN Storm on Facebook.

The Flin Flon Bombers are up two games to none in their  SJHL Quarter Final Series against the Humboldt Broncos,  after winning both games on home ice this past weekend 5 to 0 and 4 to 2.

 

 

Afer a sluggish first period on Friday,  the Bombers got things in check when Rhett Ewen grabbed a loose puck off the glass in the Bronco's zone to beat Dazza Mitchell,  for what would turn out to be the game winner. 

 

Ewen would add another goal with Ryder Ringor and Leigton Carruthers potting a pair on the powerplay to round out the scoring. It was great to see Carruthers back after an injury sidelined him for over two months. He looked like he didn't miss a beat and he is exactly what the Bomber  Powerplay needed.

 

Matthew Kieper was very sharp and stopped all 24 shots fired in his direction for his first ever Junior playoff win. Kieper had not started a playoff game since his Triple A days.

 

Dazza Mitchell started for the Bronco's and gave up 5 goals on 40 shots before making way for Brady Holtvogt who stopped all 9 shots he faced in relief.

 

Penalties were a big part of the story with Humboldt coming a little unglued and took some undisciplined penalties,  and were short handed 7 times while the Bombers only had to serve two minors.

 

Flin Flon went 2 for 7 while Humboldt was 0 for 2.

 

Saturday you knew the Broncos would be better and they were and managed to score the first goal,  when Kye Benoche fired a beautiful shot over the left shoulder of Matthew Kieper for the only goal in the first period.

 

Flin Flon shook that off and came out and played their best period of the game with Leighton Carruthers and Keefe Gruener both scoring on the powerplay. Ryder Ringor would also add his second of the series even strength.

 

With Flin Flon leading 3 to 1, Kye Benoche would get his second of the game when he took advantage  of a rebound in front of the Bomber net and flipped a back hander past Kieper.

 

The Broncos kept pressing with a late powerplay but couldn't tie the game.

 

The only goal in the third period was scored by Ryder Ringor,  who found the empty net with the goalie pulled for his third of the series with les than a minute left in regulation.

 

Matthew Kieper did his job again,  only allowing two goals on 36 shots while Dazza Mitchell battled hard with 37 saves on 40 shots.

 

Humboldt couldn't stay out of the penalty box and the Bomber powerplay made them pay once again going 2 for 8, while Humboldt came up empty 0 for 2.

 

5 on 5 the Broncos have looked good,  but will need to find a way to stay out of the box if they want to get back in this series in Humboldt.

 

The series will shift to the Elgar Peterson Arena for games three and four, this Tuesday and Wednesday and will start at 8:30 Manitoba time.

 

Despite the two wins, Leighton Carruthers did leave the game for Flin Flon midway through the second period last night and did come back to the bench for the third,  but didn't play another shift. He will be re-evaluated before Tuesday.

 

Don't forget to listen  in to both games from Humboldt as 102.9 CFAR Creighton Furniture Bomber Hockey will broadcast every single Flin Flon Bomber playoff game.

 

We kick things off both nights with the Great North GM Coach's Show at 8:10.

Hapnot Collegiate hosted Senior Girls Provincial Basketball this past weekend with 8 of the top Senior Girls teams from right across the province taking part.

 

The Hapnot Queens were the host team and they ended up going 1-1 in the round robin. After an opening loss to Immanuel Christian , the Queens were able to knock off MBCI out of The Pas 59 to 51 in front  of a very loud  packed gym.

 

That would put the Queens in the Consolation Final against Prairie Mountain and after a slow start the Queens put together a decent second half and ended up losing 56 to 43.

 

The Warren Wildcats who were ranked number one in the province ended up beating Souris 52 to 36 and ended up winning the provincial title.

 

A big thanks to all the volunteers, sponsors, organizers and to all the coach's and players for travelling up for the tournament. This was the first time that Hapnot has hosted a provincial tournament  in many years.

The annual Hudbay Hockey Tournament wrapped up this afternoon at the Whitney Forum.

 

There were four teams that took part including the Snow Lake Mill who went 3-1, Lalor Mine who finished 2-2, the Boilermakers 1-3 and the Electricians 1-3.

 

In the final it was the Snow Lake Mills over Lalor Mine 6 to 4.

 

Brenden Barron and Willy Thompson led the way with a pair of goals with Mike Jones and Riley McDonald adding singles.

 

Scoring for Lalor were: Tyler Stinton with 2, Dean Grindle and Ashton Crone.

Hudbay will play their annual Hockey Tournament this weekend at the Whitney Forum.

 

There will be 4 teams including the Boiler Makers, Electricians, Lalor Mine and the Snow Lake Mill's team.

 

Games will start Saturday with the Electricians playing Snow Lake at 12:30 and the Boiler Makers taking on Lalor Mine at 2:30pm.

 

On Sunday, Lalor will play Snow Lake at 10am followed by the Boiler Makers against the Electricians at 11:30. Round robin will continue through out the afternoon with the final set to go at 5pm.

The best time of the year to be a hockey fan will start tonight as the Flin Flon Bombers get ready to battle the Humboldt Broncos  in the opening round of the SJHL Playoffs.

 

It will be the fourth time they have met in the last 5 years with the Bombers winning the three previous series 12 games  to 2.

 

The interesting thing is both the Bronco wins came at the Whitney Forum as the Bombers have won every single game at the Elgar Peterson Arena.

 

Of course that really means nothing now,  as these are two totally different teams and a totally different season.

 

Scott Barney was also the coach of those teams and now the Bronco's are led by former player and home town hero Brayden Klimosko who took over the Bronco's just before the start of the regular season.

 

Flin Flon finished the regular season at 38-13-4-1 good for 81 points and second overall. The Bronco's finished seventh overall at 28-22-3-5 and had a tough time being consistent through out the year.

 

Saying that,  Humboldt does have some forwards that scare you including Jacob Strizzi who finished third overall in league scoring with 71 points.

 

Kyle Benoche, Boris Kofman  and defenseman Oakley McIlwain are all strong offensively as well.

 

The Bombers get a big boost for this series as it is expected that Leighton Carruthers will make his much awaited return from injury tonight.

 

Carruthers has missed more than two months after getting injured early in January and Flin Flon really missed his leadership, skill and size down the stretch but are very excited to get him back this weekend.

 

Flin Flon is also led by veteran forwards Keefe Gruener and Ryder Ringor who were their top offensive threats this past year with 69 and 62 points a piece. They are also two of the best penalty killers in the league and combined for 11 short handed goals.

 

Playoff success always has a lot to do with goaltending and we have two of the league's best going head to head,  with SJHL MVP and Goalie Of The Year Matthew Kieper for the Bombers and Dazza Mitchell for the Broncos.

 

Kieper led the league in  save % at .935 and Mitchell was right behind him at .920, and always amps his game come play off time. Last year when Mitchell was still a member of the Weyburn Red Wings he almost stole the series against the Broncos.

 

I am personally looking forward to those guys going head to head in this series.

 

Puck drop tonight and tomorrow is 7:30 and don't forget we will broadcast every single Flin Flon Bomber playoff game on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

After Wednesday's win against NCN, the OCN Storm have a massive opportunity to potentially book their ticket to the KJHL finals. Ozy Atkinson and the Storm power play unit struck first just before the midway point; however, shortly after, NCN's Liam Tattuinee scored a shorthanded goal to tie things up. The Storm then responded with two unanswered goals to finish off the first; Keilan Holland potted an even-strength goal, whereas Justin Eetuk's goal came from another power play opportunity. After a quiet second period, it would be none other than Storm captain  Drew Peters who added an empty netter to the tally with less than a minute left in the third to make the final 4-1 for OCN. With the series being tied at 1-1 in this five-game series, the Storm can cause an upset at home this weekend. The two games go down at the GLMC on Saturday and Sunday, with puck drop at 7:00 p.m. for both nights. 

The MJHL's Turnbull Cup Playoffs get underway tonight with four games happening across the province. In the MGEU east division, the 4th seed Niverville Nighthawks will compete against 1st seed Winkler, and 3rd seed Portage will face off against the 2nd seed Steinbach Pistons. In the MEGU west division, the 4th-seeded Wolverines will take on the 1st-seeded Dauphin Kings. Locally, the 2nd-seeded  Northern Manitoba Blizzard will host 3rd-seeded Neepawa today and tomorrow at the Roy H. Johnston Arena.  Tonight's puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m.; tonight and tomorrow's game will be broadcast live on 102.9 CJAR. The FunkyThreadz pre-game show will start at around 6:45 p.m.

 

Starting today and running until Sunday, the M30Athletics Indigenous Hockey Championship will occur in The Pas and OCN. The weekend of play will feature over 500 athletes of all ages competing for a shot at glory. Games will be played at the Roy H. Johnston Arena and the Gordan Lathlin Memorial Center. The daily gate admission will be $5. More information, like the weekend schedule, can be found on their  Facebook page, M30Athletics.

Soccer Season is just around the corner  for Flin Flon and the surrounding area and the Indoor Tournament is always a fun way to kick off the season.

 

The tournament will take place at the Creighton Sportex on May the 2nd and 3rd and is open to kids born between 2011 and 2016.

 

You can register in person at the Creighton Recreation Office 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. Registration forms are available at the Creighton Rec Office or Town Of Creighton Office.

 

Registration deadline is April the 25th and for more information you can call Lindsay at 306-688-3538 or e-mail creightonrecreation@sasktel.net.

 

Cost is $40.00.

On the eve of the SJHL Playoffs, Flin Flon Bomber goaltender Matthew Kieper was a huge winner as the league announced their year end award winners.

 

Kieper was chosen both the SGEU League MVP and Sasktel Goalie Of The Year.

 

Since Kieper's arrival in early November, the Flin Flon Bombers are a totally different team. At the end of October Flin Flon sat 10th overall, but slowly started to move up the standings to finish second overall and Kieper was a big reason why.

 

Kieper led the league with a 1.80 GAA and .935 save % to go along with 3 shut outs. His record was an amazing 23-2-1-1and he took home Goalie Of The Month honors twice this past season.

 

The Bombers prepare for the Humboldt Bronco's as the SJHL will officially kick off the playoffs on all four fronts tomorrow night including game one at the Whitney Forum.

 

Don't forget that every Flin Flon Bomber playoff game will be broadcast on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

 

You can see all the end SJHL Award Winners on sjhl.ca.

Flin Flon Minor Hockey officially called it a season with their Awards Night Gala last night at the Flin Flon Community Hall.

 

It was the first time in many years that all the players involved in Minor Hockey from U-7 to the Girls program.

 

Here are last night's award winners:

 

U-7

Most Team Spirit- Lenyx Plante

Most Dedicated- Rowan Klemmer

Most Improved- Arlo Fox

 

U-9

Most Team Spirit- Rory McCulloch

Most Dedicated- Eli McKinnon

Most Improved- Henry Chilson Sealey

MVP- Jett Nabe

 

U-11

Most Team Spirit- Mason Olson

Most Dedicated- Braden Chabot

Most Improved- Chase Andres

MVP- Logan Boucher

 

U-13

Most Team Spirit- Luke Kowbel

Most Dedicated- Bentley Crone

Most Improved- Arden Taylor

MVP- Parker Meikle

 

U-15

Most Team Spirit- Devin Thurston

Most Dedicated- Hayden Biberdorf

Most Improved- Noah Cable

MVP- Riley Trubiak

 

U-18

Most Team Spirit- Keeston Merasty

Most Dedicated- Marik Dominey

Most Improved- Dominic McKay

MVP- Marcel Rae

 

Girls Program

Most Dedicated- Piper Pawlachuk

 

Referee Awards

Most Improved Male- Thomas Cathcart

Mot Improved-- Female- Lily Kendrick

Most Dedicated Male- Hayden Biberdorf

Most Dedicated Female- Janae Neufeld

Most Promising- Myles Koivisto

Harvey Bolton Award- Riley Trubiak.

The OCN Storm had a rough start last night in their semi-final series against number one NCN.

 

Early in the first,  Gregory Wiseman and Maddex Long fired back-to-back goals for the Flames. OCN's Keilan Holland made it a one-goal deficit with just under six minutes left in the period; however, shortly after, Daylin Monias of NCN scored to make it 3-1.

 

Gregory Wiseman was the lone goal scorer in the second period; at the start of the third, Prime Paniyuk potted NCN's fifth goal of the night. A bit after the ten-minute mark, Storm forward Keestin Danielson added one more to the tally for the Storm, but moments later, Gregory Wiseman earned a hat trick with his third goal, making the final 6-2.

 

The Storm are back at it tonight against NCN; they'll return to OCN this Saturday.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzards first round schedule against Neepawa was released on Monday.

 

The Blizz will play back-to-back games to start the playoff series this Friday and Saturday at the Roy. If a game five or seven is needed, those games will be played on March 28th and April 1st.

 

Advance tickets are available today. To buy them electronically, text Bonnie at 204-620-2263 or Jenn at 204-620-5200 and email your payments to payment@normanblizzard.com; please include your name in the note section.

 

To purchase tickets in person, get some cash and head down to FunkyThreadz. For ages, 16+ it will be $20, whereas, for ages 15+, $15, GST will be included for either purchase.

 

Puck drop for both games is 7:00 p.m; if you cannot make the home games, tune into our Blizz Broadcast brought to you by Shanes. Our FunkyThreadz pre-game show will always begin at around 6:45 p.m.

The Flin Flon Bombers will once again face the Humboldt Broncos in the opening round of the playoffs which will start this weekend.

 

Here are the dates for the SJHL Quarter Final Series.

 

Friday March 21st- 7:30 Whitney Forum- Flin Flon-7:30

Saturday March 22nd- Whitney Forum- Flin Flon7:30

Tuesday March 25th- Elgar Peterson Arena- Humboldt-8:30

Wednesday March 26th- Elgar Peterson Arena- Humboldt- 8:30

if necessary- Saturday March 29th- Whitney Forum- Flin Flon-7:30

if necessary- Monday March 31st- Elgar Peterson Arena- Humboldt- 8:30

if necessary- Wednesday April 2nd- Whitney Forum- Flin Flon-7:30

 

These are all Manitoba start times.

It is a big weekend for Hapnot Collegiate who are getting ready to host Senior Girl  Provincial Basketball starting on Thursday.

 

8 of the top Senior teams across Manitoba will be taking part including the Senior Queens, MBCI out of the Pas, Prairie Mountain ,  Glenboro/Carberry, Teulon, Warren, Immanuel Christian and Souris.

 

Games will start Thursday afternoon with the Hapnot Queens taking on Immanuel Christian at 2:15.

 

Round robin will continue through Friday and Saturday with the three finals to be played on Saturday including the Consolation Final at 10 am, the Bronze Medal game at noon and the Gold Medal game at 2pm.

The semi-finals of the KJHL playoffs begin tonight, with two games happening in both Thompson and Peguis First Nation. The OCN Storm will be taking on number one ranked NCN at the C.A Nesbitt Arena both tonight and tomorrow. The other match-up will see third-ranked Norway House challenge the second-seeded Peguis Juniors. The Storm are scheduled to return home this Saturday and Sunday. If the best-of-three series goes to a fifth game to determine who advances to the championship, the final match will occur at the Gilbert McDonald Arena in Nelson House on March 26th.

It was a big weekend at the Uptown Curling Club with both the Ladies and Men's Bonspiels taking place. There was some tremendous curling with 10 Ladies Rinks and 6 for the Men.

 

Here are the results.

 

Ladies Main Event saw Kyla Reierson beat Sue Chrisp in the final.

 

The Reierson rink included Kyla Reierson- Skip, Denise  Davis- Third, Mackenzie Bortis- Second and Jan Rodnisky- Lead.

 

Lori  Salahub won the B-Side over Christy Evans from Snow Lake and it was Diane Burwash defeating Debbie McCombie for the C-Event.

 

 

The results for the Men saw Trevor Watt take  the Main Event  with a hard fought victory over Jason Levers.

 

The Trevor Watt rink featured Trevor Watt- Skip, Dave Salahub- Third, Hank Kosar- Second and Jason Kozar- Lead.

 

Other results included Russ Kennedy over Skip Martin for the B-Event  and Todd Boyd knocked off Ryan Peake to win the C-Event.

 

A big thanks to the organizers, volunteers, curlers and sponsors who made this such a fun weekend.

The JV Hapnot Kopper Queens were in Souris this past weekend representing the North for Provincial Basketball.

 

The Queens have had a great season and were actually ranked second heading into the weekend.

 

Unfortunately the Queens got upset in their first game against Glenboro/Carberry and got relegated  to the Consolation bracket.

 

Hapnot responded with back to back wins over Wiliam Morton and a convincing 60 to 31 win over the Warren Wildcats to bring home the Consolation.

 

The Souris Sabres who were ranked number one, ended up winning the tournament beating Glenboro/ Carberry in a close game 38 to 36.

 

Hapnot will host Senior Basketball Provincials starting on Thursday and you can follow the Hapnot Instagram page for game scores, players of the game, team rosters and other event info.

 

The full schedule is available at : https://www.mhsaa.ca/.../provincial-aa-girls-basketball.../

The Flin Flon Bombers will head into the post season on a high as they knocked off the Laronge Ice Wolves 4 to 1 on Saturday night.

 

The Bombers were able to avenge a 6 to 3 loss in Laronge the night before.

 

Koen Senft had the hot hand as he picked up his first career SJHL hat-trick and added an assist as he was in on every goal to spark his team in the final SJHL regular season game.

 

Senft will finish the season with 17 goals which was third best on the team this past season.

 

The lone goal for Laronge was scored by Hudson Cameron who scored his 19th of the season on a break away in the second period.

 

Kenny Marquart picked up the win for Flin Flon in what may have been his best game of the season in stopping 31 out of 32 shots. Graham Brown took the loss and made 35 saves on 39 shots.

 

Brown was huge for the Wolves down the stretch and was a big reason why Laronge made a big push late in the season.

 

This loss officially eliminates Laronge from the playoffs who showed a lot of guts and tenacity down the stretch and will only miss the playoffs by 2 points which is a big improvement from the previous season.

 

Flin Flon will finish the year at 38-13-4-1, 81 points and a second place finish.

 

The Bombers now prepare to open up the post season against a familiar foe in the Humboldt Broncos who finished 7th overall wrapping up the season with a solid 6 to 1 win over Nipawin on Friday night.

 

This will be the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams in the last 5 seasons with the Bombers winning the previous three series. Even though Humboldt is a 7th seed, they will be no push over and will give the Bombers all they can handle.

 

They have some guys that can score and Dazza Mitchell is as good as anyone between the pipes and has been very good in the post season the last couple of years.

 

It should be very interesting and entertaining for both fan bases.

 

The schedule has not been released yet,  but it has been confirmed that Flin Flon will host games one and two at the Whitney Forum on Friday and Saturday.

 

102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com will broadcast all the Flin Flon Bomber playoff games home and away.

After splitting their final weekend of play against the Swan Valley Stampeders, the Northern Manitoba Blizzard will now focus on their opening playoff game against the Neepawa Titans. The Blizzard went 4-2 against the Titans during the regular season and will look to kick off their postseason journey this Friday here at home. More information about the Blizzard's playoff schedule will be released soon. To stay current, visit the MJHL's official website or follow the Northern Manitoba Blizzard on Facebook.

Junior Varsity High School Girl's Basketball Provincials are underway in Souris.

 

The Hapnot Queens are the representatives  from the North and they are ranked number two in the province behind Souris.

 

It was a tough start for the Queens who lost their first game to Glenboro/ Carberry 38 to 34 yesterday  which has dropped them down to the Consolation bracket.

 

Hapnot will play the William Morton Warriors at 5pm today with the winner moving on to the Consolation final.

The opening draws are set for both the Men's and Ladies Bonspiels this weekend at the Uptown Curling Club.

 

There are 10 Ladies rinks and 6 for the Men.

 

The opening draw for the Ladies is at 6pm tonight and will feature Kyla Reierson VS Cindy Evans, Lori Salahub takes on Sue Chrisp with Betty Fehr squaring off against Dianne Burwash.

 

The opening draw for the Men will go at 8:30pm and Trevor Watt is up against Ryan Peake and Jason Levers go's up against Todd Boyd.

 

Action will continue right through the weekend with the Ladies final this Sunday at noon and the Men's Final is at 3pm.

Due to the Storm winning their playoff game yesterday against the Cross Lake Islanders, the schedule for this upcoming weekend's Derek Fontaine Memorial Hockey Tournament has been set in stone. The eight teams that are taking part will be split into two pools. The first game starts at 5:30 p.m. today, and the grand finale goes down Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Admission-wise, for adults, it's $10 per day, whereas elders ages 65+ and children five and under get in for free. All games will take place at the GLMC; for the full schedule, visit their official Facebook page or our website, thepasonline.com

The OCN Storm punched their ticket to the semi-finals of the KJHL playoffs after yesterday's dominant 6-2 win against Cross Lake. Drew Peters and Laryn Chaboyer scored two unanswered goals in the first period to make it a 2-0 game going into the second. A bit past the midway mark in the second, Laryn Chaboyer got his second goal of the night to make it a three-goal deficit. Shortly after, Chase Muswagon put Cross Lake on the board by notching his second postseason goal. In the third, Kolby Cooper chalked up a goal for Cross Lake to make the game a whole lot closer; however, moments later, both Keestin Danielson and Cedrick Puffalt would go on to fire in three back-to-back goals to make the final 6-2. The Storm will now set their sights on number one NCN; the five-game series will start next week on Tuesday, March 18th.

After Wednesday's 3-1 loss against Virden, the Blizz will now play their two remaining regular-season games against the Swan Valley Stampeders. They hit the road tonight but will return tomorrow to play their last match-up against Swan Valley at home at the Roy. Tomorrow's puck drop is 7:00 p.m. sharp, with our Blizz broadcast slated for around 6:45 p.m.  

Luke Lepper continues to have a break out season for the Flin Flon Bombers and for the third time this season has been awarded the Super U Defenseman Of The Week for the SJHL.

 

Lepper had a great weekend against the Battleford Stars where he picked up 4 points including two goals in the back to back wins. He also picked up an assist in the 5 to 4 OT loss in Nipawin on Tuesday.

 

So far this season Lepper has 39 points in 49 games which has him sitting fourth overall in league scoring for defensemen.  His 33 assists have him sitting third overall as he continues to bring it every night.

 

The Flin Flon Bombers only have two regular season games remaining and will finish second overall no matter the outcome. They face Laronge in a home and home and after the Wolves beat Melfort on Wednesday they  still have a chance to finish 8th for the final playoff spot.

 

They would need to beat the Bombers in both games and hope the Kindersley Klippers lose their final two games against the Battleford Stars.

 

You can catch the final two Bomber games on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com with puck drop in Laronge at 8:30 Friday night and 7:30 in Flin Flon on Saturday.

 

We hit the air both nights 20 minutes before the opening face off with the Great North GM Coach's Show, then drop of the puck for Creighton Furniture.

The Phantom Lake Soccer Club is now taking registration for their outdoor season.

 

Registration is now open til April the 18th with travel registration going til April  the 15th.  

 

Registration age groups DOB's as of January 1st, 2025.

U3: 2022

U5: 2021/2020

U7: 2019/2018

U9: 2017/2016

U11: 2015/2014

U13: 2013/2012

U15: 2011/2010

U17: 2009/2008

 

Sign up online by going to www.rampreregistration .com, then select under and the age division to register for House League.

 

U3, 5 & 7 have a choice of either Tuesday or Thursday nights. Please choose one .  Make sure to keep an eye on their  Facebook posts in March and April for Try-Us-Outs.

 

The season will start in early May.

The Flin Flon Bombers and Nipawin Hawks met for the 8th and final time last night.

 

Nipawin is playing their best hockey in the past few  seasons and had reeled off 7 wins in their last 10 games  heading into last night.

 

The Hawks were also coming in with a 3-0 win over Flin Flon in their last meeting on February the 4th after snapping a 17 game losing skid against the Bombers.

 

No question about it, Nipawin is playing with renewed confidence and came out firing last night jumping out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Van Taylor, Mason Karakochuk and Konnor Watson.

 

The Bombers got on track when Keefe Gruener took a nice feed from Ryder  Ringor,  and was able to streak down the left side of the ice to beat Hawk netminder Gage Roberts with his league leading 6th short handed goal.

 

Guener is also second overall in the league in goals with 33 and cut the deficit to 3-1 after two.

 

Ashton Tait would restore the three goal lead when he scored his 11th of the year  on the powerplay to make it 4 to 1 Hawks.

 

Flin Flon have been one of the best teams in the league and showed a lot of resiliency and were able to mount the comeback in the third.

 

Koen Senft (14), Liam Hunks (11) and Ryder Mucha (6) all scored in a just over an 11 minute span and were able to fight back and tie the game at 4. I thought the Bombers took it to the Hawks for much of the night and had  some good chances to take the lead but Gage Roberts held them at bay.

 

Tied at 4 the game went to overtime , and after the Bombers squandered some good opportunities and  the Hawks were able cash  in on a late break away by Will Whitter who netted his 12th of the year for the winner.

 

This was Whitter's second break away of the extra period and he was able to bury this time.

 

Despite the loss Flin Flon out shot Nipawin 37 to 18 with Gage Roberts making a lot of highlight reel saves and was the difference last night. Kenny Marquart suffered the loss giving up 5 goals on 18 shots.

 

The Bombers will take the season series 6-1-1 and once again are locked into second spot at 37-12-4-1. The Hawks leap frog Estevan for tenth overall at 17-32-3-3 and have won 8 of their last 11 games.

 

Flin Flon will close out the regular season with a home and home against the Laronge Ice Wolves this weekend  in what could be huge  games for Laronge who are chasing down the final playoff position.

 

The Wolves are 5 points back of Kindersley with three games to play and would need to win all three and home that Kindersley drop their final two to Battleford. Laronge is in Melfort tonight.

 

Both games against the Wolves will be broadcast on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com this weekend.

Last night, three hundred forty attendees took in a fantastic playoff contest between the OCN Storm and Cross Lake Islanders at the GLMC. The Storm managed to squeak out a 4-3 win against the Islanders and will only need one more to move on to the semi-finals. The first period saw the Storm chalk up two unanswered goals in the remaining ten minutes; goals were scored by Keilan Holland and Keestin Danielson. Early in the second, Chase Muswagon of Crosslake potted his first postseason goal to make it a one-goal deficit; shortly after, Keilan Holland was able to notch his second goal of the night to make the score 3-1. The third period eventually came around and saw Keilan Holland earn a hat trick in the opening frame; moments later, Blaise Cheechoo and Daynon Smith would go on to net two back-to-back goals for a late rally that ultimately fell short, with the final being 4-3 for the Storm. Tomorrow, the Storm will make the trek to Cross Lake to play game two in this three-game series; if game three is needed, it will be played at the GLMC this Saturday.  

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard will take on Virden for the final time this regular season tonight at the Roy H. Johnston Arena. Dauphin officially clinched the MGEU West Division last night with their win 3-2 over Waywayseecappo. On the other hand, the Blizz need one more win to secure the second seed. Neepawa has a slight chance to steal the second seed by winning their next two games and having the Blizz lose all three upcoming contests. The fourth seed is where things get interesting in the division; for Virden to get in, they must win their two remaining games and have Waywayseecappo lose their next two.  Both the Blizz and Virden are coming off a win and looking to stamp their placement in the postseason. Tonight's broadcast will start after Legion Bingo; puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m.

The deadline to register a team for The Pas Curling Clubs Mixed Curling Bonspiel is tomorrow at noon. The Bonspiel starts on Friday and runs till Sunday, and the overall cost of signing up is $240. A supper will be provided on Saturday evening, followed by a dance afterwards. Your team is guaranteed to play three games, with at least two males and two females on the ice at all times. You can email your entry fee to debbiesinclair315@gmail.com, and to enter your team, call either Fred Sinclair at 204-978-1066, Louis Contois at 204-620-1753 or Margaret Ross at 204-620-0345.

Registration for Flin Flon/ Creighton Minor Ball is only a few days away. Registration will open up this Saturday March the 15^th for players in Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach.

 

Registration will take place online at creightonball.rampregistration.com for all the divisions from U-5 to U-18.

 

They have some exciting things planned for the 2025 season including exhibition games for the U-9 to U-18 Divisions against other communities. They will also be putting together provincial teams if there is enough interest.

 

The registration fees are U-5-U-9 $70.00, U11-U18 is $85.00. You can pay by e-transfer or cheques/cash can be made at the Creighton Ball Field the first week of the season. They hope to start the season April the 28^th weather permitting.

 

Umpires will also be needed , so if you are 12 or older and you would like to become an umpire let them know if you are interested. If you have any questions you can message them on facebook or e-mail ffcreightonbaseball@gmail.com.

 The weather was awesome for week 5 of  the Big Ice/ Koop Ski Challenge with over  80 skiers hitting  the trail which  included skiers from out of town who were in for the Saskatchewan Cross Country Ski Championships.

 

 The  km goal this time  was  skiing from Flin Flon to Saskatoon which is  546km, but with the  number of  ski racers this time  they blew it away  and actually skied  799 Km.

 

 Charlet Unrau, Mathew Unrau, Luke Unrau, Brett Unrau, Darrell Janzen, Sara-Lynne Koop, Madison Senko, and Laurie McLeod  all posted a time.

 

Based on the differences in their ages they all won their respective categories and will receive a $25 gift certificate from, The Candy Bar, Copper Kettle, Rubies, Orange Toad, and Super K

 

You can pick your prizes up at the Ski Club Chalet on Monday and Tuesday 4pm-5pm

and Saturday 1pm-4pm from Dennis.

 

The new map for the challenge for Week 6 will be posted on the Flin Flon Ski Club Facebook page.

 

The ski club has rentals and call Dennis at 204-271-4522

 

Please send all entries or questions to koopgeo@gmail.com 

 

So this week they  are going back to the regular format that if you complete the challenge your name will be entered into the draw to win a prize.

The Storm will begin their playoff journey tonight at the GLMC, welcoming the fifth-seeded Cross Lake Islanders to OCN. The Storm will take on Cross Lake in a three-game series, with the winner moving on to the next round to take on number one NCN. On Thursday, the Storm will make the trek to Cross Lake, and if a third game is needed, they will face off against Cross Lake again at home this Saturday. Tonight's game will begin at 7:00 p.m. and is free to attend.  

Flin Flon hosted the 2025 Saskatchewan Cross Country Ski Championships this past weekend at the Flin Flon Ski Club.

 

89 skiers took part from across Saskatchewan including a strong contingent from Flin Flon.

 

Here are the results of the Flin Flon skiers.

 

U-8 Boys- Michael Dumenko Gold

 

U-10 Boys- Luke Unrau- Gold

 

U-12 Boys- Mtthew Unrau- Bronze

 

U-12 Girls- Lucy Dumenko- 4th

 

U-14 Girls- Charlotte Unrau- fifth

 

Masters 3 and 4- Brett Unrau- Gold, Chad Plamondon 8th

 

Masters 7 Men- Duane Davis Gold, Rick Hall Silver

 

Masters 7 Women- Angie Simpson- Gold

 

Sprints Category

 

U-16 Boys- Deakon Anaka-`10th

 

Senior  Men- Jamie Schmidt- Gold

 

Senior Women- Angie Simpson- Gold

 

Master 7 Men- Duane Davis- Gold

 

Master 3 and 4 Men- Brett Unrau- Gold, Chad Plamondon 6th

 

U-12 Boys- Matthew Unrau- 4th, Luke Unrau- 5th, Michael Dumenko-6th

 

U-12 Girls- Lucy Dumenko 7th, U-14 Girls- Charlotte Unrau- 6th.

 

It was a very good showing for the Flin Flon skiers who won 11 medals total and will now be off to Canmore Alberta for Nationals this up coming weekend.

It was a great weekend for Creighton school who hosted SHSAA Conference basketball for both the boys and girls for the first time in the school's history.

 

The Creighton Kodiak Boys were able to win both their games opening up with a convincing 93 to 30 win over Shellbrook to kick things off on Saturday.

 

That would put the Kodiaks in the Gold Medal game where they would meet  Chief John Keenatch out of Big River.

 

Creighton played another strong game and captured the Gold with a 75 to 51 win in front of a packed gym.

 

The Creighton Kodiak Girls would take on Birch Hills for the Gold Medal as they were the only two girls teams in the tournament and one game would settle it all.

 

The Kodiaks were down by 19 points at the half  but were able to  mount an impressive comeback in the second half to make things interesting,  but did  come up a little short losing 53 to 49.

 

Both Creighton teams will now get a chance to play in Regionals, with the Kodiak Girls still able to qualify as the top two teams get in.

 

Locations for Regionals have yet to be determined. Creighton School would like to thank the sponsors, coach's, parents, staff members, players, officials, score keepers and fans.

It was a great way to wrap up the  hockey season for the U-13 Kinsmen Bombers who were at Provincials in Lundar this past weekend.

 

The Bombers will bring back Flin Flon's first Provincial medal in hockey in 5 years.

 

The Bombers started well on Friday blasting the ST Adolphe Hawks 10 to 2 with Dex Tetlock leading the way with a hat-trick. The Bombers then shut out Morden 3 to 0 to finish the round robin at 2-0.

 

That would put Flin Flon in the semi finals against Swan River where they would be on the wrong end of a 4 to 2 score.

 

Flin Flon would still get to play for a medal and they won the Bronze by beating ST Eustache 5 to 3. The Bomber goal scorers were Dex Tetlock and Parker Meikle picking up a pair of goals and Aiden Kemp rounded  out the scoring.

 

Congratulations to all the players and coach's Jon Cooper, Ryan Bortis and Rob McKeen.

It was another good weekend for the Flin Flon Bombers who took both games against the Battleford Stars in which could very well be a first round playoff preview.

 

Flin Flon was all over the Stars on Friday winning 5 to 1 including a 3 to 0 lead after the first which saw the Bombers get 27 shots.

 

Keefe Gruener led the way with his 31st and 32nd of the year with singles coming from Luke Lepper (5), Leo Seitz (5) and Ryder Ringor (26).

 

Seth Dragon had the lone goal for the Stars.

 

Matthew Kieper only had to stop 17 shots to pick up the win while the Stars tandem were way busier with Justin Marik stopping 42 of 46 before making way for Connor Baumbach who stopped 24 out of 25.

 

Saturday's game was way tighter and the Battleford Stars came out and played a very physical game and were able to limit their mistakes. After coughing up the puck on a regular basis on Friday, the Stars were very good in their own end and did a good job cleaning up their  mistakes.

 

Goals were tough to come by in this one , but the Bombers found a way to pick up the 3 to 1 win.

 

Wyatt Stinton and Anthony Campbell exchanged powerplay goals in the first and that was all the scoring til the midway point of the third period.

 

Bomber defenseman Luke Lepper would score the winning goal when he got a shot through from the point to beat Connor Baumbach low stick side. This was Lepper's second in as many nights and 6th of the season.

 

Rhett Ewen would score into the empty net late to seal it.

 

This was a big night for a couple of Bombers including defenseman Cole Tanchuk who suited up for his 200th career regular season game and has actually played in 241 games if you include playoffs and the Centennial Cup from a few years ago.

 

Bomber netminder Matthew Kieper celebrated his 20th birthday and made 26 saves for his 23rd win of the season as he continues to shine and stymie all his SJHL opponents.

 

Kieper has just the one regulation loss and continues to lead the league with a staggering 1.67 GAA.

 

After the Bombers weekend sweep of the Stars,  they have sewn up second overall and now have 37 wins on the season. If the playoffs were to start today Flin Flon would meet Battleford in the first round .

 

The Stars continue to slug it out with the Humboldt Broncos  for sixth and both teams have two games remaining in the season with Humboldt currently one point ahead .

 

The Bombers have three games left as they will travel to Nipawin tomorrow and close out the regular season with Laronge  on the weekend in a home and home.

 

All three games will be broadcast on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

 

Baseball Manitoba and the Tri-Community Minor Baseball Association proudly announce that online registration will open soon for the upcoming baseball season. New players are encouraged to create an account on TriComMinorBaseball.rampregistrations.com. The Co-ed league for ages 4-17 will tentatively start on May 5th, with games being played on Mondays and Wednesdays. More information can be found on the Tri-Community Minor Baseball Association's Facebook page. Those wanting to help and volunteer are asked to email thepasbaseballleague@gmail.com.

 

With only 5 games remaining in the SJHL regular season , the Flin Flon Bombers are back on the ice this weekend and will entertain the Battleford Norh  Stars in a pair of games.

 

This will be their first meeting since December the 13th and 14th when Flin Flon went into Battleford and took 3 out of 4 points including a 4 to 1 win on December the 13th and a 3 to 2 OT loss on December the 14th.

 

Rylan Williams had the OT winner that night.

 

Both teams could be on a collision course to once again meet in the opening round of the playoffs with the Bombers holding down second overall and the Stars right now sitting in sixth.

 

Flin Flon still needs to win one of their final five games or needs Weyburn to lose one of  their final five  to guarantee second overall. Battleford is slugging it out with Humboldt and lead the 7th place Broncos by two points.

 

Both teams have four games remaining and it looks like the Stars have the easier schedule, but how Battleford does this weekend could determine where they finish.

 

Battleford is playing good hockey at the right time of the year and have been a little bit streaky this year but come to Flin Flon with 4 straight wins. After dropping back to back games for the first time since October, Flin Flon is fresh off a huge win against the Melfort Mustangs on Saturday.

 

The Stars are a very good road team at 14-10-1 and are actually better on the road than they have been at home this season. Flin Flon is 19-4-1-1 and have the second best home record in the league behind only the Melfort Mustangs.

 

This weekend could come down to the two goalies who are amongst the best in the entire league. The Bombers are led by Matthew Kieper who is 21-1-1-1 on the year and has the best save % in the league at .939 and GAA of 1.73.

 

Not to be out done is the Stars netminder Justin Maric who has been money for the Stars every night since returning from the WHL. Maric is 18-14-2-1 with a GAA of 3.24 and Save % of .909.

 

Maric was the difference the last time the Stars played the Bombers and was the biggest reason Battleford won the game in OT. I am looking forward to this goaltending matchup this weekend.

 

It is always special when these two teams meet and you can catch all the action on FLO Sports both nights and Saturday's game will be broadcast on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

 

It all begins with the Great North GM Coach's Show at 7:10 and play by play for Creighton Furniture at 7:30.

Flin Flon Minor Hockey will be wrapping up their season by hosting their annual Awards Gala on Tuesday March the 18th at the Flin Flon Community Hall starting at 5:30.

 

The evening will include a wrap up of the year with an address from the President who will not only recap the Flin Flon Minor Hockey season,  but will  also have an update on hockey right across the North.

 

Awards will be presented in the U9, U11, U13, U15 and U-18 age groups. There will also be awards presented to different officials.

 

All the kids will sit with their team mates and family members are welcome to come out and watch.

 

The hockey season is just about to come to an end in Northern Manitoba and it has been a good year at the rinks across the North.

 

Tanner Brough who is the President wanted to thank all the volunteers, coach's, team staff, officials and board members as their regional programs would not be able to operate without the contributions of all these people.

 

A few things that will be coming up include the Spring AGM which will take place May the 10th at UCN in Thompson. Elections will also take place for the up coming season.

 

All proposed NRMHA tournament dates must be submitted before April the 1st for approval at the annual meeting. The NRMHA will approve all tournaments to make sure they do not conflict with other centres at the meeting.

 

Coach applications for the U-15 AAA Northstars and U15AAA Wild will be e-mailed out with links available on the website.

 

The annual Norman Regional Hockey Awards will be presented at the Spring Annual meeting to volunteers in the following categories Coach's, Administration and Officials. Scholarships for $500.00 will also be presented to graduating grade 12 students  who will be attending a post secondary institution.

 

You can visit the website at normanminorhockey.com for more information.

Registration is now open for The Pas Minor Soccer League. Parents are encouraged to sign up their children to guarantee a proper jersey size from now until April 11th. Registration will be accepted until May 2nd; the league starts on May 20th, with games being played on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The cost is $40 per child; there will be a non-resident fee for those applicable. For more info, call 203-627-1134 or visit the Kelsey Recreation and Wellness Centre's

 

It is a big weekend for Creighton school who are hosting SHSAA 3A Basketball Conferences for both the Boys and Girls in the same weekend.

 

There will be 4 teams competing for the Boy's including the Creighton Kodiaks, Shellbrook,  Senator Myles Venne out of Laronge and Chief John Keenatch out of Big River.

 

There are two Girls teams including the host Creighton Kodiaks and Birch Hills.

 

All the games will take place this Saturday March the 8th with the Creighton Kodiak Boys playing Shellbrook at 10 and Senator Myles will face Chief John Keenatch at 11:30.

 

The two winners will then face off in the Gold Medal game at 2:45.

The U13 Kinsmen Bombers will attend the U13B provincials this up  coming weekend starting Friday  in Lundar.

 

The tournament will feature 10 teams from across the province with Flin Flon representing the Norman Region.

 

The Bombers will begin action on Friday at 4:30 p.m. when they take on the St. Adolphe Hawks and will then  play the Morden Hawks on Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

 

After round robin play is complete the playoffs will begin with the top 6 teams advancing to the medal stage and the bottom 4 teams will be relegated to the consolation bracket.

 

You can follow the tournament by going to hockeymanitobastats.ca/page/provincials for up to date scores and standings throughout the weekend.

 

We will also have updates through out the weekend on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

The Northern Manitoba Blizzard are now riding a five-game win streak after dethroning division rival Dauphin. The Blizz beat the Kings in a 1-0 nail bitter, the lone goal scored by Tyler Dahms and the Blizz power play unit late in the third. Taye Timmerman put on an elite performance in goal for the Blizz, saving all twenty-one shots on goal and earning his second shutout of the year. The Blizz are now a few points away from stealing the number one seed from Dauphin. They have 67 points, whereas Dauphin has 71 points; the Blizz will next play against Steinbach and the Freeze in a two-night doubleheader this weekend.

The NCN Flames Junior B hockey team will be starting their playoff run in the KJHL (Keystone Junior Hockey League).

They will play all of their playoff games at the TRCC starting March 18th to the 19th.

They have 5 players from last year's Norman Northstars team and also 4 players from this year's Norman Northstars team.
 

If they win the KJHL playoffs, the NCN Flames junior B hockey team will go on to the nationals in Alberta in April

 

They hope to see the community to come together to show their support for the team.

The Uptown Curling Club is getting ready for their biggest weekend of the year with both the Men's and Ladies  Bonspiels taking place March the 14th to the 16th.

 

The theme for the Ladies is Viva Las Vegas and if you are interested in entering a team you can contact Terry Kennedy at 204-271-3247 or Theresa McPhee at 204-509-2201.

 

You can also mail a completed registration to Flin Flon Ladies Bonspiel, PO Box 492, Flin Flon MB, R8A1N3.

 

Contact to enter the Men's Bonspiel is Lyle Kennedy at 204-687-3275 and you can mail your completed registration to Flin Flon Men's Bonspiel, PO Box 492, Flin Flon MB, R8A-1N3.

 

Entry  fee is $180.00 per team and the deadline to register is March the 10th.

Week Four of the Big Ice/ Koop Ski Challenge has wrapped up with only 10 skiers taking part this last week.

 

The  km goal of skiing from Swan River to Minnedosa was 288km, but they  would come up a little short this past week  and did  111 Km.

 

Draw one  winner is Jaclyn Crone ( $25 gift certificate from Copper Kettle).

 

Draw two  winner is for the under 15 category, is Michael Dumenko 

( $25 gift certificate from Rubies).

 

Vassilia is a Newbie skier and she wins a $25 gift certificate from Wild North.

 

You can pick your prizes up at the Ski Club Chalet on Monday and Tuesday 4pm-5pm.

and Saturday 1pm-4pm from Dennis.

 

The new map for the challenge for Week 5 will be posted on the Flin Flon Ski Club Facebook page.

 

Remember, if you get a newbie to ski any trail they automatically win a prize. Just send in their name. 

 

The ski club has rentals and call Dennis at 204-271-4522.

 

Please send all entries or questions to koopgeo@gmail.com.

 The OCN Storms's five-game win streak ended this past weekend after suffering back-to-back losses to number one NCN. Friday's game was extremely close and showcased OCN's resilience. NCN scored three back-to-back goals, all in the first period; Prime Paniyuk had one, whereas Daylin Monias netted a pair. A little after the thirteen-minute mark in the second, Keestin Danielson put the Storm on the board by scoring the lone goal of the period. Late in the third, Keestin Danielson registered his second goal of the night to make it a one-goal deficit; however, soon after, NCN's Kobe Tanuyak would put the nail in the coffin with his game-sealing goal. Drew Peters would add one more to the tally after Tanuyak's goal, but it was too little to make a difference; the final score was 4-3 NCN. 

 Saturday's game was another win for NCN and served as the last regular-season game for the OCN Storm. NCN's Daylin Monias and Cayden Nycheporak potted two consecutive goals in the opening minutes of the first. Storm forward Cedrick Puffalt was able to bury one shortly before the ten-minute mark, but NCN's Cash Long capped off the period by chalking up an unassisted goal. In the early stages of the second, both Daylin Monias and Prime Paniyuk notched two goals in a row to make the score 5-1 for NCN. Logan Marr narrowed the margin by bagging OCN's lone goal of the period. Once again, NCN had a fast start at the beginning of the period by cashing in two rapid-fire goals; Liam Tattuinee got his first goal of the night, whereas Cash Long got his second. Keestin Danielson and NCN's Prime Paniyuk tacked on two more goals, making the final 8-3 for NCN.

 With the regular season wrapping up this weekend for the rest of the league, the playoff picture looks much more straightforward for the OCN Storm. Beginning on Tuesday next week, the fourth seed and fifth seed in the KJHL standing will be playing a best-of-three series. The Storm have locked in the fourth seed and will be taking on the Cross Lake Islanders; they will also be getting home-ice advantage in this opening round. Whoever comes out of that series will take on number one NCN in the next round; the other match-up will feature number two Peguis and number three Norway House. Norway House has a chance to steal the number two spot by winning both games against NCN and having Peguis lose their two games in regulation against Cross Lake this weekend.

After a competitive weekend of play, both varsity basketball squads at MBCI were crowned Zone 11 Champions. The varsity boys went 3-0 in pool play and beat the Frontier Raiders 70-60 in the tournament finale; the varsity girls also went undefeated, sporting a 4-0 record and put on an offensive clinic in the championship game against the Hapnot Kopper Kweens.  Both teams will represent the North at the AA Basketball Provincial Championship in the coming weeks.

The Flin Flon Bombers were able to come from behind and knock off a very good Melfort Mustang team at the Whitney Forum on Saturday.

 

In front of a jacked up crowd with lots of youngsters in attendance from the U-11 Provincial  Minor Hockey Tournament , the Bombers beat the Stangs 2 to 1 in the shootout.

 

Former Bomber Ashton Paul opened the scoring in the first period when he split the defense and went in a snuck a puck past Bomber netminder Matthew Kieper five hole.

 

It looked like this goal may be enough offense for the Mustangs to win with the way Kristian Coombs was playing. Coombs who had picked up a shutout the night before was even better Saturday turning aside every Bomber shot that came his way,

 

Koen Senft finally beat Coombs when he re-directed his 13th of the year on the powerplay,  when he tapped in a beautiful pass from Luke Lepper with less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation.

 

That would tie the game at one and the rest of regulation and overtime settled nothing.

 

This one would have to be settled in the shootout and after Koombs stopped the first two shooters, Carter Cormier was able to beat him five hole and the Bombers would celebrate the victory 2 to 1.

 

Matthew Kieper stopped all three shooters for Flin Flon and picked up his 21st win of the year and ended up with 19 saves.

 

Despite the loss, Kristian Coombs was the Mustangs best player and ended up with 44 saves and almost stole this one with his terrific play. Even with the shoot out loss, the one point for the Mustangs will officially clinch them first place overall.

 

Melfort took Friday's game at the Palace 5 to 0, so the season series will end up 4-4 between the two teams with the home team winning every game.

 

Flin Flon continues to hold down second overall at 35-12-3-1 which is 10 points up on Weyburn and 11 up on Yorkton. 

 

With only 5 games remaining for the Bombers in the regular season, they would only need to win one of them to officially clinch second overall. They will host the Battleford Stars this weekend in what could end up being a possible first round playoff preview.

 

Battleford sits sixth overall, two points up on Humboldt and both teams have played 52 games. Games will go both Friday and Saturday at the Whitney Forum with puck drop both nights at 7:30.

 

We will broadcast Saturday's game on 102.9 CFAR and flinflononline.com.

Both U-11 Flin Flon Bomber  rep teams had a busy weekend competing in Provincials.

 

The Peds Threads Bombers hosted U-11 A Provincials in Flin Flon and it was a tremendous weekend with lots of volunteers stepping up to make sure the kids and spectators were able to enjoy all the festivities this past weekend.

 

The Peds Threads Bombers started the tournament on Friday with an exciting 5 to 4 come back win against Dauphin. Logan Boucher led the way with a hat-trick in front of a giant crowd to kick off the event.

 

The Bombers would drop their second game to Virdon 9 to 4, to finish the round robin at 1-1 and would lock up the fourth seed. That put them up against Neepawa in the semi's and the Titans prevailed 7 to 1.

 

Flin Flon would still get a chance to play for a medal as they would meet Swan River for the Bronze. In a game that went back and forth the Stampeders pulled out the 5 to 3 win.

 

Jayden Ricard scored two goals for the Bombers while Ryker Sproxton also found the back of the net. Logan Boucher had three assists.

 

Portage beat Dauphin 3 to 1 in the Consolation and Virdon claimed the Gold with a 6 to 1 win over Neepawa.

 

Once again a big congratulations to the host committee including Adam Ricard who did a wonderful job showcasing Flin Flon Minor Hockey and the entire community,  and of course a big thanks to all the sponsors for donating lots of prizes.

 

The Northland Ford A1 Bombers were also in action  at Provincials in St Claude and had a very good weekend.

 

After dropping their first game to Winkler the Bombers would fight hard and ended up with a 6-6 tie against Brandon.

 

That would get the Bombers to the playoff round where they would beat Portage 6 to 5 in an exciting game to get them to the Consolation Final.

 

Flin Flon would get another crack at Brandon and this time the Bombers would not disappoint with a solid 5 to 2 victory to claim the Consolation.

 

What a great way for the Northland Ford Bombers to wind down the season going 2-1-1 at Provincials. Congratulations to all the coach's and players for all their success this past year.

It was a dominant weekend for both MBCI Senior Basketball teams out of the Pas who picked up both Zone banners.

 

The Senior Girls hosted and went 4-0 in the round robin and ended up beating the Hapnot Queens convincingly 47 to 15 in the final.

 

Hapnot had a good weekend and went 3-1 in the round robin with wins over Cranberry, Norway House and OCN. The Queens will still be able to take part in Provincials as they are the host team and will welcome in the top teams in the province the weekend of March the 20th.

 

Cranberry hosted the Boy's Zones and it was a tough weekend for the Hapnot Kings who dropped all three of their games to Cranberry, The Pas and Norway House.

 

MBCI out of The Pas was able to hold off Cranberry 70 to 60 in the final and will represent the North at Provincials. 

It was a great day to wrap up the Bust The Winter Blues Winter Festival with the 50th annual Val and Ivor Hedman Centaloppet at the Flin Flon Ski Club.

 

71 people came out to enjoy the beautiful day and when it was all said and done Michael Dumenko at 7 years of age is the winner of the prestigious Centaloppet Cup. It is a handicap system based on age and gender.

 

Here are the full results.

 

Top Finishers-Actual times

Senior male(20+) Brett Unrau

Senior Female(20+) Ruth Unrau

Junior Men (15-19-Deakon Anaka

Junior Women(15-19) no entries

Boys (11-14) Bruce Gamache

Girls (11-14) Charlotte Unrau

Boys (under 10) Matthew Unrau

Girls (under 10) Lucy Dumenko

 

Youngest skier-Sally Harrison (4)

Oldest Skier Male-Bob Jarvis (75)

Oldest Skier Female-Angie Simpson (71)

Winners of the KFC prize for the largest family - The Unraus (5)

 

Happiest faces- Lucas Quarto, Marianne Ricamunda, Brent Bee, and Hayazien Ortaliz

Best Costume-family-The Dumenko family (4)

Best Costume-Youth-Julliette Ryland (9)

Best Costume-Adult-Callum Spencer

Toughest Dad Award-Mike Spencer pulling Ruby

Toughest Tandem Act-Anna Harrison and Kara Plamondon pulling Everett

Volunteer Draw winners-Hollee Babcock and John Nowosad

Best Skijoring/Rescue Dog-Taiga (Dave Koop)

The Blizz are now riding a four-game win streak after winning back-to-back thrillers against the Winnipeg Blues and the Selkirk Steelers. Friday's game saw the Blues get off to a fast start; Defenseman Tate Dolinsky scored his goal nineteen seconds in, and Campbell Epp's goal came in a little bit after the halfway point. Shortly after Epp's goal, Quincy Supprien and the Blizz power play unit got on the board to cap off the first. Early in the second, the Blizz power play unit and Fredonia State commit Brett Ward got to work again and were able to tie things up. The Blues were able to add one more to the tally early into the back half of the second; Evan Gradt and the Blue's penalty kill unit were able to capitalize and net a shorthanded goal to round out the second. Near the seven-minute mark, Miguel Bouvier and the Blizz power play unit orchestrated a power play goal to tie things up and send the game to overtime. It only took Keenan McNeill a little less than a minute to set up Quincy Supprien to find the back of the net and win in overtime.

Saturday's game was just as exciting, if not more thrilling, for the Northern Manitoba Blizzard and its fans in attendance. Miguel Bouvier registered his second-weekend goal on the power play to get the ball rolling. Just before the midway mark, Selkirk forward Landon Jamieson cashed in a power-play goal to tie things up. Moments later, Cheechoo Lathlin put the Blizz back in front with his goal to wrap up the first. In the opening minutes of the second, another Selkirk power-play goal was placed in the net, this time by Cole Babych. Just past the ten-minute point, Brett Ward earned his second power-play goal of the weekend; a few shifts later, Landon Jamieson was able to even the score once again for Selkirk after the puck ricocheted off his shoulder and got past Blizz net minder Taye Timmerman. Hugo Larkin was able to assist Miguel Bouvier in a shorthanded goal to finish the second period strong. Right out of the gate in the third, Owen Branson balanced the scoreboard with the period's lone goal and sent the game to overtime. After a quiet overtime period, the game would eventually be decided in a shoot-out. After multiple attempts from both sides, it would be Tyler Dahms who potted a goal to win the game for the Blizz. The Blizz play three games on the road this week; tomorrow, they'll play against division rival Dauphin; on Friday, they'll go toe-to-toe against the Steinbach Pistons; and on Saturday, they'll match up against the Winnipeg Freeze.