Weyburn Red Wings (11-5-0-1) at Flin Flon Bombers (7-6-2-1)
Whitney Forum, Flin Flon, MB
6:30 p.m., Radio: K106
The Bombers will need that offensive help when they take the ice tonight against Weyburn. In the last meeting between the two teams, the Red Wings came away with a 5-0 win. While technically the game doesn’t count as a shutout for Nathan Hargrave, he stopped all of the shots he faced. Hargrave is expected to get the start tonight, which should give the Bombers more difficulties when it comes to scoring.
The Bombers relied on the duo of Zac Robidoux and Brenden Newton last season, and they were stellar for the entire season, including the playoffs. This season, the two have looked average so far. Newton is coming into the game tonight with one win in his last five starts, a GAA of 3.46 and a sub-.900 save percentage. Robidoux is sitting on a three game losing streak in the crease, with a GAA of 2.83 and save percentage of .911.
The Bomber have had a spark with the acquisition of Sinclair. The current SJHL Defenseman of the Year, he was taken by the Millionaires as future considerations to finish off a trade from last season. He refused to report ot Melville, so a trade was worked out, and Sinclair finds himself now in Flin Flon, where he has picked up three assists in two games.
The Wings have been fairly steady with their roster this season, with the 25 players on the roster the same 25 that Flin Flon saw a few weeks ago. It will make for a tough decision for head coach Wes Rudy come the December 1 cut down.
The Bombers have traditionally been one of the top two teams in the league when it comes to penalty minutes, and this season they are once again right near the top. Most of those penalties, though, haven’t resulted in Flin Flon giving up a power play, as they have only been shorthanded 59 times this season. They have only killed off those penalties 79.7 per cent of the time. When they have the advantage, Flin Flon has been able to convert the chances into a goal 18.3 per cent.
Weyburn has also run into problems with penalties this year. The number two team in terms of penalty minutes, they have also given up 74 power plays. The Wings haven’t been able to have as strong a penalty kill as they would like, either. They have only been able to prevent a goal 78.2 per cent of the time. Their power play hasn’t been as strong as they would like, with the team only picking up 13 goals in 74 opportunities.
It will be a tough, hard hitting game, as everyone has grown accustomed to, at the Whitney Forum. When the rookies for the Red Wings get used to the raucous environment known as the Zoo, it will hopefully be in time for them to push on for the victory. If not, it will be a long night in front of the unforgiving fans in Flin Flon.