Bombers Power Past Ice Dogs For Top Spot

Dryden, ON – The Sioux Lookout Bombers proved this weekend that you will pay dearly if you take penalties. The Bombers scored all their goals on the man advantage Saturday night en route to a 4-1 road win in Dryden. It was the seventh such goal in two consecutive games for the number one ranked powerplay in the league, entering the game at an alarming 31%.

It was a great start to the game as Sioux Lookout and Dryden GM went back and forth trading blows in a high-octane, hard-hitting affair. The Ice Dogs delivered a number of bone crunching hits but that didn’t slow down the visiting Bombers. A too many men on the ice penalty only 1:48 into the game put the Ice Dogs and their second ranked power-play to work. However, that was cut short with a Ryan Zimmerman hooking call, leading to two more penalties and two 5-3 opportunities for Sioux Lookout. The Bombers were shut down the first time but finally they struck with some quick inside passes.  Connor Burke, playing the point, sucked into the high slot area and buried a snapshot over the glove of Michael O’Sullivan for his sixth of the campaign. The scoring play was highlighted by some nice quick passes with Nolan Palmer and Alex Lucas finding the scoresheet. The Bombers had a glorious chance to add to their lead when SIJHL leading scorer Owen Riffel flew in on a clean breakaway however the talented forward sent it over the net keeping the score 1-0. The Ice Dogs would settle things down and both teams went back to trading chances with Jake Osmond solid on the other end making 20 saves. He was perfect in the opener Friday with 14 stops to start. Sioux Lookout recorded 11 shots on O’Sullivan.

Dryden GM would come out flying in the second period coming after Jack Osmond in waves. Sean Smith had the best chance on a partial breakaway and a few minutes later on a quick turnaround shot but both were stopped by the 20-year-old goalie from Edmonton. The Ice Dogs wouldn’t let up and looked to score a few minutes later but Osmond, all turned around in his crease, would reposition himself getting a pad down on an open shot in front, frustrating the Ice Dogs forwards from scoring their first goal of the game. The tide would turn at 14:52 when Max Roby took a tripping call in the neutral zone and really changed at 15:11 when McKale Paul was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct for a cross-check on Owen Riffel. Riffel would leave the game with an undisclosed injury. That put Sioux Lookout on another 5-on-3 and that’s when the game changed for both sides. Michael O’Sullivan faced a barrage of quality shots but held his own until the dam finally broke just before Roby’s minor was set to expire. Ty Lone, who replaced Riffel on the number one unit, found an opening and beat O’Sullivan for his second of the season. Alex Lucas and Nolan Palmer earned assists. 21-seconds later the Bombers would strike again, this time 5-on-4 as Owen Cotter parked himself at the top of the crease not allowing O’Sullivan to see anything, redirecting a point shot from Kaden Veller for the third power-play goal of the game and sixth in two consecutive games between the two Highway 72 rivals. Tait Howell was awarded the second assist. Shots ended up even at the end at 12 apiece.

Things tightened up defensively throughout the first half of the third with close checking and neutral zone play. The Bombers were inches away from icing the game when a shot from the far circle on a two-on-one rang squarely off the far post. The Ice Dogs eventually found a way to beat the red-hot Jack Osmond with 11:40 to play in regulation. Sean Smith, who led the team in quality chances, was finally awarded for his strong play, as he forced his way in front of the net to the top of the crease. A couple of hard-nosed shots in the paint were turned aside by Osmond, but Smith finally pushed defenceman Kalin Roy out of the way giving him space to shovel one under the sprawling Sioux Lookout keeper. Roy would later take a holding the stick penalty opening the door for an Ice Dogs comeback but any hope of that vanished a short time later during a goal mount scramble when Bryce Benefield was assessed a minor for cross checking putting both teams at 4-4 for the third time in the contest. That eventually led to the 8^th powerplay of the game for the Bombers and Kaden Veller would seal deal as he came flying off the near boards, undressed an Ice Dogs forward with a nifty move, walked in and used 6’9 Dryden GM defenceman Geoff Bjarnason as a screen to tuck it just inside the post on the near side to score his first SIJHL goal and a 4-1 final. Alex Lucas recorded his third assist and Peter Zilkalns would notch his first point of the season in front of family and friends and 607 fans. It was a weekend sweep for Sioux Lookout despite being outshot 36-32 Friday and 50-31 Saturday. The win also moved the Bombers into first place in the league, one point ahead of Dryden GM, with two games in hand.

3 Stars

1. Jack Osmond-Sioux Lookout (49 saves)
2. Kaden Veller-Sioux Lookout (1 goal and 1 assist)
3. Sean Smith-Dryden GM (1 goal)