The Flin Flon Bombers have pushed the Yorkton Terriers to the brink, earning a decisive 6-3 win in Game 3 of the SJHL Canterra Seeds Cup on Wednesday night in front of more than 2,100 fans at Westland Insurance Arena.
Flin Flon set the tone early, opening the scoring just 1:01 into the game as captain Reid Arberry buried his fifth of the playoffs to make it 1-0 after the first period.
The Bombers extended their lead early in the second, with Joey Lies scoring 2:48 into the frame in his return to the lineup. Yorkton responded midway through the period as Tyler Palin cut the deficit to 2-1, but the momentum was short-lived. Goals 48 seconds apart from Wyatt Stinton and Landon Alexander — the latter on the power play — gave Flin Flon a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Yorkton showed life early in the third, as William Léonard scored just 1:09 in to pull within two. But once again, the Bombers had a response, striking twice in 24 seconds midway through the period with goals from Jack Martin and a league-leading ninth of the playoffs from Connor Miller to put the game out of reach.
The Terriers added a late shorthanded goal from Gabriel Courchesne, but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback.
In goal, Charlie Tritt turned aside 25 of 28 shots for the Bombers, while Yorkton starter Callum Creig was pulled after allowing six goals on 29 shots. Alexandro Montoya stopped all three shots he faced in relief.
With the win, Flin Flon takes a 3-0 series lead and will look to complete the sweep in Game 4. Yorkton, meanwhile, faces elimination on home ice Thursday night and will need a victory to extend the series.
The Bombers are now one win away from capturing their first SJHL championship since 1993.
