Sioux Lookout Bombers open season with a pair of wins

Tim Brody - Editor

The Superior International Junior Hockey League’s (SIJHL) reigning champs, the Sioux Lookout Bombers, opened the season with a pair of wins at home against the visiting Thunder Bay North Stars.
The Bombers blanked the North Stars 4-0 on Sept. 13 at the Hangar (Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena), edging the North Stars 4-3 the following evening. 
Ty Lone scored for the Bombers at just over two minutes into the first period on Sept. 13, in the Bombers’ home and season opener, sending the crowd into cheers. Assists went to Brodie Wood and Peter Zilkalns.
Newly minted Bombers Captain Jonah Smith added to the Bombers’ tally, scoring at 16:39 to give the Bombers a 2-0 lead. Aaron Bertschinger picked up the assist.
Moving onto the second period, Owen Cotter wasted no time in finding the back of the net, scoring just over a minute into the period to give the Bombers a 3-0 lead. Tait Howell and Benjamin Dias added helpers on the goal.
The Bombers added their fourth unanswered goal of the evening at 16:21 courtesy of Aaron Bertschinger. Owen Riffel and Beau Bannerman assisted.
The Bombers went on to win the game 4-0.
Bombers goalie Matthew Spencer-Dahl picked up the win in net with a shutout performance.
“It was great. Boys battled hard. Getting a goal early really helped us get our confidence and just rolled from there,” Spencer-Dahl shared. 
“It was great to see the squad doing what we’re learning in practice and just following all the systems properly. As you see, it paid off. I think we’re going to have a hell of a good year,” Jonah Smith said, adding, “Everybody was doing their job. Everybody was filling in their role and it paid off for us.”
The following evening, also at the Hangar, newly acquired defenseman Garren Voisey opened the first period’s scoring for the Bombers with a goal at 14:50. Ty Love and Tait Howell assisted. 
Beau Helmeczi scored for the North Stars to tie the match 1-1 just 52 seconds into the second period. Eric Sheriff and Evan Simeoni picked up assists on the goal.
The North Stars, energized by Helmczi’s goal, scored again 14 minutes and 55 seconds into the period. Alex Remenda picked up the goal for the North Stars, giving them a 2-1 lead. Assists went to Matthew Lysak and Tyler Jordan.
Alex Lucas answered back for the Bombers with 16:45 gone in the second period to knot things up 2-2. Tait Howell and Owen Cotter contributed on the goal.
With only about a minute left in the period, Kaden Veller found the back of the net for the Bombers, giving the hometown team a 3-2 lead. Owner Cotter once again assisted, with Aaron Bertschinger also assisting.
The Bombers were quick to add to their tally, with Jonah Smith scoring just 37 seconds into the third period to give the Bombers a 4-2 lead. Owen Riffel picked up the assist.
With just one second left in the third period, Easton Glousher scored for the North Stars, getting the puck past Bombers’ goalie Matthew Ofukany to make the score 4-3 in favour of the Bombers. Beau Helmeczi and Keagan Jones assisted.
Speaking with The Bulletin following their home and season opening win, Bombers Head Coach Carson Johnstone said he was happy with the 4-0 result.
“We like to play good defense, so posting a zero on the first night of the season feels real good. It’s like we’re trying to pick up where we left off.”
“To see that we are still committed to the right things and playing good defense is really encouraging,” he added. 
The Bombers outshot the North Stars 51-31 in the match.
“Definitely offense was going tonight. Third period, would have liked to have seen us pot a couple, put like I said, more concerned with our defensive decision making, but also great to see that we have the firepower and can produce… saw a lot of good things in the first game,” Johnstone said.
Johnstone said he thinks the team is coming together well, “Obviously we gained a huge piece in Garren Voisey on defense. That’s kind of that older presence I was talking about, hoped to gain on D. We were able to acquire that piece. We feel pretty strong in that regard. As far as how we’re built, four lines that can play, eight defense that can play, so we think we’re in a good position to compete this year.”
Overall, he said it was a good night for his team, “Results are results, but how we play, I was happy with how we played tonight, how we executed things, so hopefully they got a taste of how that feels to just commit to doing good things and then obviously post a zero, it feels good to get rewarded.”
“Of course we’re the reigning champs, but in the same breath, last year is gone. This is a new year and I’m glad we could make a statement to say that. We are the defending champs, but we’re a new team this year and we’re ready to play good defense and I think we made the right statement tonight. Obviously still lots of work to be done. Good start.,” Johnstone concluded.