Sioux Lookout Bombers prepare for home, season opener

Tim Brody - Editor

The Sioux Lookout Bombers are putting the pieces of this year’s team together as they prepare to defend their league championship.
The Bombers held their main camp last week at the Hangar (Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena), inviting members of last year’s team and new talent the team had scouted.
The Bombers also hosted two exhibition games, falling 8-2 to the visiting Red Lake Miners last Friday night and being edged 2-1 by the visiting Thunder Bay North Stars the following evening.
The Bombers benched their most impactful players from last season during the exhibition games to give other players a chance to shine.
During the camp, players were put through their paces to assess their skills and how they might work together as a team. 
Approximately 32 players attended the training camp.
Bombers Head Coach Carson Johnstone said tough decisions will need to be made to cut that number down to 23 – 25 spots.
“I think we’ve had our most competitive camp so far,” he said. “Obviously not thrilled with the results of pre-season but at the same time not really looking too much into the results of pre-season because we’re figuring new guys out and figuring new combinations and just kind of learning… just get organized this week with the group that we have and prepare for our home opener.”
The team’s assistant coaches handled both exhibition games so Johnstone could be free to observe and analyze players.
“It’s good just for me to be slightly removed from it and watching it and evaluating it. I do like that and appreciate my coaching staff for being able to do that for me,” he said.
“The first night especially we kind of played more guys that we want to take a real good look at and today we put more of our actual players in the lineup, still though with tweaks, a couple things we were still looking at. Not our regular lineup yet,” Johnstone explained.
Commenting on how this year’s Bombers team is shaping up, he shared, “I think right now our forward group looks pretty deep, some older players and some skilled guys, some good young guys too that can make an impact early. Our D group as well, we’ve got a younger D group. I’d like to get one more older defenceman, I think. No disrespect to the guys we have, to be a competitive team and do successful things like we did last year I’d like to add one more older presence on the blue line. I like our goaltending. I like our forward group. I’m in like with our D group but need one more piece to be in love with it, I think.”
As the team comes together, the Bombers are highlighting the benefits of community members opening their homes to players as billet families.
Nicole Carnochan, Bombers Billet and Community Engagement Coordinator, shared, “We are always looking for temporary or permanent billet homes for the season. Our families enjoy supporting the players in their goal of playing Junior A hockey. Season passes, discount on merchandise and a monthly stipend are offered for opening your homes to the players.”
Anyone interested in hosting a player as a billet home is invited to contact Carnochan at billeting@bombershockey.ca.
 The Bombers will begin their Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL) season on Sept. 13 and 14 at home against the Thunder Bay North Stars, who they defeated last year in the semi-final.
“They gave us a run for our money. That was a tough series in the playoffs. Definitely cool to have a strong opponent in that opening night and give us a good test. They’re perennially a strong team, so it’s good to open against them and see what we’ve got. We’ve got to defend the title, target’s on our back this year, so I mean that’s just the flat out reality of that. So, we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared and ready to try and defend that and take it personally when people come into our barn. They’re going to have it out for us, so we better be ready,” Johnstone said.