The La Ronge Ice Wolves dropped their fifth straight game when they came up short 4-2 in Flin Flon Friday night.
The Ice Wolves came out flying and had several quality scoring chances early, but it was the Bombers getting on the board first. Isaac Jackson wired home his first of the season 17:03 into the first period from the right point, which gave Flin Flon a 1-0 advantage.
The Bombers took a 2-0 lead 1:10 into the second when Donavan Houle was left all alone out front and whipped it past Daniel Davidson, who finished the night with 37 saves in a losing cause. The Ice Wolves cut the deficit to one 4:33 into the frame when Jordan Mish busted into the Flin Flon zone and went bar-down on Pierce Diamond for his fifth of the season.
Flin Flon took a 3-1 lead 17:01 into the second when Vincent Nardone picked up the puck in the slot and sent a rocket upstairs past Daniel Davidson, who didn’t have a chance. The Ice Wolves would reply just over a minute later when Antonio Di Paolo sent a harmless looking shot on net that eventually beat Pierce Diamond. Max Kleiner would get credit, as the Wolves made it a 3-2 game.
The Bombers would add some insurance 3:15 into the third period when Nate Hooper scored his 10th of the season, which put the Bombers up 4-2. Despite a late push by La Ronge, the Bombers would hang on and record their fourth straight victory.
The Ice Wolves went 0/5 on the power play Friday. La Ronge is now 0/20 on the man advantage during its last five games. Flin Flon failed to convert on two power play opportunities Friday evening.
With the loss, the Ice Wolves slipped to 6-16 on the season, which has them in last place and four points behind Weyburn for the final playoff spot. The Ice Wolves will try to rebound on Saturday at home when they host the Bombers at the Mel Hegland Uniplex. Saturday’s game gets underway at 7:30 p.m.
Meantime, the Ice Wolves have acquired 18-year-old forward Daunte Fortner from the Humboldt Broncos in exchange for a player development fee. Fortner, a Michigan product, had eight points in 14 games this season with the Broncos.
(PHOTO: The Ice Wolves made their second trip of the season to the Whitney Forum Friday. Photo by Braden Malsbury.)