Flin Flon Bombers look to salvage Centennial Cup with playoff charge

Half a second isn’t exactly a long time in a hockey game, but that was the difference the Flin Flon Bombers needed as they defeated the Greater Sudbury Cubs for their first win of the Centennial Cup May 11.

After Flin Flon took a 4-1 first period lead, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Cubs battled back to tie the game in the second. In the closing moments of the frame Reid Arberry led a three-on-two rush up the ice, wristing a shot from the top of the face-off circle that hit the back of the net just before the final buzzer sounded.

Arberry’s marker would hold up as the game-winner in a 6-4 victory for the Bombers, their first at the 2026 Centennial Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.

“I heard (head coach Mike Reagan) yelling from the bench, I think I heard ‘three,’ when I crossed the blue line area and decided to take one more step and fire it on net and found it far side,” Arberry said.

“The pre-scout on the goaltender was to shoot blocker-side on that guy. I just trusted it. I wasn’t really looking at the net, I was more looking at the defender’s stick to try and not get it blocked.”

Reagan said he was keeping one eye on the clock and one eye on the play as Arberry brought the puck up the ice.

“It was huge going into the locker room,” Reagan said, remembering the game-winner.

“It takes a little bit of the sting out of it… (Arberry) scoring there puts a positive spin on things and actually changes the message going into the dressing room after two periods.”

Getting a result in regulation was big for the Bombers. The Centennial Cup awards three points every game, with winning teams only receiving two points if they win in extra time. The last time Flin Flon was at the Centennial Cup when Estevan hosted in 2022, they made the playoffs by a single point.

In their first game of the 2026 junior A championship, they were defeated by Longueuil 1-0 despite holding the Quebec champions to just 12 shots on goal. The Bombers were blown out 7-2 by Toronto May 9.

“You don’t want that Quebec game to come back and bite you in the you-know-what,” Reagan said.

After the game, Toronto led the Group B standings, with all four of the other teams in the group with three points following the morning’s result. The Bombers will play Maritime Hockey League champions Truro in the final game of the tournament May 13 in a game that’s sure to have play-off implications for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions.

Flin Flon won their first league championship since 1993 this season, qualifying for the Centennial Cup in previous years thanks to hosting or coming second in a year when the hosts were from Saskatchewan.

The Manitoba-based team has played in the SJHL since 1985, when the NorMan Junior Hockey League folded.

Arberry, who is from Fort St John, B.C., is in his final year of junior eligibility. He enjoyed a breakout season this year, scoring at nearly a point-per-game pace during the regular season and will be suiting up for Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to continue his hockey career at the college level.

“It’s been unbelievable,” he said, recalling his time in Flin Flon.

“The last three years of hockey have been highlights of my life. It’s such a supportive fanbase. It’s such a great community to play in. I absolutely love it up there… I moved in as an 18-year-old two years ago, and it’s felt like home ever since.”

In group A action, Rockland defeated Thunder Bay 8-2 May 11, to move back into a playoff position. The top three teams of each group will make the knockout round, with the top seed advancing straight to the semi-finals May 15.

Niverville is 2-0 with an overtime win, trailing only Alberta champions Canmore in the standings, after the Eagles took out hosts Summerside May 10 in their third game of the tournament. The Nighthawks play Canmore May 12, with puck drop at 2 p.m. Manitoba time.