Fans the winners as Bombers host fun events following weekend series postponement 

Tim Brody - Editor

When their weekend series with the Red Lake Miners was postponed due to circumstances beyond their control, the Sioux Lookout Bombers took the opportunity to host some fun events for their fans.
On Feb. 3 the Bombers hosted a Skate with the Bombers event and on Feb. 4, the Bombers teamed up with the Sioux North High School Warriors boys hockey team for an intrasquad game, after which the Bombers signed autographs and hosted a meet and greet with their fans.
Bombers President / Business Operations, Joe Cassidy said, “It was good. It’s unfortunate the circumstances that Red Lake couldn’t make it, but you know what, we had open ice and worked with the Rec Centre and the guys and made some events and got out there with the public and I thought both events were really appreciated and a lot of people had a lot of fun.” 
Sioux North High School Warriors boys hockey team Head Coach John Carnochan shared, “Our high school boys… some went to the (Bombers’) tryouts in Ignace and then the camp they had here in the late summer and so there’s been good relationship with the two teams right from the get go which is super important. Some of those guys are aspiring to maybe be able to get a spot with the Bombers in the future, so it’s worked out well.”
Carnochan said, “Both the high school kids that I’ve got here now and that group of Bombers kids, they’re just really nice kids and we’re able to have a game like this and everybody being able to laugh about it and have a little fun with it which is really good.”
Players were mixed among the teams through a draft. Carnochan said he was happy with the game went, “I heard on the bench from the guys, especially the junior guys, they’re amazed that a quick little intrasquad game like this can draw as many fans as it did and that just says something about this community and their support for the hockey. We see it every junior game, we see it for our high school games, we see just as many people out cheering them on for that. It’s good to see. I know the Bombers are starting to head into that end of season and we are as well with the high school kids. We’ve got some pretty critical games here in the next little bit and then playoffs, so I always enjoy seeing the fans out. There’s always a good crowd out in Sioux Lookout. You don’t see that in every town.”
Bombers Head Coach Carson Johnstone said it was nice to be able to do something special for the fans, “We don’t always get this opportunity during the season… once the season picks up it gets very tough to find those empty weekends and sometimes on those empty weekends you want to give your guys time to go home and see their family too… Although unprecedented, kind of nice that we had this open space to spend with our fans and give them time to skate with the kids and do some autographs, it’s just a nice consolation.”
“Being able to get on the ice and work with each other is really nice, “Johnstone said, “For some of the local guys it kind of gives them a measuring stick to see what the pace is like and if they want to be here one day to train towards that and work towards that to play for their hometown. I think that’s really awesome.”