Sioux Lookout Bombers Head Coach reflects on Centennial Cup experience

Tim Brody - Editor

“It was awesome. Great experience,” is how Sioux Lookout Bombers Head Coach Carson Johnstone described being part of this year’s Centennial Cup.
The 2024 Bill Salonen Cup Champion Sioux Lookout Bombers joined the top Junior A teams in the country at the competition in Oakville, Ontario.
“To be there for the first time and to see all of those championship teams in one place is pretty cool,” Johnstone said. “Every team was very good. Every team could have won any game. It was just great competition and a really cool experience for the guys to be a part of.”
The Bombers fell to the Winkler Flyers 4-2 in their first match on May 9.
The Bomers were defeated by the host Oakville Blades 5-2 on May 11.
The Bombers were beaten 5-3 by the Miramichi Timberwolves on May 12.
 The Bombers lost 5-3 to thew Melfort Mustangs on May 14.
Reflecting on the games the team played, Johnstone said, “Honestly, I think they played three really good hockey games and I think we played one really terrible one, but that’s just the way it goes. We played pretty good hockey for the most part… We still played hard, we didn’t quit. We battled.”
Commenting on the game against Oakville he said, “No disrespect to Oakville, they’re a great hockey team, but I just thought that the mistakes that we made and the goals we gave up, were very uncharacteristic of our hockey team.” 
Johnstone concluded by sharing, “We had people coming up to us and saying, ‘You guys have done a really great job, just in two years, well done. Good job for getting here’. Pretty complimentary of our program. It felt pretty nice for sure.”