Lies truly happy to be home

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This article was published 16/11/2023 (1049 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Justin Lies decided to pull the plug on his four-year WHL career in July, he felt drawn to finish his junior career in Flin Flon, his hometown.

The move has proven to be more than a nostalgia trip for the soon-to-be 20-year-old forward, who has helped the Bombers storm to the top of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League standings with a 16-1-1-0 record while outscoring their opponents by a whopping 98-39 margin.

The Canadian Junior Hockey League’s No. 1-ranked team is aiming for its first league title in three decades. Lies had a premonition the Bombers were capable of something special.

“Coming into the season I thought we had a really good pre-camp and all that kind of thing, and the team was looking really good,” he said earlier this week after the Bombers swept a pair of mid-week road games by a combined score of 14-2. “I mean, 16-1 is pretty good, but I think we all have such high expectations for the season where we just want to keep pushing for more.”

The Bombers, who returned 13 members of the team beaten in the SJHL final by the Battlefords North Stars last season, had a foundation for a winner in place but key additions, including Lies and forwards Carter Anderson and Riley Niven from the WHL, have helped to turn the team into an offensive juggernaut.

Flin Flon’s Alexi Sylvestre (31 points), Jacob Vockler (28), Lies (27) and Noah Houle (27) currently hold down four of the top five spots in the league scoring race. Niven, due to return shortly from injury, hasn’t even played yet this season.

Mike Reagan, in his 19th season as the Bombers’ GM and head coach, said his current roster has a lot in common with the 2020-21 team that swept into SJHL semifinals before the post-season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not counting two pandemic years, Flin Flon has reached the league final in four of the last six seasons.

“Right now, we’re on pace for over 300 (goals). So, from an offensive standpoint, I think the teams are very similar,” said Reagan. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself but our record would indicate that this is a better team than that year. We’ve kind of had more things fall into our lap early on this year than they did that year — we were building that team throughout the year, whereas this season we’ve got some players come back to us from the Western League earlier.”

Getting Lies to join his younger brother Joey Lies, an 18-year-old forward, on his hometown team has been a godsend for Reagan.

“There’s a lot that went into it, honestly,” said Justin. “I got traded out (to the Victoria Royals by the Saskatoon Blades) and it was kind of middle of the summer and I was back here for five, six weeks at that time and definitely getting familiar with home again. It was nice being back for the summer but I kind of knew right from the start that Flin Flon was going to be an option for me regardless of where I was traded to… it was just kind of determining what I wanted to do more. I think staying at home and playing for your hometown team and being on a great team is a special thing.”

Justin, who is up to 13 goals in 18 games, is centring a line with Anderson on his left side and Koen Senft on his right. Anderson, a Thompson product, has potted 12 goals in 10 games since joining Flin Flon from the Prince Albert Raiders.

“He checks off so many boxes,” said Reagan of Justin, his recently appointed captain. “He’s got the skill, he’s got the size, he’s got the speed. He’s got that fire. He’s tough. He’s willing to block shots. He does so many things for us that I think he pulls guys into the fight with him.”

Playing in the cosy Whitney Forum was a draw for the hometown kid.

“I’ve been to playoff games there my whole life and when there’s 1,200 people in there, it’s just insanely loud,” said Justin. “It’s just crazy. Being able to play in that environment was definitely one of the reasons why I wanted come back. It’s such an historic rink and it’s so cool to play there and then just playing in front of the entire community. Everyone knows who we are.”

Curiously, Flin Flon’s only regulation loss and OT defeat have come in the friendly confines of the old rink.

“I think the one thing that makes our run special is we’ve got the hardest travel in the league,” said Reagan, noting the Bombers’ shortest road trip is 3 1/2 hours. “We’re undefeated (8-0) on the road right now. For us to be able to go on our four-games-in-five-nights (trip) and win all four, that was huge for us. And that’s kind of where you think, ‘OK, this team can can make a run.’”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca