The Long Beach Bombers will hold their annual open tryout camp from Friday May 17 to Sunday May 19, at Glacial Garden Skating Arena in Lakewood, CA.

Schedule:

Fri June 21 – 6:10pm
Sat June 22 – 3:10pm
Sun June 23 – 1:40pm

 

Please fill-out and submit the registration form:  2013-2014-Bombers-Prospect-Camp-Registration-Form

 

Prospective players can find more information here:  2013-2014-Long-Beach-Bombers-Information

Two of the Long Beach Bombers’ top players this season, just returned from a week in Springfield, Illinois.  Forward Nikita Korotkov (Moscow, Russia) and goaltender Jiri Sykora (Kladno, Czech Republic) accepted an offer to skate with the North American Hockey League team.  Both players will look to move up the junior hockey ladder next season, and this was a huge step for them.  Bombers Head Coach Chris White, commented, “Sykora is a big hybrid goalie that has played at a very high level in his home country, and quickly transitioned to the North American game.  He finished second in the WSHL in saves, and has the ability to not only make a momentum-changing save, but also is capable of stealing an entire game.  He has terrific athleticism and reflexes.  Korotkov is a very determined left winger that has high-end speed and a heavy shot.  While he is not one of the bigger players on the ice, there was a half a dozen highlight reel hits he laid this season.  He was our top point producer, and will work extremely hard to advance his game to the next level.”

 

Check out Brent Maranto’s WSHL Weekend Preview: http://wshl.org/2013/03/08/weekend-preview-march-8-10/

 

Also, Friday’s GameDay Program from Harrington Sports Media: Game Day Program

 

Watch the Bombers’ goals from last Sunday’s shoot-out victory: http://youtu.be/B8_FGFLb7eA

The Long Beach Bombers will play their final two games of the season this weekend, at home. On Friday, the Bombers will host the Valencia Flyers. Valencia currently sits in second place in the Pacific (top four teams make playoffs). However, they have yet to clinch a playoff spot. A single victory will assure them of a playoff birth. The home team will look to play spoiler, against their long-time rivals. After besting the Flyers in their first two meetings of the season, the Bombers have fallen in the last three contests. They will look for a season series tie, with a win. The Bombers top-end forwards have had difficulty in scoring against the Flyers this year. Only Nikita Korotkov (5GP-2G-4A) and Johnny Linehan (2GP-1G-3A) have seemed to crack the Valencia code.

Sunday, the Bombers will play their final game of the season, at Glacial Garden Skating Arena in Lakewood, against rivals San Diego Gulls. The Gulls currently sit in the final Pacific playoff position, and are fighting for not only a birth, but also home-ice advantage.

Sunday will be an exciting game, and an even more exciting event. The Bombers’ 1992 birth year players will be recognized prior to the game, as they don the Bombers black uniform for their final battle. In addition to sending off the ’92s, the first intermission will feature a game between the young members of the Baby Bombers Hockey Team (ages 5-9). Please join us, at the Garden, to send our dedicated young men off with the respect they deserve.

Friday – 7:40pm
Sunday – 3:30pm

Age-Out Long Beach Bombers:

#9 – Patrick Acosta
#39 – Tyler Balaguy
#11 – Randy George Chisholm
#71 – Brett Dempsey
#21 – Eric Laporte
#23 – Johnny Linehan
#7 – AJ Martinez
#26 – Mans Nystrand
#13 – Stephen White

The organization thanks these players for their commitment on and off the ice, and wishes them all the best in their hockey careers and future endeavors. Dante Patron and Pavel Ratskevich, are also be included in this list.

The Long Beach Bombers will look to finish strong, and earn a playoff spot in the tightly-contested Pacific Division of the WSHL. They host the Ontario Avalanche on Wednesday night, followed by road trips to rivals Valencia Flyers on Friday, and San Diego Gulls on Saturday. Points will be at a premium for every team, as all of the battle for a spot and/or home ice.

Game Schedule: Weds Feb 20 – 7:40pm (GGSA – Lakewood), Fri Feb 22 – 7:15p (Valencia Ice Station), & Sat Feb 23 (Escondido Iceoplex)

All games can be viewed LIVE at:
http://www2.fasthockey.com/login.php

The Long Beach Bombers will play host to new divisional foe, Bay Area Seals this weekend. The Seals come in red hot, going 13-0 since December 19. Led by newly-acquired goaltender, Filip Orcik (10-0), they should be a strong test for the Bombers. The Bombers are coming off a sweep of the Tulsa Junior Oilers, and are excited about their new-look lineup, as well. The organization made two deals this week to bolster it’s depth and scoring up front. With the Monday Feb 11 trade deadline looming, the Bombers were able to bring in the WSHL’s 6th leading-scorer this season, Czech import Filip Martinec. A long-time friend of Bombers goaltender, and WSHL saves leader, Jiri Sykora, Martinec scored 26G-33A in 33 games for the Wichita Jr Thunder this season. Martinec will slide into Bombers captain, Johnny Linehan’s spot this weekend, as Linehan will miss due to injury. The team also added local product Luc Fournier for the stretch run. Fournier, a center, put up 15 points in 12 games for the New Mexico Renegades to start the season. The depth keeps going, as both JT Banard and Tyler Balaguy will return from injury this weekend. Defenseman AJ Martinez will also be back in the lineup. Bombers forward Mans Nystrand brings an 8-game point streak into the series (Martinec – 7gms, Chisholm – 4gms). Seals To Watch: #9 Mikes (39pts), #10 Vachal (24pts), #17 Ondracek (20pts), #12 Kucera (19pts), #20 Starr (28pts), & new addition #81 Nick Anderson.

The Bombers head into the weekend just three points out of a playoff spot, and five points out of home-ice. Bay Area currently sits in the final Pacific Division playoff spot, with 37 points. The two teams have never faced each other, however, there is already a playoff atmosphere brewing at The Garden for this series. The two squads will battle six times in the next four weeks.

All games can be viewed LIVE at: http://www2.fasthockey.com/login.php

Series Preview / Program: Click Here

Start Times: Fri Feb 8 – 7:40p, Sat Feb 9 – 7:40p, & Sun Feb 10 – 12:30p

In the midst of a series sweep in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Long Beach Bombers’ Alexander Fibig shined. Fibig, a Moscow-native, that looks to finally be 100% healthy, created scoring chances nearly every time his skates touched the ice. Fibig came to the club in November, and quickly amassed 5 points in 5 games. Unfortunately, an ankle injury slowed his torrid pace on North American soil. It wasn’t until the Western States Hockey League Las Vegas Showcase that Fibig was able to suit up for games and be healthy enough to contribute. Since then, he has played 11 games of red-hot hockey. His chemistry with center and linemate, Johnny Linehan, has been building by the period. Fibig has scored 9 goals and added 8 assists in that stretch. Fibig, along with goaltender cohort, Jiri Sykora, sealed the Saturday victory over the Tulsa Jr Oilers with a slick shoot-out goal (does not count towards official point totals).

It is the third time one of the Bombers has been honored with the WSHL’s 1st Star of the Week selection (Alexander Fibig, Stephen White, & Jakub Sramek). Mans Nystrand was also recently chosen as the WSHL’s 3rd Star of the Week.

The Long Beach Bombers returned from Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday night with a little bit more baggage than the left with: in the way of six important points in the tight Pacific Division standings. The Bombers earned their first series sweep of the season. In doing so, the Bombers now sit in a tie for fourth place in the division.

On Friday night, the Bombers got off the plane and hopped on the ice for a matinee special. Alexander Fibig opened the scoring, just two minutes into the game. However, the Jr Oilers answered right back, just 90 seconds later, to even the score. Again, it was Fibig who put the Bombers out-front, with his second of the game, on the opening shift of the second period. Linemates Johnny Linehan and Tyler Balaguy assisted on both scores. Tyler Forest then put the Bombers up by two, before Tulsa responded with one of their own. Immediately after, Jiri Sykora shut-down a penalty shot attempt by fellow Czech forward, David Morong. Just a few minutes later, the big Swede, Mans Nystrand, scored to extend the lead to 4-2, heading into the second intermission. Tulsa scored three minutes into the final period, but it was a Johnny Linehan goal at 18:32 of the third period that sealed the game for the point-hungry road squad. Goaltender Jiri Sykora made 32 saves in the penalty-filled affair that took over three hours to complete.

On Saturday, Tulsa came roaring out to a 3-0 lead, halfway through the contest. In an attempt to change the momentum, Assistant Captain George Chisholm (Heatherton, Nova Scotia) engaged in the physical game, with a solid fight, late in the second period. Just six seconds later, Alexander Fibig put the Bombers on the board. Unfortunately, less than a minute later, the Bombers allowed the Jr Oilers to score in the final minute of the second period, sucking the wind right back out of their sails. Heading into the final period, it was 4-1 Tulsa. It took almost eight minutes of play until the Bombers started their push to even the score. When they did, it was a flurry of offensive. In just five minutes of play, the Bombers, led by the aforementioned Chisholm, evened the score. Chisholm scored the Bombers second goal, then Eric Laporte put the team within one. It was Chisholm, again, that fired a tipped slapshot passed the Junior Oilers goalie to even the score at 4-4. Twelve minutes of regulation and overtime play later, and it was time for the Bombers first shoot-out of the season. Nikita Korotkov started the action with a nice move that was just narrowly misplaced, and saved by goaltender Jordan Cartney. Jiri Sykora kept the teams even with a save of his own. WSHL Defensive Scoring Leader, Stephen White, went second for the Bombers, and missed a snapper high blocker. Sykora again did his part, and potentially, put the game on the stick of Alexander Fibig. Fibig had dozens of chances over the weekend, and did not allow his frustration to play a part at this crucial moment for the team. He moved from left to right, and feathered a silky wrister through the wickets of Cartney. The game was now to be determined by the Junior Oilers’ leading scorer, Bobby Watson, and the Bombers’ arguable MVP, Jiri Sykora. Watson deked and attempted to slide it five-hole, but Sykora shut the door, for the third and final time. The Bombers’ late push earned them a much-needed two points, and probably, a little confidence, as well. Sykora made 35 saves on the night, as the Bombers battled through a short bench and multiple bumps, bruises, cuts, and injuries.

Late Sunday morning, the team looked to steal the fifth and sixth points of the series, prior to flying back home for a timely week off. Bombers leading scorer, Nikita Korotkov, bounced back quickly from his shoot-out miss, by scoring on back-to-back shifts, halfway through the first period. Again, the Bombers had a short bench, and really focused on grinding out a win, any way possible. Tulsa responded with an early goal in the second period, to close the gap at 2-1. The teams went scoreless for almost 34 minutes, trading stints of offensive pressure. In the end, it was a late goal by rookie forward, Kyle Orgel, that assured a series sweep for the Bomb Squad. Jiri Sykora made another 36 saves (103 saves on the weekend) and earned his third win of the weekend, in less than 43 hours.

The Bombers will now rest up and hope to get healthy before a huge home series with the expansion Bay Area Seals, who are red-hot and have won 11 in-a-row. The Bombers finish the season, and playoff push, with eleven divisional games.

Alexander Fibig led the team against Tulsa, with two goals and three assists (in addition to a game-winning shoot-out goal). Linemate and Captain, Johnny Linehan, added a goal and four assists. Mans Nystrand extended his point-streak to eight games (9G-6A) and has 11G-17A in his last 15 games played, and has shot up the WSHL scoring leaders (currently 12th). Nikita Korotkov now has 18 multiple-point efforts in 35 games played, and is tied for 6th in WSHL scoring. Forward, Tyler Forest, found himself on the scoresheet in each of the three games (1G-3A). Defenseman, Randy George Chisholm, moved into 10th place in WSHL Defensive Scoring, with a 2G-2A series.

The Long Beach Bombers made a statement this past weekend, winning their first ever series against the Fresno Monsters. The Bombers protected home ice, and continued on their recent playoff push. The squad is now just 3 points out of the final playoff spot in the Pacific Conference. In taking the series against the Monsters, the Bombers did what no other team has done, since the El Paso Rhinos in early December, 2011. Fresno came into The Garden on Friday night, and opened the series with a 4-0 victory, doing exactly what most would have expected them to do. Team points leader, Nick McKee, scored twice to lead the offense, and goaltender Corey Foster shut out the Bombers with 17 saves. The Bombers were coming off their highest goal scoring output of the season – 11 goals in a win against Wichita at the WSHL Showcase.

Saturday night was an entirely different story. Fresno led 1-0 after a first period power play goal, on a five minute man advantage, and it looked to be going the way many a Monsters-Bombers contest had gone. However, the Bombers came out confident and raised their level of intensity. The team showed commitment to making all of the small plays: finishing checks, getting pucks deep, back-checking, and blocking shots. Eric Laporte scored in the first minute of the second period, and the Bombers never looked back. Less than two minutes later, WSHL Defensemen Scoring Leader, Stephen White, put Long Beach up 2-1. Two goals from the big Swede, Mans Nystrand, would seal the victory for the home team. Rookie goalkeeper, Brian Parsons, stood tall for the boys in black, making 52 saves in the win. This win was huge for the Bombers, however, history would show it as a minor blip on the radar. The Fresno Monsters had won the last 10 games over Long Beach in the past two seasons, outscoring the Bombers 71-11 in those contests.

On Sunday, everyone expected a very strong effort out of Fresno, in what could easily be dubbed a “statement game.” Just like the first two games of the series, the Monsters notched the first tally of the game, halfway through the first period. Fortunately, the new-look Bombers responded just two minutes later, on a Tyler Forest goal. Proving what type of game this would be, Fresno answered right back to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room. Goaltenders Jiri Sykora and Justin Hubert both made highlight saves as they slowed the offensive attacks down for over half the second stanza. Starting with a Tyler Balaguy goal at 9:11 of the second period, there was a flurry of offense. By the time the clock read 5:17, it was 4-3 Long Beach. Nikita Korotkov scored a power play goal to put the Bombers ahead, only to have Fresno equal the score less than 30 seconds later. Then, it was Balaguy, again, capping off a beautiful Long Beach rush that started with an Alexander Fibig indirect breakout pass to send Johnny Linehan and Balaguy on a two-on-one. The score would remain 4-3 for more than 20 minutes of play, until Fresno grinded out the game-tying goal with just four minutes to go. This presented the type of adversity that Long Beach had often struggled with. Not this time, not this game, not this weekend. The Bombers maintained composure, stuck to their game plan, and beared-down. The reward came with just 2:10 on the clock, in the form of another Mans Nystrand goal. Nikita Korotkov teamed up with Eric Laporte on the cycle, and then found Nystrand in the slot for a quick catch and shoot. Then, even more important for the Bombers was the last few shifts, to hold the score at 5-4. Sykora made 37 saves in his 9th win, this season.

Next up for Long Beach is a single-game weekend, at San Diego Gulls on Friday evening (8:00pm). The game can be viewed LIVE at www.fasthockey.com

WSHL Weekend Wrap-Up Article: http://wshl.org/2013/01/08/weekend-wrap-up-january-4-6/

The Pacific Conference-leading Fresno Monsters will be in The Garden for a three-game series this weekend. Fresno leads the WSHL’s most competitive conference with 38 points. Nick McKee has 47 points to lead the team, as he did last season. The Monsters had a dreadful schedule at the Las Vegas Showcase – which is determined by the standings. Fresno went 2-2, topping the Boulder Bisons and El Paso Rhinos. The team fell short against the Dallas Ice Jets and Idaho Jr Steelheads. Leading into the Showcase, the team also dropped a game to the Ontario Avalanche.

The Long Beach Bombers have started to heat up, earning 11 points in their last 7 games. The went 3-1 at the Showcase, and had their highest goal-scoring output of the season in their final contest (11 goals). Team points leader, Nikita Korotkov has 21 points since December 1. Stephen White will look to break an awkward streak of scoring at least one goal every other game since December 1 (he scored a hat trick last game). Swedish center Mans Nystrand is riding a six-game point streak (13 points), and has to be flying high with Sweden in the World Junior Championships against the Americans. His linemate, Eric Laporte is also red hot, coming into the series on a seven-game point streak (7 goals). Another forward that has been lighting up the box scores is co-captain Johnny Linehan. Linehan has a six-game point streak (14 points), and is only 5 points off his 2011-12 pace, with 16 less games played. Russian forward Alexander Fibig, looks to be getting healthier with each game. He finished the Showcase with a hat trick, and created numerous offensive chances all week. The Bombers are also receiving secondary scoring help from the back-end. Defensemen David Shaby, George Chisholm, and AJ Martinez have all shown their ability to score in last few weeks leading up to the holiday break. Goaltender Jiri Sykora has helped the team earn 7 points in his last 5 starts, and has averaged over 45 saves per appearance. Both Brian Parsons and Drake Koegel earned their first career wins in the final month of 2012.

Weekend Schedule: Fri 7:40p, Sat 7:30p, & Sun 12:30p.

All games can be viewed LIVE on: http://www.fasthockey.com/login.php

Click For Weekend Preview: GameDay Program