Rising from the ashes of last year’s devastating first round loss in the Cannon Cup playoffs, the Tonka Bay Bombers bandy club emerged victorious over the favored regular season champion Flying Sparrows for the 2017 USIBL Championship. The Tonka Bay Bombers came from behind to win a 6-5 cliff hanger in one of the most exciting Cannon Cup Finals in years to capture the coveted Cannon Cup by which players achieve their own Stanley Cup style bandy immortality by getting their name engraved on America’s most famous bandy trophy.

The Bombers had just come off a big 8-6 win in the semi-finals over the fast rising Edina Yaks who were loaded with a mix of bandy veterans, recent NHL draft picks and Division 1 and major junior hockey recruits. Meanwhile, the Sparrows were looking to reclaim the Cup they won in 2015 by knocking off the defending champion Spanky’s club led by always dangerous Jamie McBain and Mike Carman, by a score of 9-7 to set up another classic USIBL Final.  

The Bombers and Sparrow had split their two regular season games with the regular season champion Sparrows so while anything was possible, the Sparrows were favored after rolling through the last month undefeated. Sparrows stars Johhny Arundel, Lucas Whalen and Nate Condon and Jon Keseley were in top form and Eric Kraska looked invincible in net.  In the Final, the explosive Sparrows got on the board first with a goals by Nate Condon but the Bombers Archie Skalbeck tied it up and then took a brief lead on another Skalbeck goal. The Sparrows came right back and with a goal by on Keseley and one by Adam Meyer to take a 3-2 lead and then took a 4-2 lead right before half on a spectacular goal by Keseley who shot the ball from the red line with seconds remaining. The shot was wide, but the ball bounced off the glass right out in front of Bomber keeper Gavin Ancheta where Keseley tapped it in to give the Sparrows a two goal lead.

 Despite being down by two at half to the league’s top team, the Bombers shook it off and clawed back into the game in the second half on goals by the Bombers two Mikaels: Mikael Sandberg and Mikael Lickteig. Tying the score gave the Bombers the momentum they needed and then it was time for master stickhandler Archie Skalbeck to take over the match. Skalbeck was able to slice through the Sparrows tough defense for two late goals, giving the Bombers a sudden two goal lead. The Sparrows responded with relentless pressure but Bomber keeper Gavin Ancheta playing his best game of the season, was solid as a rock. The Sparrows pulled keeper Eric Kraska for an extra attacker and got a late goal by Keseley with about 20 seconds left, but the Bombers hung tough and the clock ran out, and a new champion emerged for 2017. 

Archie Skalbeck had 4 goals in the Final plus several more key goals in the quarter and semi- final games, and was named 2017 Playoff MVP.

Ironically, the Tonka Bay Bombers came close to never coming into existence at all. After two straight early exits from the playoffs and frustrated players, manager Chris Halden decided last spring after some soul- searching that it may be time for a change to either end the Minnehaha Mauler team after a long 15 year run and two Cannon Cups, or possibly split the team up. After some soul searching the decision was made to start fresh and create a new team. The Maulers top scorer Mikael Lickteig agreed, and started the process of designing some classy new uniforms. What emerged was a freshly minted team called the Tonka Bay Bombers. Weaving together the “power trio” of the Minnehaha Maulers consisting of Lickteig, Archie Skalbeck and Joe Rehkamp with rookies Connor Gaarder, Murphy Dwyer and late addition Pieter Von Steinbergs, then adding veteran Mikael Sandberg to the mix, seemed to do the trick. Veterans Halden and Steve Jecha also were part of the equation, providing leadership and sage wisdom (as well as paying for the new jerseys).

The USIBL’s newest team clicked tight away and rolled out of the gate with 4 straight wins. The run came crashing down in late June when Russian Superstar Evgenyi Ivanushkin scored 7 goals while playing with the Washburn Dynamo team to end the Bombers fast start.