The Melfort Mustangs know their playoff fate.
The Mustangs’ chase for a division title officially ended Feb. 27 when the Nipawin Hawks beat the Kindersley Klippers 4-1, clinching the Sherwood division title for the Hawks.
That means Melfort will take on Humboldt in Round 1, with the Mustangs holding home ice advantage.
With their playoff fate sealed, the Mustangs welcomed the Klippers to the Northern Lights Palace and dropped a wild 7-6 decision in a shootout in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action.
Justin Ball and Andrew Thompson chipped in with three point nights, with Ball registering two goals and an assist, and Thompson a goal and two assists.
Drew Warkentine, Jake Misskey and Rock Ruschkowski also scored for the Mustangs, while Evan Plotnik turned aside 16 of the 19 shots he faced for his 23rd win of the season.
It was a big night for Melfort’s offense as all but five of their 18 skaters registered at least a point in the shootout loss.
Nikolas Malenica led the way offensively for the Klippers chipping in with a goal and one assist to pull the Klippers passed both Notre Dame and Weyburn and into sixth in the league standings, with all three teams holding three games remaining.
Ball got the Mustangs on the board in the first round of the shootout, beating Klippers netminder Justen Close, but goals from Keillan Olson in the second round and Cole Plotnikoff in the third round, coupled with misses by Warkentine and Colin Schmidt, gave the Klippers the shootout win.
The high scoring contest was thanks in large part to a wacky first period, which featured eight goals, including five in a span of 10:34, nine penalties, five power plays, and 26 shots on goals.
Ruschkowski opened the scoring for the Mustangs with his 12th of the year, but the lead lasted just 47 second as Devon Cyr beat Plotnik to knot the score at one.
After Ball scored his first of the night to put the Mustangs back in front, the Klippers exploded scoring four times in a span of 4:39 to pull ahead 5-2.
Misskey wrapped up a wild first period with his fourth of the year to send the game into the first intermission with the Klippers in front 5-3.
After a wild first period, the teams seemed to settle in a little in the second as Thompson scored the lone goal in a period, which featured just 15 shots, four penalties and two power plays.
Needing a goal to comeback, the Mustangs pushed in the third and were rewarded early as Warketine notched his tenth of the year to tie the score at five.
Plotnikoff and Ball then traded goals 1:14 seconds apart to send the game into overtime tied at six.
The extra frame solved nothing, despite the Mustangs holding an 8-2 edge in shots, setting up Plotnikoff’s shootout heroics.
Despite the loss, the Mustangs outshot the Klippers 38-29.
The Mustangs will look to get back in the win column when they take on the Nipawin Hawks in a weekend home-and-home series starting March 2 in Nipawin.
