The Melfort Mustangs finished the week with a 1-2 record, finally snapping their long eight-game losing streak.
Against Nipawin
The Mustangs traveled to Nipawin Feb. 7 to take on their rival Hawks. They were routed 7-2 by the Hawks, who scored twice in the first and third periods and three times in the second. Reed Gunville answered with a second period goal and Rock Ruschkowski added a third period power play goal for the Mustangs.
Evan Plotnik was charged with the loss in the Mustangs goal giving up four goals on 17 shots, before being pulled in favour of Derrick Hucul, who gave up three goals on 30 shots.
Penalties were a problem for the Mustangs as they gave up ten power plays, with the Hawks scoring on four of them.
“It was a game where things just didn’t go right for us,” said Trevor Blevins, the team’s head coach. “Our frustration got to us early. It was a night that we needed to forget and regroup.”
Against Battlefords
The Mustangs had a couple of days off before they returned to action on Feb. 10 against the Battlefords North Stars.
The first period sunk the Mustangs as they gave up a pair of goals and could not recover, with an empty net goal in the third period en route to a 3-0 loss.
Plotnik was charged with the loss in the Mustangs goal after giving up two goals on 34 shots.
Despite the loss, Blevins was pleased with how his team responded.
“There were a lot of chances both ways. They capitalized and we didn’t, but it was an effort we needed to have to keep progressing.”
Against Kindersley
The Mustangs wrapped up their week on Feb. 11 in Kindersley when they took on the Klippers.
To keep pace with them, the Mustangs came out with a great effort and were finally rewarded as they slipped past the Klippers 6-3 thanks to a pair of goals from Miles Warkentine and singles from Dakota Boutin, Matthew Hermary, Gunville and Carson Albrecht.
Plotnik picked up his first win in nine games as he turned aside 26 shots.
Despite picking up the win, Blevins did not think his team played any better than they have been in a while. They were finally rewarded for some good effort.
“We just couldn’t get a break, couldn’t keep it out of our net or couldn’t score enough goals, but the effort was there and so was the attitude. That’s what’s most important.”
Focus on play
Picking up the win was important for the Mustangs as it snapped the losing streak and kept them in the race for a top six seed in the playoffs, but Blevins said the team was not really focused on the losing streak, noting he has never been a coach to worry about winning or losing streaks.
“That’s just a distraction. You’ve got to focus on your process and what it takes to be successful every night. And it doesn’t matter what side of the coin you are on. It’s just a matter of improving and building and making sure you get better every day.”
It has been a grueling schedule for the Mustangs, playing seven of their last eight games against the top four teams in the league. Although it was costly in terms of giving up valuable points in the playoff race,
Blevins thinks it will only serve to benefit his team down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“It’s great for our guys to get in playoff mode now and play tough opponents because if we’re playing top teams in the league we’re going to be that much more prepared when we have to play in the survivor series... I think we’re going to be more than ready.”
Next week
The Mustangs now hit a lull in their schedule with just one game in 11 days as they take on the Battlefords at home on Feb. 17, which is great, said Blevins.
It will allow them to work on improving a few areas of their game.
“Our power play has slipped here and we need to get that back going with some different looks and just change the execution a little bit. But we could always be more committed defensively even though we’ve seen improvement in that.”
