Melfort Mustangs vs. Kindersley, Nov. 17
Special teams played the difference for the Melfort Mustangs as they knocked off the Kindersley Klippers 3-2 in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action in Melfort on Nov. 17.
The Mustangs finished the night 2-for-5 with the man advantage, while their penalty kill was perfect on the evening finishing 4-for-4.
Trevor Blevins, the Mustangs’ head coach, was pleased to see his special teams have a good night, noting the key for the power play was to shoot the puck and get traffic in front of the net.
“We like to move it around but we’ve got to have that shot mentality too. We just sometimes get a little bit too fancy and don’t get enough to the net. But as long as we’re directing pucks there and crashing the net we’re successful and that’s what we need to keep doing.”
The game got off to a solid start for the Mustangs as they drew first blood 7:52 into the opening period thanks to a goal from Zach Anderson, his second of the season.
Unfortunately for the Mustangs the lead did not last long as the Klippers answered with their first of the game just over three minutes later.
Despite holding a significant edge in the shots, 21-12 through one period of play, the two teams hit the dressing room tied at one.
In spite of the teams being tied at the break, Blevins was pleased with the start his team had, especially considering it has been a concern at times this season.
“We’re getting much more prepared now. It was just a matter of being mentally ready and physically ready and that’s been great to see the last few efforts for sure. It’s been pretty consistent here of late and that’s what we’re going to need to have moving forward.”
The Mustangs regained the lead in the second period as Andrew Thompson scored his seventh of the year, on the power play, to put the Mustangs ahead 2-1.
Once again the lead did not last long however, as the Klippers scored less than four minutes later to tie the score at two.
This time the Mustangs responded as Loch Morrison scored his ninth of the year on the power play to put the Mustangs ahead 3-2 with 49 seconds left in the second period.
Neither team managed another goal through the remaining 20:49, as the Mustangs hung on for a 3-2 win.
Overall Blevins was pleased with the effort he got from his team.
“We really had a real strong second period. Third period maybe we did soften up a little bit but found a way to get the win and that was nice to see. We had a little bit of hang on but I’m proud of the guys and how they stepped up and got the win.”
Evan Plotnik picked up the win in the Mustangs cage turning aside 28 of the 30 shots he faced as the Mustangs outshot the Klippers 43-30.
Melfort Mustangs vs. La Ronge, Nov. 18
A fast start proved to be the difference for the Melfort Mustangs as they knocked off the La Ronge Ice Wolves 4-1 in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action from Melfort on Nov. 18.
The Mustangs jumped out of the gate quickly as Tristen Elder scored his second of the year just 5:42 into the opening period, and Rock Ruschkowski added his third of the year minutes later to give the Mustangs a 2-0 lead after the first period.
Loch Morrison then added his tenth of the year on the power play at 8:38 of the second period as the Mustangs extended their lead to 3-0.
With the Mustangs dominating the game through two periods, the home side sat back a little in the third and it nearly cost them as the Ice Wolves scored their first of the game at 9:52 of the third.
Fortunately for the Mustangs they were able to regain their focus and put the game away late in the period thanks to Tyson Meyers’ third goal of the season.
Mustangs head coach Trevor Blevins described the play of his club early in the third as “cautious”.
“We addressed it and I thought we finished off the last ten minutes excellent and that’s what we needed to do to get the win for sure. They had a big push when they made it 3-1 and we survived it and responded and that was good to see.”
Hunter Arps picked up the win in the Mustangs cage turning aside 20 of the 21 shots he faced as his Mustangs teammates outshot the Ice Wolves 46-21.
The Mustangs enjoyed a couple of days off before returning to the ice on Nov. 22 for a matchup against the last place Yorkton Terriers.
Blevins notes the team is ready to get back on the ice, noting that they are going to need another strong start.
“The one thing about it is we want to make sure that we strike fast. We seem to be a better team when we’re going right off the bat.”
