Game Day! Mustangs and Hawks Renew Northern Rivalry
The Melfort Mustangs and Nipawin Hawks will square off for the first time this season, tonight. The two Northern rivals will meet 10 times as we finally get the first home and home set of games that count.
Melfort opened the season with a pair of wins over the Flin Flon Bombers. A 3-1 win last Friday, followed by an 8-3 win on Tuesday, has the Mustangs sitting with a 2-0-0-0 record early in the year. Ethan Regnier led the way offensively with 5 points, notching his first goal as a Mustang. Vaclav Prospal leads the scoring from the back end as the 20-year-old defenceman scored twice and added two helpers. Between the pipes both Joel Favreau and Steven Bacovsky looked solid in their appearances. Both picking up a win while both boast save percentages north of .929.
The Nipawin Hawks had just one game on opening weekend. They were supposed to meet the La Ronge Ice Wolves for a second time but the winter storm has seen that game postponed until next week. In the one game they did play the Hawks went to La Ronge and beat the Ice Wolves 7-3. Burke Simpson(three goals) and Michael Makarenko(three assists) did the heavy lifting offensively for the Hawks. John Lester, Zack Falck, Carter Stebbings and Brody Wilson each scored goals as well. Returning goaltender Ross Hawryluk got the start for the Hawks picking up the win while allowing just three goals.
SJHL Standings
| Rank | Sherwood Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | STK | P10 | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melfort Mustangs | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.000 | 11 | 4 | 2-0-0-0 | 2-0-0-0 | 123 |
| 2 | Nipawin Hawks | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 7 | 3 | 1-0-0-0 | 1-0-0-0 | 20 |
| 3 | La Ronge Ice Wolves | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 3 | 7 | 0-1-0-0 | 0-1-0-0 | 46 |
| 4 | Flin Flon Bombers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 4 | 11 | 0-2-0-0 | 0-2-0-0 | 99 |
| Rank | Global Ag Risk Solutions | GP | W | L | OTL | SL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | STK | P10 | PIM |
| 1 | Humboldt Broncos | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.000 | 12 | 8 | 2-0-0-0 | 2-0-0-0 | 36 |
| 2 | Kindersley Klippers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 2 | 1-0-0-0 | 1-0-0-0 | 32 |
| 3 | Notre Dame Hounds | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.000 | 5 | 4 | 1-0-0-0 | 1-0-0-0 | 2 |
| 4 | Battlefords North Stars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 2 | 5 | 0-1-0-0 | 0-1-0-0 | 38 |
| Rank | Viterra Division | GP | W | L | OTL | SL | PTS | PCT | GF | GA | STK | P10 | PIM |
| 1 | Melville Millionaires | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 | 9 | 7 | 1-0-0-0 | 1-1-0-0 | 57 |
| 2 | Estevan Bruins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.500 | 7 | 9 | 0-1-0-0 | 1-1-0-0 | 70 |
| 3 | Weyburn Red Wings | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.500 | 4 | 5 | 0-0-1-0 | 0-0-1-0 | 8 |
| 4 | Yorkton Terriers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0.250 | 8 | 12 | 0-1-1-0 | 0-1-1-0 | 38 |
Tonight’s game starts at 7:30pm from the cage in Nipawin. The game can be heard with Mat Barrett on Beach Radio. It can also be seen on HockeyTV. Following tonight the teams return to Melfort tomorrow for the second game of the home and home. A reminder to fans that all Mustang games are sold out until capacity numbers are lifted. Tomorrow night’s home game will be for the Season Ticket Holder Group B.
Photo Credit: Broad Leaf Media