Following a 4 game road trip, the Melfort Mustangs will shift gears and play their next 3 on home ice. The Mustangs welcome the La Ronge Ice Wolves tonight. Followed by the Flin Flon Bombers tomorrow and the Battlefords North Stars on Wednesday. For a team that is playing good hockey, just not getting the results, some home cooking should do them some good. Game time tonight is 7:30pm at the Northern Lights Palace against the Ice Wolves.
The Mustangs come into tonight’s game having lost 4 in a row. With two of those games going to extra time they’ve still managed to pick up 2 points in the standings. The Mustangs have fallen slightly in the standings and now sit a point behind Battlefords for 6th place. With the SJHL being as tight as it is, any team that can string a few wins together will surely move up and into better playoff positioning.
Justin Ball continues to lead the SJHL in scoring, now with 77 points. Nate Hooper in Flin Flon has closed the gap to just 6, he now has 71. He had a big weekend and should push Ball for the SJHL scoring race by league end. Brandson Hein and Carson Albrecht sit tied for 3rd in scoring, both with 66 points. Hein’s 38 goals have him 2nd in that category, only to Ball, who leads the league with 44.
The La Ronge Ice Wolves sit last in the SJHL with a 10-35-1-1 record on the season. They’ve lost 7 straight and have a league worst goal differential of -108. Ice Wolf leading scorer Zach Bannister has been great this season. He leads the team in both goals with 20 and assists with 31. His 51 points on the season have him 9th in the SJHL. La Ronge is coming off a tough 4-1 loss to Notre Dame last night. Antonio Di Paolo scored the lone goal while Jordan Frey made 43 saves on 47 shots.
Tonight’s game begins at 7:30pm from the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort. There will be no radio broadcast. Following tonight’s game the Mustangs host the Flin Flon Bombers tomorrow.
