The race in the SJHL’s newly renamed UPL Division is a close one early in the season with three of the top four teams separated by a mere four points.
As of Oct. 5 the Mustangs are in second place in the UPL Division with a record of 4-1-0-1 with nine points, three points behind the Flin Flon Bombers, the Hawks are in third place with a record of 4-1-0-0 with eight points and the Ice Wolves are in fourth place with a record of 1-4-1-0 with three points.
Melfort opened their week with a 3-2 shootout win over the Battlefords North Stars in Melfort on Friday, Oct. 3. Melfort led 1-0 after the first period and the game was tied 1-1 after the second period.
Kaleb Binner scored the winner for the Mustangs in the four-round shootout.
Owen Nelson and Will Munro scored for the Mustangs in regulation. Sebastian Miles and Kobe Sawyer responded for the North Stars in regulation.
Kason Kobelka made 30 saves for Melfort; Kaeden Serpa made 29 saves for the North Stars.
The Mustangs completed the home-and-home sweep with a 2-0 win over the North Stars in North Battleford on Saturday, Oct. 4. Kobelka stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn his first SJHL shutout.
Lincoln Rogers and Ries Nyland scored for the Mustangs. Serpa made 32 saves for the North Stars.
Nipawin closed their week with a 3-1 win over the Estevan Bruins in Nipawin on Friday, Oct. 3. The Hawks led 2-0 after the first period and 3-0 after the second period.
Mason Karochuk, Will Whitter and Tiernan Ryan scored for Nipawin. Karochuk and Whitter scored two goals in the first two minutes of the game. Cash Olson responded for the Bruins.
Gage Roberts made 28 saves for Nipawin; Brady Carr made no saves for the Hawks in 1:44 of action before he was replaced by Dylan Adams who made 25 saves.
The Hawks opened their week with a 3-2 win over the Melville Millionaires on Melville on Sept. 30. The game was tied 1-1 after the first and 2-2 after the second.
Karockuk, Whitter and Van Taylor scored for the Hawks. Brendan Olson had a pair of goals for Melville.
Roberts made 37 saves for Nipawin; Kael Svenson had 27 saves for Melville.
The Ice Wolves opened their week with a 4-3 overtime win over the Bruins at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre in Air Ronge on Saturday, Oct. 4. William Knox scored the winner for La Ronge 1:14 into the extra frame.
The Ice Wolves led 1-0 after the first and the game was tied 2-2 after the second. Connor Hoemson had a pair of goals for La Ronge in regulation with Waylon Gardipy adding the other Ice Wolves goal. Noah Asmundson had a pair of goals for Estevan and Ewan Rennie added the other Bruins goal in regulation.
Graham Brown made 24 saves for the Ice Wolves. Adams made 40 saves for the Bruins.
The Ice Wolves were in Nipawin to play the Hawks on Tuesday, Oct. 7, results were not available.
The Ice Wolves concluded their week with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins in Air Ronge on Sunday, Oct. 5. Ryland Williams scored the winner 34 seconds into overtime for the Bruins.
The Bruins led 1-0 after the first period and 2-1 after the second period.
Gardipy and Mattias De Zen scored for La Ronge in regulation time. Daniel Tverdovsky and Asmundson scored for the Bruins in regulation time.
Brown made 43 saves for La Ronge; Nathan Kam made 37 saves for Estevan.
The Hawks are in Warman to play the new Wolverines franchise on Friday, Oct. 10.
The Mustangs are on a southern road swing this weekend. They are in Weyburn to play the Red Wings on Friday, Oct. 10 and in Estevan to play the Bruins on Saturday, Oct. 11.
The Ice Wolves are in Kindersley to face the Klippers on Friday, Oct. 10 and Saturday, Oct. 11.
