With the playoffs approaching two of the three area Sherwood Division teams have clinched playoff spots. The Melfort Mustangs and La Ronge Ice Wolves have made the playoffs while the Nipawin Hawks have been eliminated.
As of March 7, the Mustangs are in first place with a record of 32-15-4-5 with 73 points, two points ahead of the Flin Flon Bombers. The Ice Wolves are in third place with a record of 29-24-1-4 with 63 points and the Hawks are in fourth place with a record of 17-34-0-6 with 40 points.
The SJHL regular season concludes on March 17.
The Mustangs completed a home-and-home sweep of the Hawks with a 4-3 win over Nipawin in Melfort on Saturday, March 5. The game was free to attend and there were a reported 1,300 fans in the stands of the Northern Lights Palace.
The Mustangs led 2-1 after the first period and the game was tied 2-2 after the second period.
Carter Anderson scored the game winner for Melfort at 16:01 of the third period. Other Melfort goals came from Dawson Leroux, Nolan Doell and Mark Snarr.
Joel Mabin, Christian Albertson and Carson Dobson responded for the Hawks.
James Venne made 16 saves for Melfort; Harmon Laser-Hume made 35 saves for Nipawin.
Joel Favreau recorded the shutout as Melfort defeated Nipawin 3-0 in Nipawin on Friday, March 4.
Favreau stopped all 18 shots he faced to record the shutout.
Melfort led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after the second period.
Doell had a pair of goals for Melfort and Anderson added the other Mustangs’ goal.
Chase Hamm made 28 saves for Nipawin.
Melfort opened their week with a 4-1 win over La Ronge in La Ronge on Wednesday, March 2.
The Mustangs led 2-1 after the first and second periods.
Doell, Anderson, Leroux and Leyton Holoien scored for Melfort.
Kole Christensson had the lone goal for La Ronge.
Venne made 29 saves for Melfort; Xavier Cannon made 26 saves in just over 50 minutes of action before he was relieved by Dawson Smith who made three saves.
The Mustangs were in Flin Flon to face the Bombers on Tuesday, March 8 results were not available.
The Bombers were in Melfort to face the Mustangs on Thursday, March 10 results were not available.
Nipawin opened their week with a 4-0 shutout loss to the Bombers on Tuesday, March 1 in La Ronge.
Cal Schell stopped all 29 shots he faced to record the shutout.
Zak Smith had a pair of goals for Flin Flon; Drew Kuzma and Jacob Vockler added the other Bombers’ goals.
Laser-Hume made 27 saves for Nipawin.
The Hawks were in North Battleford to face the North Stars on Tuesday, March 8 results were not available.
The Ice Wolves lost 5-3 to the Bombers in Flin Flon on Saturday, March 5.
The game was tied 2-2 after the first period and the Bombers led 5-2 after the second period.
Parker Fofonoff, Bryan Gilman and Brandon Della Paoelera scored for La Ronge.
Cole Duperreault had a pair of goals for Flin Flon; Xavier Lapointe, Brett Wieschorster and Smith added the other Bombers’ goals.
Smith made 42 saves for La Ronge; Cal Schell made 24 saves for Flin Flon.
La Ronge opened their set with Flin Flin with a 4-1 win over the Bombers in La Ronge on Saturday, March 4.
The game was scoreless after the first period and Flin Flon led 1-0 after the second period.
Gilman, Conrad Mitchell, Colten Thompson and Ryley Morgan scored for La Ronge.
Kuzma responded for the Bombers.
Cannon made 52 saves for La Ronge; Schell had 24 saves for Flin Flon.
The Ice Wolves opened their week with an 8-7 overtime win over the Melville Millionaires in La Ronge on Tuesday, March 1.
Gavin Mattey scored the winner 3:33 into the extra frame for La Ronge.
Melville led 2-1 after the first period and 6-4 after the second period.
Mattey, Nate Looft, Taylor Webb, Mitchell, Della Paolera and Christensson scored for the Ice Wolves’ in regulation.
Noah Wills had a hat trick for Melville; Charles-Thomas Larochelle, Jonathan Krahn, Tucker Buhay and Cole Laroque added the other Millionaires’ goals in regulation.
Smith made 27 saves for La Ronge; Ty Shumanski made 35 saves for Melville.
