The Melfort Mustangs are moving on and the La Ronge Ice Wolves and Nipawin Hawks are both going home in the Canterra Seeds Cup SJHL playoffs.
The Mustangs eliminated the Ice Wolves in six games with a convincing win on Sunday, March 26 in La Ronge. The Hawks were eliminated in five games by the Humboldt Broncos.
The Mustangs eliminated the Ice Wolves with an 8-2 win in La Ronge on March 26.’ The game was tied 1-1 after the first period and the Mustangs led 5-1 after the second period.
David Rioux, Zac Somers and Wyatt Cook each had a pair of goals for Melfort, Ben Tkachuk and Tye Evans chipped in with one goal each. Jacob Cossette and Jacob Visentini responded for the Ice Wolves.
Joel Favreau made 26 saves for Melfort; Dawson Smith made 34 saves for La Ronge.
The Mustangs took a 3-2 series lead with a 2-1 overtime win in Melfort on Friday, March 24.
Dawson Leroux scored the winning goal on the power play 9:26 into the extra frame for Melfort. The game was scoreless after the first period and the Mustangs led 1-0 after the second period. Rioux scored in regulation time for the Mustangs.
Walker Jerome tied the game for La Ronge 15 minutes into the third period. Favreau made 22 saves for Melfort; Smith made 47 saves for La Ronge.
The Mustangs tied the series 2-2 with a 3-1 win over the Ice Wolves at Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre in Air Ronge on Wednesday, March 22. The series shifted to Air Ronge on Tuesday after ice issues at the Mel Hegland Uniplex in La Ronge.
The Mustangs led 1-0 after the first period and second period. Boston Maxwell, Cameron Emigh and Aidyn Hutchinson scored for Melfort. Trenton Curtis responded for the Ice Wolves.
Favreau made 29 saves for the Mustangs; Smith made 35 saves for the Ice Wolves.
The Ice Wolves took a 2-1 series lead with a 4-3 overtime win over the Mustangs in Air Ronge on Tuesday, March 21. Visentini scored the winner for La Ronge 32 seconds into the extra frame.
The game was scoreless after the first period and La Ronge led 2-1 after the second period. Kevin Minnoch, Leroux and Somers scored for Melfort in regulation time. Connor Abric, Jerome and Curtis scored for La Ronge in regulation time.
Favreau made 30 saves for Melfort; Smith made 36 saves for La Ronge.
The Hawks were eliminated in Game 5 by the Broncos with a 6-2 loss in Humboldt on Friday, March 24. The game was scoreless after the first period and the Broncos led 3-1 after the second period.
Finley Radloff and Francois-Xavier Bedard scored for Nipawin. Xavier Roy had a pair of goals for the Broncos; Ethan Zielke, Daylan Weigel, Cage Newans and Samuel Marburg added the other Humboldt goals.
Damon Cunninghma made 25 saves for the Hawks in just over 43 minutes of action before he was relieved by Jackson Fellner who made eight saves. Jaryd Picklyk made 25 saves for Humboldt.
Humboldt took control of their series with the Hawks with a 4-2 win in Nipawin on Wednesday, March 22. The Hawks led 1-0 after the first period and 2-0 after the second period.
Alex Johnson and Reid Mackay scored for Nipawin. Lucas Ceccarelli scored a pair of goals for Humboldt; Timothy Kim and Zielke added the other Broncos’ gaols.
Cunningham made 30 saves for the Hawks; Benjamin Motew made 22 saves for the Broncos.
Nipawin got back in their series with a 4-3 win over the Broncos in Nipawin on Tuesday, March 21. The Hawks led 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after the second period.
Braxton Buckberger had a pair of goals for Nipawin; Carson Dobson and Radloff added the other Hawks’ goals. Jacob Boucher, Zielke and Newans responded for the Broncos.
Cunningham made 40 saves for Nipawin; Picklyk made 37 saves for Humboldt.
As of press time there was still one first round series yet to be decided. The Flin Flon Bombers and Estevan Bruins played Game 7 of their series in Flin Flon on Tuesday, March 28, but results were not yet available.
Melfort will either face the Bombers or the Humboldt Broncos as both teams are higher seeds. If Estevan wins, the Bruins will play the Battlefords North Stars.
Game dates for the next round will be determined after the end of the Bruins and Bombers series.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
