For the second straight season, the Melfort Mustangs are off to the Centennial Cup.
The Mustangs booked their ticket capturing the Canterra Seeds Cup defeating the Weyburn Red Wings in five games in the SJHL final.
Mustangs general manager and head coach Trevor Blevins says the organization is excited for the opportunity to compete on the national stage.
“We’re very excited. It’s another opportunity to go and compete for a Centennial Cup championship. Obviously things have been great and we’re very proud of what we’ve done, but we’re focused on another goal here and that’s to have a good tournament. Make sure we take it game by game and play the best we can.”
Last year, Melfort made it all the way to the Centennial Cup final falling 1-0 to the Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Collingwood Blues 1-0 in the final. Melfort finished on top of Group B with a 3-1 record and defeated the Calgary Canucks in the semifinal.
Several players from last year’s team returned to Melfort and helped the Mustangs repeat as SJHL champions. With experience in the Centennial Cup, Blevins says that experience will pay dividends.
“I thought we did a great job last year, honestly whether it’s managing nutrition, managing rest, making sure the lineup was as fresh as possible. We’re going to need everybody to contribute and absolutely we take pride in ourselves. We’ve got a deep team, but everyone on a nightly basis, whoever’s in does a great job. We got 27 guys on the roster and we plan on using the bulk of them for sure, if not all.”
The Mustangs will be placed in Group B alongside the Rockland Nationals (CCHL), Braves de Valleyfield (LHJQ), the Edmunston Blizzard and host Calgary Canucks.
Melfort opens the tournament on Thursday night when they take on the host Calgary Canucks, who won the AJHL championship in a sweep over the Grande Prairie Storm.
Blevins says Melfort is looking forward to a tall test early in the tournament.
“On paper, they’re probably one of the best teams there. It’ll be a good measuring stick for us. We’re excited to get that game underway. Being the host team and being 7.30 at night on opening night should be a decent crowd, should be electric. But also for us, it’s a good game to have first to see where we’re at and get our strengths and weaknesses.”
During the regular season, Melfort was the top team in the SJHL standings with a 46-8-0-2 record, leading the league in goals scored.
Blevins says he is hoping Melfort can keep the momentum from their regular season and playoff run going into Calgary.
“We’ve been playing the right way for all but a couple of nights all through the season, so for us, that experience from the tournament brought it into regular season and now going into the Centennial Cup a second time in a row, it’s great for the new guys because they can lean on some of the guys that have been there to know what to expect and given the day-to-day grind of it, but we’re definitely set up to go for sure.”
