Shannon Coulter
It’s been quite the playoff run for the Melfort Mustangs, and now their postseason will continue at the 2024 Centennial Cup, presented by Tim Hortons.
The Mustangs finished with a 38-14-4 record in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL)—which placed them second to the Flin Flon Bombers. Defence and goaltending stood out for Melfort, allowing only 158 goals (second in SJHL) and having a strong penalty kill (88.2% - second).
In the playoffs, Melfort wrapped up a five-game series against the Estevan Bruins to set up a semifinal against the Humboldt Broncos. The series pushed both teams to the limit and included seven periods of overtime, ending on Ryan Duguay’s goal 2:55 into overtime in Game 7 that propelled the Mustangs to the league final.
The season came down to the Mustangs and the Bombers—who had spent 15 consecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot of the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) rankings. But Melfort began the series with a defiant 9-2 victory and wrapped up the title in six games.
James Venne led the Mustangs in the crease this year. Referred to as the best goalie in Mustangs history by head coach and general manager, Trevor Blevins, Venne led the SJHL with 2,661 minutes played during the regular season, boasting a .912 save percentage and 2.62 goals-against average. In the playoffs, the 20-year-old had a 12-3 record with a 2.50 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
Aidyn Hutchinson was the top skater for the Mustangs, finishing third in SJHL scoring with 33 goals and 78 points during the regular season before adding 15 goals and 32 points in the playoffs.
The Mustangs are hungry for a national title—it has been a decade since the Yorkton Terriers defeated the Carleton Place Canadians 4-3 in overtime to give the Prairie league its most recent National Junior A Championship.
HOW THEY GOT TO OAKVILLE
Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Quarterfinal: defeated Estevan Bruins 4-1 (5-1, 7-4, 3-4, 5-2, 4-2) Semifinal: defeated Humboldt Broncos 4-3 (4-2, 4-3, 2-3 3OT, 4-3 OT, 2-4, 3-4 2OT, 5-4 OT) Final: defeated Flin Flon Bombers 4-2 (9-2, 4-1, 4-3 2OT, 3-4 OT, 2-5, 4-1)
REGULAR SEASON
Record (W-L-OTL): 38-14-4 (2nd in SJHL) Goals for: 218 (4th in SJHL) Goals against: 158 (2nd in SJHL) Power play: 58 for 268 (21.6% – 5th in SJHL) Penalty killing: 208 of 250 (88.2% – 2nd in SJHL) Longest winning streak: 9 (Feb. 16-March 10)
Top 3 scorers: • Aidyn Hutchinson – 33G 45A 78P (3rd in SJHL) • Clay Sleeva – 25G 34A 59P (15th in SJHL) • Chase Friedt-Mohr – 14G 42A 56P (20th in SJHL)
PLAYOFFS
Record: 12-6 Goals for: 74 Goals against: 52 Power play: 14 for 72 (19.4%) Penalty killing: 60 of 75 (80.0%)
Top 3 scorers: • Aidyn Hutchinson – 15G 17A 32P • Ryan Duguay – 14G 10A 24P • Chase Friedt-Mohr – 9G 15A 24P
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
2015 – Melfort Mustangs | 4th place | 2-3 | 12GF 19GA 1996 – Melfort Mustangs | runners-up | 5-1 | 35GF 10GA
COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY COMMITMENTS
Chase Friedt-Mohr – University of Regina (2024-25) Hayden Prosofsky – Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (2024-25) Zackery Somers – University of Maine (2024-25)
CJHL TOP 20 RANKINGS
Oct. 2 – 6th Oct. 9 – 4th Oct. 16 – 7th Oct. 23 – 11th Oct. 30 – Honourable Mention Nov. 6 – not ranked Nov. 13 – not ranked Nov. 20 – not ranked Nov. 27 – not ranked Dec. 4 – not ranked Dec. 11 – not ranked Dec. 18 – not ranked Jan. 8 – Honourable Mention Jan. 15 – not ranked Jan. 22 – Honourable Mention Jan. 29 – Honourable Mention Feb. 5 – 15th Feb. 12 – not ranked Feb. 19 – not ranked Feb. 26 – Honourable Mention March 4 – 12th March 11 – 11th