Melfort Mustangs win back-to-back SJHL championships
Melfort Mustangs have now repeated that feat twice since 2015 under head coach and general manager Trevor Blevins.
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'I'm not the easiest coach to play for,' admits Blevins, whose Mustangs captured their second straight Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship title Sunday night after taking the best-of-seven final series in five games over the Weyburn Red Wings, 'but these guys bought in and they bought in every day.'
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The Mustangs hoisted the Canterra Seeds Cup following a 3-0 shutout win over the Red Wings before 2,000 fans at the Northern Lights Palace, taking the series four games to one and giving up only three goals in the five games as goalie Kristian Coombs posted three shutouts.
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'They play the right way, each guy,' Blevins said of his team. 'You can't help but love each one of them. It was a fantastic effort (in the SJHL final) all the way down the line-up. I'm so proud of them. They deserve it.'
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Through 14 playoff games overall, Melfort allowed only 19 goals in total.
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Melfort also won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.
'Best feeling in the world,' said Mustangs captain and defenceman Ty Thornton, who was named the playoff MVP for this season's post-season run. 'Obviously you can look and see back-to-back. It's amazing. I didn't know that (playoff MVP award) was going to happen. That's awesome. To be on this team this year and have this experience, I'll never forget.'
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Zach Turner, Reilley Kotai and Logan Belton, with an empty-netter, scored in Game 5 for Melfort, which outshot Weyburn 35-16 as Coombs posted another shutout.
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The Mustangs took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series with a convincing 5-1 win Thursday night in Weyburn, where Thornton, Nolan Roberts, Zac Somers, Zayden Sadlemyer and Danton Cox each tallied once.
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The Mustangs finished first overall in the SJHL this season with a 46-8-0-2 record, while Weyburn was third at 35-19-2-0.
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'Forget about the past,' said Thornton. 'Our regular season was insane but we forget about the past. Every game is a new game. We started fresh every time and I think that helped us a lot.'
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Melfort now moves on to the Centennial Cup for the second straight year. A year ago, the Mustangs reached the national junior A championship final, only to lose 1-0 to the Collingwood, Ont. Blues in Oakville, Ont.
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