Latest news with #SaskatchewanJuniorHockeyLeague
Ottawa Citizen
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Greater Sudbury Cubs' Centennial Cup run comes to an end
With a three-goal lead heading into the third period on Friday night, the Melfort Mustangs held the fort handily against the Greater Sudbury Cubs to take a 7-1 victory and end the locals' historic run at the Centennial Cup national junior A hockey championship. Article content Noah Kohan had the lone goal and Noah Beaulne made 34 saves for the Cubs, who had become the first NOJHL representatives since the 2012 Soo Thunderbirds to reach the quarter-final round and the first from the Sudbury area since the 2000 Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats. Article content Article content 'Two last-minute goals at the end of the first and the second was the difference in the game for us,' Greater Sudbury head coach Darryl Moxam said later. 'It was just too big a mountain to climb. They are one heck of a hockey club, they've been there before and today we quite honestly just ran out of gas.' Article content Article content The Cubs finished their 2024-25 season with an overall record of 58-12-1-1, including regular-season, playoff and Centennial Cup action, while winning a second straight league championship and back-to-back berths at nationals. Article content With No. 1 netminder Karsen Chartier unable to play against the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions, Beaulne was tabbed as starter shortly before game time, with Matthew Vahramian serving as backup. Beaulne earned his coach's admiration for his performance, especially during a first period in which the Cubs were outshot 24-7. Article content 'Noah made some saves in the first period I don't know that I've seen in the last 10 years,' Moxam said. 'I'll be honest, he found out he was going in and we had had to get Matty dressed and he found out with about 12 minutes to go that he was starting the game. The job he did, I can't stress enough how proud I am of everyone in that room, but in particular today, what Beau did going in there was pretty special.' Article content Article content Melfort's Kaleb Binner finally opened the scoring off a giveaway at 6:41, before Cole Unger collected a loose puck late in the stanza and snapped a shot past Beaulne for a 2-0 lead. Article content Kohan put Greater Sudbury on the board when he lifted a feed from Alex Valade over Melfort's Kristian Coombs at 5:35 of the second, but the the SJHL reps responded with a power-play tally by Ashton Hutchinson, then an even-strength marker off the stick of Zac Somers in the final minute of the frame. Article content Beaulne denied Tristin Ziola on a breakaway early in the third, but Reilley Kotai made it a 5-1 Melfort lead midway through the period. Bryson Aikens added an empty netter and Ashton Paul tacked on one more power-play goal as the Mustangs clinched a semifinal spot against the Trenton Golden Hawks, champions from the Ontario Junior Hockey League, on Saturday evening. Start time is 9:30 p.m. ET.
Ottawa Citizen
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Centennial Cup: Hometown hockey hero Zac Somers savours second chance
Article content Zac Somers has gone from Melfort Mustangs fan to a fan favourite. Article content Somers grew up with the Mustangs, attending games religiously while idolizing and worshipping his favourite players like so young fans tend to do. Article content The hometown product is now set to conclude his junior A hockey career at the 2025 Centennial Cup national championship tournament in Calgary as a hometown hero and one of the team's offensive leaders. Article content Article content What a journey it's been. Article content Article content A year ago, the Mustangs were playing in the 2024 Centennial Cup national championship final but Somers sat on the sidelines, unable to play after failing to get medical clearance following a concussion. Article content 'It was tough — probably one of the hardest points of my career — watching them go to war and not be able to be out there with them,' admits Somers, a 5-foot-11, 166-pound forward. 'But hoping to help them out this year.' Article content Somers has more than helped so far. He led his team through the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs with eight goals and nine assists for 17 points in 14 games. Article content Melfort will open up this year's tournament Thursday in Calgary against the host Canucks. Article content 'Obviously, it's a great experience — it's going to be awesome,' said Somers. 'Especially (after) last year, (when) I was sidelined. I wasn't allowed to play. But being able to play for your hometown — a lot of guys don't get that opportunity — and be able to win two (SJHL) championships and be able to go to two nationals, it's unreal. It's something that's really special and something I'm really grateful for.' Article content Article content Somers was able to mount a comeback this season and led his team to a second-straight SJHL championship title with 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 34 games. Article content Article content 'A little bit of a relief,' said Somers. 'It took it a little while, once I got back on the ice, to get back into it, but I stayed pretty healthy this year and I'm hoping for a pretty good run here.' Article content He didn't even know if was going to be able to play until early September. Six weeks of rehabilitation followed before he returned to the ice. Article content 'It,' admitted Somers, 'was a long haul to get back.' Article content Somers committed to the NCAA's University of Maine Black Bears two years ago but admits that some NCAA rule changes have somewhat clouded his hockey future. Article content 'I'm not too sure,' said Somers. It's kind of all up in the air with the new rules and stuff, so I'm not too sure at the moment. With all the major junior rules changing, we'll see what happens.'
Ottawa Citizen
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Melfort Mustangs win back-to-back SJHL championships
Article content Melfort Mustangs have now repeated that feat twice since 2015 under head coach and general manager Trevor Blevins. Article content '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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content '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.' Article content Through 14 playoff games overall, Melfort allowed only 19 goals in total. Article content 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.' Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content 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.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Saskatchewan hockey team Notre Dame Hounds set to relocate
REGINA — A southern Saskatchewan high school famed for producing hockey greats is planning to move its junior A team to a new city later this year. The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League announced Tuesday the Notre Dame Hounds at Athol Murray College in Wilcox, Sask., are conditionally approved to relocate to Warman, just north of Saskatoon. League commissioner Kyle McIntyre said the move is a result of the school creating a new vision that focuses on multiple sports — without a junior hockey team. "Typically, the operating budget for a junior hockey franchise is anywhere between $800,000 and $900,000 annually," McIntyre said. "When you're in a small community and a small school of less than 300 people, it's very difficult to generate those resources." He added most players no longer attend the school in the village. "The board of directors thought it was important for the students to live in a village and operate like a village and all be part of a multi-sport, academic experience for students," he said. The private school has produced hockey stars, including Wendel Clark, Curtis Joseph and Rod Brind'Amour. Players from as recently as 2019 have been drafted or played in the National Hockey League. Wade Klippenstein, the high school's director of hockey development, said the sport has changed since the team began playing in the league nearly 38 years ago. The Hounds won the Centennial Cup in 1988 during its first year in the junior A league, he said, and nearly every player on that team was a Division 1 recruit. He said there are now more leagues, which creates additional competition. There are also changing eligibility rules. "The amount of players who come here and train at our boarding school and end up playing Division 1 hockey has definitely changed from when I first started," Klippenstein said. McIntyre said there are also more hockey training schools in Canada than before. "(Notre Dame) no longer has the monopoly on hockey," he said. "I think they've identified, 'Hey, we need a new strategic vision for the school.'" Klippenstein said the school plans to continue running a hockey program along with football, basketball, volleyball and rugby. With growth in women's hockey, there are also plans to add another minor girls' team along with a minor boys' team. "You're going to see a lot more female student athletes looking for a place to play," he said. "I knows this is news today of subtraction, but it's actually news of addition." Saskatoon businessmen Cole Kachur and Jonathan Abrametz are in the process of purchasing the Hounds to move them to Warman, a city of 13,000, for the 2025-26 season. The relocation is subject to approval from the SJHL board in June. The league says Warman city council must also give the go-ahead, and the move depends on successful season ticket sales and corporate sponsorship. If approved, McIntyre said, the team's eligible players and other assets are to be transferred. "I think Warman is very energetic, very vital and very exciting," he said. "They have one of the largest minor hockey associations in all of Saskatchewan. I think with having a team in the community and having the players work with the community, there will be a symbiotic relationship." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2025. Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
