(Photo courtesy/Melfort Mustangs)

By Ben Tompkins

A November to Remember

Somers shines as number one star in back-to-back months

Nov 30, 2022 | 5:15 PM

The Melfort Mustangs had their most consistent month of the season, these past 30 days, as they began to flip the script and started to meet their yearly expectations.

Melfort went 5-1-1 in the month of November, as they got key contributions from three of their top horsemen.

First Star: Hometown boy Zac Somers is continuing to prove his worth as not only one of the best players on his team but one of the best in the entire Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).

Somers is coming off an MVP-calibre week, which has really been shown over the past two months, as he has been named the Mustangs’ first star for the month of November.

The 18-year-old currently ranks tops on his team in scoring (27 points), top 10 in the SJHL in that category and top four in goals league-wide (14), which were all a result of his 14 points (eight goals and six assists), in just six games.

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He scored a goal in the final five games he played, earning multiple points in all five, while currently being on a stretch of three straight games with two goals.

Second Star: Meanwhile, another young steed for this group who played well this month, is rookie David Rioux.

After notching just two assists in September and October, the Lorraine, Que., turned it on in November, notching a point in all but one game.

Rioux scored his first career SJHL goal, back on Nov. 16 against the Weyburn Red Wings, before scoring the overtime winner just days later against the Broncos, in Humboldt.

Rioux is currently the second-highest rookie scorer on the Mustangs, finishing the month with two goals and four assists, good for six points in seven games played.

Third Star: And finally, assistant captain Dawson Leroux continued to show his leadership on and off the ice, as Melfort dealt with a number of injuries, especially to some key 20-year-olds.

A 20-year-old himself, Leroux made sure the Mustangs stayed in the race and began to pull closer themselves, competing as a member of the lineup, each and every game.

He played in seven games in November, scoring three times, which included a two-goal game on Nov. 25, and added two assists.

The Lethbridge, Alta., product is now up to 17 points in 23 games this season.

In the meantime, the group will stay at home this weekend, as they host their families for parent-billet weekend, facing off against the Yorkton Terriers on Friday for Teddy Bear Toss night and ending the week against the Battlefords North Stars on Saturday.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8