(Mat Barrett/Melfort Mustangs)

By Mat Barrett

Shootout Sorrow

Mustangs fall to Millionaires after disappointing performance at home

Feb 19, 2023 | 9:29 AM

The Melfort Mustangs win streak has ended at four after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Melville Millionaires on Saturday night at the Northern Lights Palace.

Less than 24 hours after a dominating 7-1 win in Melville, the Mustangs started the game hot as they outshot the Mills 14-7 in the first period, and they held a 2-0 lead on goals from Clarke Huxley and Dawson Leroux.

Although, things went downhill in the second as Melville came back with a pair of goals of their own from Ethan Anstey and Carter McKay.

The 11th-place Millionaires kept with the Mustangs down the stretch as the game got tighter and tighter as things progressed.

Melfort took a brief 3-2 lead in the third off a Ben Tkachuk powerplay goal, but that was matched by the Millionaires just 25 seconds later from former Mustangs draft pick Zach Bansley.

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That helped lead to overtime where neither team could score, but in the shootout, Tucker Buhay scored the lone goal for Melville for the victory. Riley Ashe, Leyton Holoien, and Zac Somers were all stoned by Ethan Rau in the shootout for Melfort.

Ashe said after a strong first, they didn’t keep it going through the rest of the game.

“I don’t think we were working from the start, and working all the way through the game,” he said. “One of our mottos is ‘work on your work’, and I don’t think we accomplished that tonight.”

Melfort falls to 27-14-5-3 on the year, good for 62 points, but they’re only five points back of second place with eight games to go, and the Mustangs sit just one point back of La Ronge for fourth place. Those two teams will meet next weekend and Ashe said it’s going to be an important week and weekend.

“Reset, bounce back this next week,” Ashe said. “And get ready for the weekend.”

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matbarrett@melfortmustangs.com

On Twitter: @matbarrett6