(Mat Barrett/Melfort Mustangs)

By Mat Barrett

Scoreboard Watching

Favreau’s shutout helps Mustangs blank Hawks to close out regular season

Mar 11, 2023 | 9:04 AM

The Mustangs have done everything they can to give themselves home ice advantage in the first round of the SJHL playoffs after a 3-0 win over the Nipawin Hawks on Friday night at Centennial Arena in Nipawin.

Melfort got second period goals from Hayden Tuba and Dawson Leroux to open the scoring, and they’d be the better team pretty much the rest of the way as Joel Favreau stopped 24 shots overall on the evening for his third shutout on the year. Ben Tkachuk added an empty netter for the Mustangs in the third to cap of Melfort’s second win in a row.

Mustangs Assistant Coach Dan Meyers called it another game where they played it simple.

“Just got the puck deep, took body and put pucks towards the net,” Meyers said.

And now, the Mustangs wait as their first-round opponent, the La Ronge Ice Wolves still have one game left to play in Flin Flon on Saturday night. As it stands, the Mustangs hold fourth place, but just by two points, meaning a loss of any kind gives Melfort home ice, otherwise, a La Ronge win would give the Ice Wolves home ice advantage as they hold the tie breaker.

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Heading into the final two games of the season, Melfort needed wins in both games to really put the pressure on La Ronge, and they did. Meyers said it’s good to see things coming together before playoffs.

“We’ve seen every line playing together here tonight, and on Tuesday night [in Flin Flon],” he said. “Just going into playoffs, it’s good to look at a full team and see everyone going.”

La Ronge and Flin Flon play their season finale Saturday night after La Ronge won 5-1 on Friday.

The first round of playoffs will likely begin next weekend.

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matbarrett@melfortmustangs.com

On Twitter: @matbarrett6