(submitted photo/Joe Eggerman)

By Ben Tompkins

Provincial Championship Bound

U13 Mustangs win northern provincials

Mar 21, 2023 | 12:34 PM

The U13 Melfort Mustangs’ hockey team are northern provincial champions.

This comes after Melfort beat Humboldt this past weekend, in a modified best-of-three series.

The Mustangs took game one in Humboldt, four to two, before coming back to Melfort on Saturday with the chance to end it, with either a win or a tie.

Head Coach Joe Eggerman told northeastNOW his team showed great character in their effort, especially during their third-period comeback.

“It was an up-and-down game, momentum swings back and forth, and we were down two after two periods. We really stressed defence, we needed to shut them down and get out there and go score a couple of goals, as the tie was a win for the series,” he explained.

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“We went out there, the kids battled hard and got a couple of goals, our defence played strong, and our goalie played well. That was good enough to get the tie, which was a win, so it was pretty exciting.”

A modified best-of-three series means that if both teams have each won a game, after two contests, then game three will be played as a 10-minute mini-game.

So far, Melfort has played four such series, beating Shellbrook, Tisdale, Nipawin, and now Humboldt.

This has given the Mustangs the right to represent the top half of the province, as they will now face off against Eastend for the provincial championship.

Eggerman added the opportunity to represent the area is not one he and his team are taking lightly.

“It’s really a huge opportunity for us to represent the North. Everything has to line up perfectly in order to get yourself to this position, everybody has to work hard, injuries, sickness or anything could happen and the players have battled through adversity and were able to work hard and have some success, which is pretty cool.”

Eastend will be in Melfort tomorrow night (Wednesday) for game one, before the Mustangs travel down on Sunday, for game two.

Eggerman mentioned there are some keys to success for this group, ones that they hope to capitalize on, as this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“Winning a provincial championship is almost like winning the Stanley Cup for the NHL. It’s a huge accomplishment, so we’re looking forward to our opportunity this week to go out there and get it done,” he said.

“I think positivity is the main thing, you want to correct mistakes, but the main thing is to be positive, let them go out there and have the freedom to play their best game and not worry about mistakes. Mistakes happen, especially at this age, so just give them the confidence to go out there and work hard and have fun and have the chance to succeed.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8