(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

Statement Victory

Mustangs topple top-ranked Bombers for second time this season

Jan 7, 2024 | 11:42 AM

The Melfort Mustangs put up a statement victory on home ice Saturday night, as they shut out Canada’s number-one ranked Junior A hockey team.

Melfort hosted the Flin Flon Bombers for the first time this season, as the club’s previous three meetings were all in Manitoba, and walked away with a 3-0 victory.

“It’s huge, we’ve been looking forward to coming back and beating them since we beat them on their home opener night, and I thought everybody gave it 110 per cent tonight and it was just a huge team effort,” explained Mustangs’ forward Kaleb Binner.

Binner had the game-winner on the night, as he broke the ice just over five minutes into the third period, breaking the scoreless tie with his third goal of the season.

“I was just coming off the bench and I got a pass from Freedo (Chase Friedt-Mohr), I believe and then I saw him (Harmon Laser-Hume) cheat short side, so I just shot as hard as I could and beat him over the shoulder,” Binner added. “I’ll take it and I’m glad we got the win.”

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For the Mustangs, they’ve now tied the season series with the Bombers at two games apiece, representing the first non-one-goal contest between the two and shutting out Flin Flon for the very first time all year.

It’s also only just the second regulation loss of the season for the Northern Manitoba team, as the Stangs bounced back in a big way from their 6-5 defeat in La Ronge on Friday.

“We don’t quit on this team, we have a do-or-die mentality and it’s been like that since day one,” mentioned Binner. “I’m proud of each and every one of the guys for working so hard every day, and it’s huge coming back from that loss because it was a tough one, but this one feels a lot sweeter.”

James Venne picked up his first shutout of the season, stopping all 26 shots he faced, while Aidyn Hutchinson added a pair of goals, as he now has five in his last two games.

“Venne’s been great for us all year, I believe he’s the best goalie in the league for so many reasons and he’s kept us in so many games, so a hell of a win for him,” Binner told northeastNOW.

“Hutch, he’s hot, he’s been hot all year and he’s great for us. Big character guy, like the best guy in the room for sure, so it’s nice to see him hit that streak, but we just have to keep moving forward and keep that success moving on to the next weekend.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

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