(Photo courtesy/Broad Leaf Media, Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Travelling Steeds

Battle of the Stallions set for Round 2

Apr 4, 2024 | 5:27 AM

The Humboldt Broncos or the Battlefords North Stars?

The Melfort Mustangs had been waiting to find out who their Round 2 opponent would be since this past Friday after they took care of the Estevan Bruins in five games.

Turns out the Mustangs will head into the next round against their bitter rival and one that just so happens to be only an hour away in Humboldt.

“I think it’s great for both organizations. We’re definitely gonna see fans travelling back and forth, and I think it’s gonna be electric in the stands and an exciting environment for the players to play in front of,” said head coach Trevor Blevins.

“I believe there’s a Humboldt-Melfort rivalry and it’s fun. We’d like to think we’re rivals with many teams, but definitely being only an hour away, it’s going to be a great atmosphere, we’re looking forward to it, and we’re excited to get going.”

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The series begins on Thursday for Game 1 in Melfort, as Humboldt will have to quickly rest and regroup after just a single day since their last game. Blevins doesn’t expect that will limit his well-coached opposition. He’s more focused on what his group needs to do.

“We can’t control how our opponent is feeling. We do have some familiarity for sure, but we need to be confident while also having that desperate mentality where we have lots of urgency and play playoff hockey,” added Blevins.

“That team plays hard. They definitely have a lot to compete and they play with a great amount of team speed, especially through their forward group, and we need to be able to defend that. How we play on the defensive side of the puck and in all three zones, that’s gonna be a huge factor in how the series plays out.”

The Broncos won the season series during the regular season by a 4-2 mark.

Melfort, however, will hold home-ice advantage in the series. Neither team has yet to lose in their own rink this postseason.

“We want to get a good start to the series. We have to come out with a lot of energy and effort, and the compete level needs to be as high as it’s ever been for games one and two because we need to take advantage of having Thursday and Friday at home. Our focus is going to be game one and how we execute,” Blevins told northeastNOW.

The two teams last met in the playoffs in the 2018 quarterfinals, which the Mustangs lost in five games.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

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