(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

The end of another great year

Perspective: Mustangs celebrate another championship, National silver medal

May 26, 2025 | 4:52 PM

For two straight years now, the Melfort Mustangs season has lasted late into May as the team has brought back both an SJHL Championship and a National silver medal.

Two incredible years, likely labelled the best stretch in team history, and although it may have ended with one game they just couldn’t get on the right side of, there was still a ton to celebrate.

“Obviously, losing in the national final stings in the moment, but when you really look back and think about what we accomplished and the experiences that we had, there are big reasons to celebrate. Canterra Seeds Cup champions and national silver medalists, that’s a lot to be a lot to be proud of,” explained head coach Trevor Blevins.

“This year was special, to win the league title is an accomplishment in itself, and then the Centennial is a hard tournament. It’s a long grind, pretty much two full weeks away with travel, and our guys were unbelievable. Tough start losing our first game and getting behind the eight ball a bit, essentially every game after that was a must-win. Our guys did an exceptional job answering the bell and paying the price to get back into the situation we wanted. They had really great efforts, bought in, played the right way and deserved to be in the final game. I couldn’t be more proud, they really brought a community together too.”

Melfort celebrated these players on Saturday night at the Kerry Vickar Centre.

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It was one last chance to bring together this year’s group, to receive the recognition they deserve, before at least nine of them go on to their next chapter.

“For those moving on, we can’t thank them enough. What a fantastic year, obviously on the hockey side, but also when you develop relationships with players, we just have quality individuals that will be successful no matter what they do. Their post-secondary education and their hockey, they have bright futures, and they’re gonna have great careers, and they’re gonna be successful people. If we helped them along to do that, that’s great, and we are extremely proud of every player moving on, and wish them all the best,” Blevins added.

“As for the players coming back, there’s going to be a short turnaround, and we’re very excited to obviously get going again. We feel we have a group of veterans that can definitely push and play the right way and definitely look at contending, once again. We’ll add some younger players to the mix and some recruits, and we’ll get back at it, and the goal is always to be a champion at the end of the year.”

A lot of expectations, although not necessarily written on the wall, exist for an organization that has set the standard for champions on and off the ice.

A standard which earns the respect of a loyal fan base. The proof is in the pudding.

“Not only is it a Mustang family, it’s now a Mustang nation. It was overwhelming to see the support we got, and it was all because of how our guys played, they captured a lot of hearts. It’s a testament to the team that they brought that many supporters out, because of how they conduct themselves off the ice and how they play on the ice. I thought we were first class all the way through the tournament, and I couldn’t be more proud of the players. We were really well respected when it came down to it,” Blevins concluded.

“It’s just the culture of it, we’ve always contended, but I think these last three years have pushed us over the hill. We’re just going to continue on with the momentum, we feel that the players buy in, and that’s huge. We have a focus on bringing in quality people, and when you have quality people that work together as well as they have in the last few years, you achieve success. To me, that’s the foundation, we talk a lot about culture in our dressing room and what that means, and guys apply it every day.”

A franchise record in regular season wins, back-to-back league titles, and a third Canadian silver medal. 118 wins in two years across regular season, playoff, and Centennial play, finishing number two in a 118-team league (CJHL) twice in a row… simply can’t do much better than that and hard to ask for much more.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

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