Melfort Mustangs' Zayden Sadlemyer (left) and Bo Eisner (right) won gold at the 2026 Viking Cup, along with director of player development, Rick Oakes, who served as the team's general manager (Facebook/Melfort Mustangs)

By Ben Tompkins

Gold Medal Win

Mustangs duo very successful at Viking Cup

Jan 7, 2026 | 5:00 PM

A pair of Mustangs are back in Melfort following their participation in the 2026 Viking Cup.

Captain Zayden Sadlemyer and assistant captain Bo Eisner won gold with Team SJHL at the international competition this past weekend.

“It was absolutely fantastic to be a part of that experience, it was a great tournament, and it was really cool to see the American, Czech and Canadian university teams there. Just honestly a super fun time… one of the first things I noticed was how hard the older guys play, you really have to dig in against them and just push the pace,” Sadlemyer told northeastNOW.

“Our team had a goal in mind, and that was to win. We needed overtime the last couple, but otherwise everything went pretty well for us, so we just knew we were gonna get it done. We had that belief, and it was just a great group of guys to do it with… me and Bo actually got to billet together at the tournament, which we don’t do back here, so it was super fun to have him by my side the whole time. A great guy, and always someone good to chat to.”

With the two now back in Melfort, the hope is to bring some of that success with them and translate it throughout the Blue and Green locker room. The Stangs lost both of their games when Eisner and Sadlemyer were at the tournament in Camrose, Alta.

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“We both feel like our games are great right now and that we’re rolling, because we believe we had a fantastic showing. I’m happy to be back here, and I’m excited to get back to work this weekend in hopes of getting some wins… it was definitely weird to be away, and it was a bit of a grind with a shorter Christmas break, but it was just an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” Sadlemyer added.

“At the tournament, all the SJ guys got along pretty quickly, despite playing against one another all the time. We got really close as a group there and were able to put the rivalries away, but now that we’re all back with our respective teams, it’ll be time to bring those rivalries back and really go against one another.”

For Sadlemyer in particular, it was hard for anyone to be his rival at the Viking Cup, as he led the SJHL squad in scoring, en route to a tournament all-star nod.

That, along with winning as a team, definitely got the attention of some scouts and future university opportunities.

“There were some schools there for sure, and I got a couple of phone calls coming up. Just can’t speak to how big a deal the event was; there were thousands of fans at the games, and the whole town was buzzing,” Sadlemyer concluded.

“I just have to give credit to my linemates for my success. Everyone there, from the food to my billets, helped the puck go in, and it was just super fun and competitive hockey, which is really my style.”

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8