(Image Credit: Broad Leaf Media/Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Rivals in the building

Mustangs go for 13th straight against rival Hawks

Mar 6, 2026 | 1:00 PM

The Melfort Mustangs will welcome the Nipawin Hawks to the Northern Lights Palace on Friday for the final time this season.

Nipawin has the edge in the season series so far; however, the Mustangs enter the game on a 12-game win streak and are trying to track down the Hawks in the final weeks.

“I think it comes down to work ethic and consistency, and we’re just going to keep rolling here and keep playing the way we want to play, and see how it goes from there,” explained forward Tristin Ziola. “We are rivals with them, and we want to beat them in their barn badly next weekend, and hopefully, beat them here this weekend. It all just comes down to our work ethic, buying in and just doing what we want to do.”

Melfort recently clinched a playoff spot, becoming the sixth team this year to do so, with its win Tuesday in La Ronge over the Ice Wolves.

Now, the hope is to stay in sixth place and potentially even climb the ladder a bit further. The Stangs are six points back of Nipawin and the Weyburn Red Wings (both with 66 points) for fourth and fifth place, respectively.

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If the Blue and Green win out (two of their final four games are against the Hawks) and get a lot of losses from said two clubs above them, they could continue to slide up the standings.

“It was a huge feeling getting that clinch after having been so many points back, but we want to keep rolling and playing how we are. We’re not gonna let these last four games go, and we’re just gonna keep pushing,” added Ziola.

“Our intensity level is incredible right now, especially with all the division opponents we’ve been facing recently, and our push to the playoffs. We want to be at a high-level down the stretch, and I think we can get even higher than we have been. We can be harder and faster, and just use our energy to keep pushing towards the postseason.”

Puckdrop between the Hawks and Mustangs on Friday is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

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