Ben Tkachuk celebrates a goal - at a distance - earlier this season. He leads the team in goals with three. (Facebook/Broad Leaf Media)

By Mat Barrett

Mustangs vs Ice Wolves

Mustangs take on Ice Wolves in home-and-home set, add experience via trade

Nov 20, 2020 | 10:37 AM

The Melfort Mustangs are looking to get back into the win column this weekend as they get set for a home-and-home series with the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Melfort is coming off back-to-back losses to the Nipawin Hawks on Nov. 13 and 14 as they sit with a 2-2-0-0 record early on in the season. Mustangs Head Coach and General Manager Trevor Blevins said he wants to see his groups compete level rise a bit after hard fought contests against the Hawks. He said that needs to happen when they’re playing in some tough confines.

“We got to be good at home, yeah, in the bigger ice and the comfortable environment,” Blevins told northeasNOW. “But when we’re in the hostile environments of Flin Flon, La Ronge, and Nipawin, in tighter rinks, we’ve got to get it done there too.”

Even with two losses to the Hawks, the Mustangs are still the second best team in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) when it comes to goals against with only nine allowed over four games. The only team better, the Kindersley Klippers, have played just one game heading into the weekend. In between the pipes, both Joel Favreau and Steven Bacovsky sport 1-1 records. Offensively, Ethan Regnier leads the way for the Mustangs with one goal and six assists for seven points and a spot in the SJHL’s Top 10 scorers. Ben Tkachuk has three goals to lead the team in that category.

On the other side of the ice, the Ice Wolves are 3-1-0-0 to start the season, and have won three straight after losing to Nipawin on opening night. While Melfort doesn’t allow many goals, La Ronge has the ability to score in bunches as they are tied for the most goals scored through four games this season with 21. Spencer Kennedy leads the way for the Ice Wolves with five goals and two assists through four games. In net, Xavier Cannon has taken charge, starting the last three games after he replaced Liam McGarva in the opening game of the season.

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Last season, the Mustangs lost the season series by a 5-3 margin, but have gone 20-4-2-0 over the last five seasons against the Ice Wolves.

Adding Experience

The Mustangs also made a trade on Thursday, Nov. 19 as they acquired 2000-born Randen Schmidt from the Whitecourt Wolverines of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in exchange for the Player Development Fee (PDF).

Schmidt, a Regina product, has spent the past two and a half seasons playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Saskatoon Blades. In 132 WHL regular season and playoff games, Schmidt scored three goals and added 17 assists for 20 points.

“Randen is a player we’re excited to bring in. He’s got a lot of junior hockey experience and leadership and will be an asset to our team,” Blevins said in a release. “He’s a very versatile hockey player and can be used as both a forward and a defenceman.”

Over the summer, Schmidt signed in the AJHL with Whitecourt and in October, played in two exhibition games with the Wolverines and tallied one goal and two assists.

Schmidt won’t be joining the Mustangs for their home-and-home against La Ronge as he goes through COVID-19 protocols.

Friday night’s game in La Ronge can be heard on 105 CJVR and CJVR.com starting at 7:15 p.m. with the pre-game show with Mat Barrett. The two teams will then battle in Melfort on Saturday.