'Came back hungry': Mustangs atop SJHL standings after falling short in National Championship last season

The Melfort Mustangs are sitting atop the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) standings after falling short in the Centennial Cup last season. 

It was a successful season for the Melfort Mustangs last year in their league as they won the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Championship for the first time since 2016. The team went on to compete at the Centennial Cup where they lost 1-0 in the final to the Collingwood Blues.

“That last game stung, so I think a lot of guys came back hungry. We didn’t have a very long summer, kind of a quick turnaround. Guys came into camp ready to go again,” said assistant captain, Zac Somers.

The Mustangs currently sit in first place in the SJHL with a 17-4 record. They are six points ahead of the Battlefords North Stars who are in second place.

“The team’s getting good results. It’s a super tight knit group. Everyone’s bought in to playing the way that wins. Especially coming off a championship year, lots of experience, lots of new guys that have bought in quickly. So, I think it’s led to great team success [so far],” Somers said.

Just like Somers, head coach Trevor Blevins agreed that the sting of losing last year’s national championship has been a motivating factor this season.

“Mentally we have some unfinished business. You always want to win the last game of the season. Obviously, that doesn’t happen very often but I think our mentality is we want to get back there. I think focusing on results can be dangerous, but we know what the process is, how we can get there, and they’ve done a fantastic job,” he said.

Blevins also agreed this group is very close to one another off the ice which has helped their on-ice performance.

“When you have a group that’s bought in and 25 guys that are working hard every day, with great attitudes, it’s a pleasure to come to the rink. I really appreciate everybody in the dressing room, how they’re performing, getting better every day, and it’s fortunate we’re getting the results we’re getting,” he shared.

The team has been ecstatic about the community and fan support during last year’s playoff run and into the start of this successful season so far.

“There’s huge support. Not just from fans, but when you talk about corporate sponsorship, people that volunteer their time, the Board of Directors, everyone chips in and buys in. We do a great job of appreciating that too. Our guys are in the community, it’s important to give back. But we can’t thank the community of Melfort enough,” Blevins said.

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Blevins hails from the community of Melfort. He was once a player for the Mustangs himself and has been a head coach since 2011, eventually moving into both the head coach and general manager role in 2020.

Just like Blevins, Somers also grew up in Melfort and the opportunity to play for his hometown team his entire junior career is not lost on the 20-year-old in his final season.

“It’s not the experience that many people get to have. My family has billeted for I think 20 years now. So I’ve always been following the team, been around the players. Then to be able to play 17, 18, 19, and then now my 20 [year old season], it’s been a great honour to represent my town,” Somers proudly shared.

He also gave a nod to the fans.

“I don’t think the fans have skipped a beat coming off the run last year. We were filling the rink and then some last year, the whole playoff run. The boys couldn’t go downtown to a store without getting recognized,” he said.

“The whole community was behind us and that’s great to see, and they’ve been phenomenal already again [this year].”