On the eve of the 2022 SJHL Showcase the lone two games on the schedule Saturday evening needed extra time to decide a winner.
In Humboldt, the Broncos hosted the Melfort Mustangs in the 2nd half of a home and home after Humboldt earned the 7-4 win Friday at the Northern Lights Palace. Jace Benvie opened the scoring for the home side with his third of the season at the 5:59 mark of the first period. After a scoreless middle stanza, it would be the Mustangs finding an equalizer just past the halfway mark of the 3rd as Riley Ashe scored his first of the season. The home side would restore their one goal advantage with under five minutes to go in the 3rd thanks to Noah Barlage’s first of the campaign. However, 1:36 later the Mustangs would tie the game once again, this time with the man advantage as Leith Olafson potted his 3rd of the campaign to tie the contest at 2 and send the game to overtime. It wouldn’t take long though to find a winner as a minute into the overtime period the hometown crowd would go home happy as Ethan Zielke scored the game winner to give Humboldt the 3-2 win and improve to 3-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, in Kindersley it was a battle between two teams who were looking for their first win of the season as the Klippers welcomed the Millionaires to the West Central Events Centre. The two clubs would go back and forth trading goals all night. Approaching the midway point of the third, the Millionaires would take their 3rd lead of the night, thanks to a Noah Wills power-play marker, his 3rd goal of the season. However, with just 15 seconds remaining the Kindersley Klippers would even the game at 3 thanks to Tylin Hilbig’s 2nd of the night and the game would head to overtime. The five minutes of 3 on 3 would solve nothing and the two winless clubs would head to a shootout. The Millionaires would get goals from Noah Wills and Payton Kostyshyn, and Kelton Pyne would stop both of Kindersley’s shooters to secure Melville’s first win of the season.
Now all 12 teams in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League will head to Warman for the 2022 SJHL Showcase which will run from Sunday to Wednesday.
Sunday Sept 25th:
Kindersley vs La Ronge 4:30pm
Nipawin vs Yorkton 7:30pm