OAKVILLE, ON – Logan Belton notched a pair and Kaleb Binner scored his first career playoff goal in a Mustangs jersey as Melfort downed the Centennial Cup host Oakville Blades 3-1 to close out the Round Robin Wednesday.
It was a much rotated Melfort line-up as the Mustangs were guaranteed the top spot in Group B, and No. 2 in the tournament playoffs before puck drop, as a result of the Collingwood Blues’ victory in the game before vs. the Navan Grads.
Melfort goaltender Kristian Coombs, who had not started a game since the final contest of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League regular season, found out he was starting approximately an hour before puck drop, and turned in a Player of the Game performance with 29 saves on the night.
Nolan Henderson also added two assists on a night in which the top line of Clay Sleeva, Aidyn Hutchinson, and Ryan Duguay, the top pair of Leith Olafson and Chase Friedt-Mohr, and No. 1goaltender James Venne were all rested.
The Mustangs close out the Round Robin with a record of three regulation wins, one shootout win, and no losses. They will await the results of Friday’s quarterfinals to learn of their semifinal Saturday opponent. It is likely their semi will be at 7:30 P.M. local, 5:30 P.M. Saskatchewan time.
FIND THE FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE HERE.
FIND THE FULL TOURNAMENT STANDINGS HERE.
Hockey Canada Media Update
Centennial Cup: Day 7 recap
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Greater Sudbury Cubs 6, Collège Français de Longueuil 0
Marshall McCharles (North Bay, ON) paced Sudbury to its first win with two goals and an assist.
Noah Beaulne (Hanmer, ON) turned in a 22-save performance for the shutout.
Mathis Lacroix-Goulet (Delson, QC) made 23 saves for Longueuil.
Collingwood Blues 3, Navan Grads 2
Jack Rimmer (Toronto, ON) had two assists for Collingwood.
Ethan Facchina (Parkhill, ON), Landon Wright (Belleville, ON) and Spencer Young (Elmira, ON) scored for Collingwood.
Matthew Roy (Stittsville, ON) picked up Player of the Game honours for Navan with one goal.
Melfort Mustangs 3, Oakville Blades 1
Logan Belton (Winnipeg, MB) scored twice for Melfort.
Nolan Henderson (Calgary, AB) chipped in with two assists.
Luke Johnston (Milton, ON) scored the lone goal for Oakville.
Sean Clarke (Toronto, ON) was named Player of the Game for the Blades.
Next Games – Quarterfinals (Friday, May 17)
Navan Grads vs. Miramichi Timberwolves – 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT
Winkler Flyers vs. Calgary Canucks – 7:30 pm. ET/4:30 p.m. PT
Quotes:
“I felt really good. I’ve been preparing myself a little while for this now and it felt good to finally get back on the ice. The boys played great in front of me and did a good job blocking shots. Obviously, the first three games didn’t go the way we wanted to, but we battled through for this game and the boys showed up. Being here has been an unreal experience for us. Thanks to everyone who has helped us get here — our owners and families, just everyone who has been part of this.”
Beaulne on ending the tournament on a high note
“They’re a good team and going into the game, we had to make sure that we were prepared as much as possible by going over video, looking at their special teams and finding ways that we could win the little battles. When you focus on the things you can’t control, it’s just an easy way to get in your own head and that’s one of the things that can affect your game the most. Coming into today, we just tried to stay level-headed and focus on our own play because that’s what we could control.”
Wright on a close match with Navan
“Even though we already knew where we were going to finish in the standings, we still wanted to play our game, win and show that we could go undefeated through the preliminary round and we did. The bye to the semifinals is also huge for us. We need the rest days and no matter who we’re going to play in the semis, we’re going to give it our best; we want to win.”
Belton on finishing 4-0
“It’s frustrating for the kids and it’s frustrating for the coaches because we were hoping for a better outcome. As I said to the staff, we were never embarrassed in any of the games and we worked until the bitter end. It’s kind of cliché but it’s true—tonight the kids didn’t give up, their goalie played exceptionally well, we didn’t get looks and they get two lucky bounces. That’s the game of hockey; sometimes you’re on the good side, sometimes you’re on the bad and there’s a winner and loser in every game.”
Blades head coach Scott McCrory on a disappointing end to the tournament
Photo credit: Tim Bates / OJHL Images
