CALGARY, AB – There is no arguing that Melfort Mustang veteran and University of Maine commit Zac Somers has been one of the best players in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in the 2020s.
He proved it once again Saturday, as he notched a hat trick, which included the game winner, to give the SJHL champions their first win in the 2025 Centennial Cup, a 5-3 triumph over the Maritime champion Edmundston Blizzard.
Ashton Paul had the other Mustangs goal 4:22 into the opening frame on a bullet from the high slot, which made it the 13th consecutive game that Melfort scored the first goal of the contest back to Game 3 of Round 1 vs. Kindersley.
The Mustangs had their fair share of adversity in this one.
They let a 3-1 third-period lead slip away, and then lost SJHL scoring champion Reilley Kotai to an apparent injury with four minutes remaining in regulation.
Still, this Melfort club has proven their character to win tight and tough games late over and over this year, and they did it again on the biggest stage.
“You see a guy like (Kotai) go down, especially in a tight game and late, it was tough to see,” said Somers on the HNLive.ca broadcast, “but great for the guys to get it done.”
“It was a real dog fight,” he added.
“We played each other hard, it was tight and down to the wire; but it was fun, and those are the games you love to play.”
The victory moved the Mustangs into a tie for second place in Group B with two more games remaining in the group stage. The Top 3 teams in each group move on to the playoff round.
FIND THE TOURNAMENT STANDINGS HERE.
Highlights presented by HN Live.
Melfort does not play again until Tuesday when they take on the Central Canadian Hockey League champion Rockland Nationals.
