Melfort Mustangs, Weyburn Red Wings to clash in SJHL’s Canterra Seeds Cup | Globalnews.ca
Coming through with the biggest deflection of his hockey career on Monday night, forward Josh Sale has put the Weyburn Red Wings in a position they haven’t seen since 2012 — clinching a berth in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League championship series.
“I felt I deflected the puck and I saw it going in,” said Sale. “I was like, ‘Oh my god’ and it was kind of a surreal feeling. I went up to the crowd and they were just loud and the team kind of mauled me. I was so happy that we just won the game.”
Sale’s goal off a Dallen Oxelgren point shot 5:08 into overtime of Game 6 of SJHL semi-finals clinched the series for Weyburn over the Flin Flon Bombers.
It sends them through to the Canterra Seeds Cup final against the Melfort Mustangs to decide a Saskatchewan Junior ‘A’ champion.
“We’re all super happy we’re still here, still playing and we’re competing for an SJHL championship which is what we’ve all wanted from Day 1,” said Sale. “We’re excited; guys want to be on the ice and we’re ready to go.”
After defeating the Battlefords North Stars in six games to open the playoffs, the Red Wings got out to a 3-0 series lead over the Bombers before Flin Flon fought back with two wins of their own.
Overcoming that late series push to move on to the league finals, the Red Wings will have a shot at securing the franchise’s first SJHL championship since 2001.
“The players have worked their tails off to get here,” said Weyburn head coach and general manager Cody Mapes.
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“The community has waited a long, long time for this. I’m grateful for the opportunity that we’re presented with here and it’s going to be pretty exciting.”
On the other side of the ice will be a Melfort team which has dominated the league in 2024-25, losing in regulation only eight times through the season.
Entering the SJHL Final as defending league champions, the Mustangs are coming off a four-game sweep of the Yorkton Terriers and will have home ice advantage to begin the Canterra Seeds Cup.
“Last year they talked about how hungry they were to win,” said Mustangs forward Reilley Kotai. “It’s the same thing this year; they see the opportunity and they know that they can win.
“I want to win, guys who are coming in want to win.”
While the Mustangs have returned a large contingent from the team while capturing SJHL glory at the Northern Lights Palace last May, the team has added depth at the forward position according to head coach and general manager Trevor Blevins.
Depth which he said has led to a punch of scoring throughout the lineup.
“It’s really just been a puzzle that fits the way it should to be honest,” said Blevins. “It’s really been a fantastic year and we’ve been having success in the playoffs, we want that to continue.”
The Mustangs not only are coming off a Saskatchewan title last season, but a run which saw them finish as runner-ups in the Centennial Cup national championship game to the Collingwood Blues out of Ontario.
According to Blevins, it’s that experience he hopes his players will bring into the series against Weyburn.
“When you look at guys that came back they just understand it,” said Blevins. “They get it on a nightly basis what it takes.
“Saying that… it’s neat to see how [new players] figure it out too just based on their buy in, their attitudes and how great of people they are.”
Each side boasts a star goaltender in the series, with Weyburn’s Angelo Zol and Melfort’s Kristian Coobs ranking top-five in several categories over the course of the season.
The Mustangs and Red Wings were also the top-two ranked offences in the SJHL in 2024-25, setting up a series both teams believe could go the distance.
“We really believe that if we continue to get better every day in this series, it will be a long series for one and we’ll have a chance at the end of it,” said Mapes.
Game 1 of the 2025 Canterra Seeds Cup goes Saturday night from the Northern Lights Palace in Melfort.
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