The Meota Combines have a long December break after starting the SPHL season with a 4-1 record. (Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

Meota Combines

Meota Combines hold top spot in the SPHL Eastern Conference to start December

Dec 3, 2025 | 6:00 PM

Through the first four games of the season, the Meota Combines of the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) hold a 3-1 record and sit in first place in the Eastern Conference.

Their only loss came on the road against the Turtleford Tigers, which Aaron Cadrin said he felt the team didn’t play its best game. He said they had some sloppy play and ran into some penalty trouble, which contributed to the loss.

Cadrin did say that since it is a new team with some moving parts, he feels that things will only improve once everybody gets more used to each other. After the loss against Turtleford, the team had a bounce back game with a 13-3 win against the Radisson Wheat Kings.

The Combines got contributions from much of the roster in that game. Out of the 16 skaters, 13 of them had at least one point. They were led on offense by Jamie Nachtegaele with seven points (1g, 6a), as well as Zayne Florence and Dylan Esau, who had five points (2g, 3a) each.

Nachtegaele leads the team in points with 11 points (3g, 8a), while Florence has 10 points (3g, 7a) early in the season.

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While the team is 3-1, Cadrin mentioned that everyone on the team is still getting used to their roles, especially with a few new players on the team. He talked about how some players may be coming from AA or Jr. B, who may have different roles than they used to.

December is light for the Combines. They have a rematch of last year’s finals with the Neilburg Monarchs and a Battlefords affair with the Battleford Beaver Blues.

When talking about playing against the Monarchs, Cadrin mentioned that they head into the game with a chip on their shoulder after losing in the finals to them last year, although it’s just a regular-season game. He said they were dealt a tough hand last year, going into the finals after losing a couple of key players in the semis.

The Combines have a long break in December before continuing their season on Dec. 19 at home against the Monarchs.

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.ca