Handshakes following last season's seven game, 28 period second round showdown between the Mustangs and the Broncos (photo courtesy/Broad Leaf Media, Facebook)

By Ben Tompkins

Teddy Bear Toss Game

Mustangs host Broncos for first time since Game 7 thriller

Dec 13, 2024 | 5:56 PM

The Melfort Mustangs host the Humboldt Broncos Friday night for the first of four meetings this season.

The two local rivals haven’t met since April, 16th, back in last season’s second-round playoff matchup.

Melfort won in seven games, with an OT thriller at the Palace to cap it off, en route to their SJHL Championship and berth in the Centennial Cup Final.

“It’s obviously gonna be a huge game, they’re always a good team, and we always have good battles with them. We haven’t seen them yet this year, so it’s gonna be an exciting matchup on teddy bear toss night to see what they’re like,” said Mustangs’ forward Owen Nelson.

“We’re obviously a very competitive rivalry, and only getting to play them four times instead of six this year, that intensity is going to be there lots because we don’t get to see each other as much. It’s going to be a very high-intensity game, and it’s going to be very competitive.”

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Tonight marks the Mustangs’ Teddy Bear Toss game, where fans will throw stuffed animals onto the ice, when Melfort scores their first goal, in support of the Salvation Army.

The contest also marks the first of a home-and-home set as the Stangs will be in Humboldt on Saturday for a rematch with the Broncos.

“It’s an awesome and exciting day because everyone wants to get that first goal. We just got to stick to our game and the goal will come. Someone is gonna get it, we just don’t know who,” Nelson added.

“It’s huge to start at home, we need to get that first step going right, try to get that first two points heading into Humboldt on Saturday, and try to come out of the weekend with four points.”

The Blue and Green enter the matchup on a 10-game win streak, in which they’ve outscored their opponents 27-4 in their last four contests.

A closer game is more likely for this particular head-to-head matchup, one which had seven overtime periods in the last five games of their postseason battle earlier this year.

“Hopefully no overtime tonight, hopefully, that’s just reserved for the playoffs for now and we can just get four out of four points this weekend,” Nelson told northeastNOW.

“We just want to try and keep the game simple and really just play our game and play to our strengths. We just have to keep going day by day and period by period, and then good things are gonna happen. We know how we’re playing right now, and good things will come if we just stick to our game.”

Puck drop at the Northern Lights Palace is at 7:30 p.m.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On X @BenTompkins_8