The Estevan Bruins (white and yellow) celebrate following a 3-2 overtime winner over the Melfort Mustangs (green and blue) (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Mustangs OT Loss

Post one way, breakaway the other: Mustangs fall 3-2 to Bruins in OT

Feb 2, 2020 | 2:21 PM

Urgency, creating a cushion, and capitalizing on chances.

Those were three lessons the Melfort Mustangs took away from their 3-2 overtime loss to the Estevan Bruins on Feb. 1 at Northern Lights Palace.

The Mustangs surrendered a power play goal nearly three minutes in against a Bruins squad looking for redemption following 9-2 losses in Flin Flon and La Ronge.

Early in the second, the Mustangs responded with two goals in 2:22 – one from Adam Nobes and the other being a wicked wrist shot from Ben Tkachuk. Still, another power play goal against later in the second tied things once more.

Despite the Mustangs outshooting the Bruins 35-15 after two periods, the game was deadlocked 2-2.

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

12 Best Tips to Spend Less at Christmas

Nov 18, 2025

Cybercrime response

Prince Albert Police Service 'limited in scope' to properly investigate fraud crimes

Nov 17, 2025

“I think there are a few things we need to clean up at both ends of the ice,” Mustangs Assistant Coach Trevor Logan told northeastNOW. “Just a sense of urgency that we lack sometimes when we have a chance to get a lead or put teams away. We let them hang around and end up in situations like this and it’s happened too often. It’s a matter of finding a way to figure it out and get a little bit more of a cushion for ourselves.”

A full 60 minutes didn’t solve the game and both the Mustangs and Bruins escaped with a crucial point late in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season.

Overtime, as Logan described it, summed up the Mustangs’ evening. A Melfort shot off the post one-way led to an Isaiah Thomas breakaway the other, and the Bruins forward did not miss.

“I think the chances were there all game but there are times where guys need to have a little bit more patience when the puck isn’t going in for you all the time,” Logan said. “You start to clinch your stick tight and there’s a little bit of that going on right now. Where guys are just trying to get it off their stick and in the net where they maybe have that extra second or two to elevate the puck.”

Scoring Summary

First Period

1-0, Bruins, Jayden Davis (16) from Tanner Manz (16) (power play), 3:26

Second Period

1-1, Mustangs, Adam Nobes (7) from Austin Nault (12) and Andrew Hunt (4), 1:47

2-1, Mustangs, Ben Tkachuk (8) from Seth McCulloch (4), 3:09

2-2, Mustangs, Troy Hamilton (10) from Eddie Gallagher (27) and Kade McMillen (26) (power play), 13:36

Third Period

No scoring.

Overtime

3-2, Estevan, Isaiah Thomas (14) unassisted, 0:03

Three-way division rival tie

Exiting the weekend, the Mustangs sit tied for fourth place in the SJHL standings and trail the third-place Yorkton Terriers by one point with a game in hand.

However, it’s who the Mustangs are tied with that’s the bigger story.

The Mustangs and their division rivals Nipawin Hawks and La Ronge Ice Wolves are all tied with 55 points each. The Mustangs have 12 games remaining in their schedule, while the Hawks and Ice Wolves have 11 and 10 respectively.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit, but at the end of the day I don’t think it’s going to matter one through six,” Logan said. “Obviously you want to put yourself in a good position and have home ice advantage, but looking up and down from us it’s going to be tight wherever everybody ends up. It’s going to be a battle no matter who you get. We’re just trying to get ourselves in a position where we’re playing our best hockey come playoff time.”

The Mustangs resume play on Wednesday, Feb. 5 when they host the Ice Wolves at Northern Lights palace at 7:30 p.m.

–

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow