Melville’s Special Teams Shine in Statement Road Win
The Melville Millionaires have drawn first blood in their opening-round series, earning a convincing 4–1 Game 1 victory over the Yorkton Terriers on the road Friday night.
Yorkton opened the scoring early, as Gavin Bartha beat Matthew Spencer-Dahl blocker side to ignite the home crowd. The Terriers pushed for more, generating several quality power-play looks, but couldn’t beat Spencer-Dahl again.
Despite being outshot 18–5 in the first period, Melville responded. Preston Baerwald evened the game at 1–1, beating Callum Creig glove side before the intermission.
The Millionaires carried that momentum into the second and grabbed their first lead. A puck off the end boards bounced perfectly to Kale Margolis in the slot, and he capitalized on the power play to make it 2–1 after two.
In the third, Yorkton pressed hard with 11 shots and their seventh power play of the night, but Spencer-Dahl stood firm. Melville sealed it late, as Wesley Golden’s point shot found its way through traffic, and Matty Edwards added an empty-netter to finish off the 4–1 win.
Game 2 goes Saturday night at Westland Arena, puck drop at 7:00 PM.
Munro Fuels Red Wings’ Fast Start in Road Victory
The Weyburn Red Wings joined Melville in the road win column Friday night.
The fifth-seeded Red Wings jumped out to a 3–0 lead and rode a 40-save performance from Joey Rocha to a 4–2 win over the Nipawin Hawks.
Will Munro assisted on Weyburn’s first three goals before sealing the win with an empty-netter, holding off a late push from Nipawin.
Gage Roberts made 28 saves in the loss, while Eric Hoiness and Jack Janzen scored for the Hawks.
Game 2 is Saturday in Nipawin.
Bombers Dominate Opener with Shutout Win
The Flin Flon Bombers continued their strong form with a commanding 5–0 shutout over the Estevan Bruins.
Sam Ward led the way for the Bombers with two goals, while SJHL Goaltender of the Year Charlie Tritt turned aside all 17 shots he faced.
Daniel Morozov and Wyatt Stinton each chipped in with multi-point performances for the Bombers, while Estevan’s Dylan Adams was busy, making 40 saves in the loss.
Game 2 goes Saturday in Flin Flon.
North Stars Upset Mustangs in Physical Game 1 Battle
The Battlefords North Stars opened their series with a 4–2 win over the defending champion Melfort Mustangs on home ice.
Battlefords’ veteran trio of Anthony Campbell, Alessio Nardelli, and Josh Knittig each recorded a goal and an assist to pace the offence.
Kaeden Serpa was stellar in goal with 40 saves, while Kason Kobelka stopped 24 shots for Melfort. Zayden Sadlemyer and Kaleb Binner replied for the Mustangs.
Game 2 is set for Saturday night at the ACC in North Battleford.
