Six first-period goals -- including four in the last 5:24 of the frame -- looked to set the tone for what appeared to be an easy win.
Then the second period happened and things got very interesting.
The Voltz scored three unanswered goals of their own to close to within three but would get no closer as the Mustangs would go on to a 9-5 victory and advance to the playoff tournament in Estevan this weekend.
“Each period was a different game,” said Mustangs coach Cody Nidesh. “We came out in the first period and executed our gameplan, then in the second and third period we got a little selfish at times, basically didn’t do our jobs and it showed.”
That the game would play out that way at a time of year when things should be fine tuned was a bit of a concern, but in the post-season a win is a win regardless of how it looks.
“They’re 9 and 10-year-old kids, you never know what you’re going to get,” Nidesh said. “At the same time, we’ve been preaching the same message all year and we have success when we play it and when we don’t have success we play an individual game.”
Kashton Smith scored three times and added two assists to lead the Mustangs, while Aiden McGillivray added a hat trick of his own. Cooper Fulton scored the game’s first and last goals, Luke Harder added their other marker.
The Mustangs’ quest to repeat as SSLL Novice champions doesn’t get any easier, as the tournament will include the top two teams in the league in the Swift Current Rampage TT and MW, who had a total of three losses total between them.
“We’ve had good games against Swift Current this year, but at times we’re just Jeckyll and Hyde, you never know what you’re going to get,” Nidesh said. “But it’s a double knockout tournament, so if you do happen to have a bad game, you’ll have a chance to bounce back.”
