Final night of SJHL action sets up playoff picture

Stars’ forward Owen Lamb scored two goals, while his linemate, Braydon Buziak tallied the overtime game winner in the win. Stars’ goalie, Joel Grzybowski stopped 28 of the 31 shots he faced, while Kindersley’s Justen Close made 28 saves on 32 shots.

With the loss, the Klippers will finish fifth, earning a meeting with the Melfort Mustangs in the quarterfinals.

Hawks clinch first in division, league

Nipawin, with a 2-1 victory over Melville, solidified top spot in the Sherwood Division, and first overall in the league.

Millionaires’ forward, Aidan Steinke scored late for Melville, who could have scooped up the final playoff spot with a win, but ultimately the comeback bid was too little too late. Michael Makarenko’s eighth of the season would stand as the game winner, with Hawks’ netminder, Declan Hobbs stopping 25 of 26 shots on the night to solidify the victory for his team.

Mustangs fall to Bombers

Melfort fell 3-1 to Flin Flon, which, as alluded to earlier, means the Mustangs will finish fourth overall, leading to their matchup with the Klippers.

With Brandson Hein and Nate Hooper connecting on all three Bomber goals, for three goals, six points combined. In goal, Gabriel Waked made 19 saves on the 20 shots he faced. Shawn Parkinson stopped 33/36 for the Mustangs.

The win does not affect Flin Flon’s standing heading into the postseason. The Bombers finish the regular season seventh overall, and will play Weyburn in the first round survivor-series matchup.

Weyburn sneak in, despite loss

Yorkton defeated Weyburn 4-1. Tied 1-1 late in the second, the Terriers scored two goals just seven seconds apart from forwards, Mason Mullaney and Cody Bruchkowski late in the second, before ultimately adding another early in the third from Casey McDonald.

Yortkon goalie, Andrew Henderson was a wall in net, stopping 38 of the 39 shots fired his way. At the other end, the Red Wings’ Cody Levesque stopped 27/31.

Despite the loss, Weyburn do manage to sneak into the final playoff spot. Tied with Melville at season’s end, the Red Wings win the tie breaker of regulation/overtime wins, with 17 to Melville’s 16 at season’s end.

The Red Wings will play the Flin Flon Bombers in their first-round survivor series.

Playoff outline at a glance

Survivor series:

7) Flin Flon Bombers vs. 10) Weyburn Red Wings

8) Yorkton Terriers vs. 9) Notre Dame Hounds

Quarterfinals matchups:

1) Nipawin Hawks vs. 8) **Second Wildcard (Lowest seed remaining after survivor series)

2) Battlefords North Stars vs. 7) *First Wildcard (Highest seed remaining after survivor series)

3) Estevan Bruins vs. 6) Humboldt Broncos

4) Melfort Mustangs vs. 5) Kindersley Klippers

*Order of opposition for Battlefords North Stars: 1. Flin Flon Bombers 2. Yorkton Terriers 3. Notre Dame Hounds.

**Order of opposition for Nipawin Hawks: 1. Weyburn Red Wings 2. Notre Dame Hounds 3. Yorkton Terriers.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

Final night of SJHL action sets up playoff picture

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