The Meota Combines are the first team since 2013 to win back-to-back SPHL titles. (submitted photo/Aaron Cadrin)

By Martin Martinson

Senior Hockey Supremacy

Meota Combines repeat as SPHL Champions

Mar 14, 2023 | 2:00 PM

For the second year in a row, the Meota Combines are on top of the senior hockey heap, claiming their second consecutive Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) championship over the weekend, with a 4-0 sweep over Turtleford in the league finals.

The team won the deciding game 8-3 in Turtleford, to clinch the best-of-seven championship series, on their way to a 9-1 record overall on a dominant postseason run.

The nine original members of the Meota Combines, who have played the last nine years with the team. Back row L-R: Brett Miller, Derek Welford, Dayne Iverson, Taylor Tatchell, Kyle Gregoire. Front row L-R: Bo Gervais, Levin Floen, Aaron Cadrin, Brody Tatchell. (submitted photo/Aaron Cadrin)

Veteran forward and assistant captain with the Combines, Aaron Cadrin said it feels good to accomplish the goal they set out for at the start of the year, of repeating as champions.

“We knew with the roster we had assembled at the start of the year we had a very good chance of repeating, and I think we showed what we’re capable of,” Cadrin said.

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“We were always in control of each series we were in, and we probably had about 18 guys return from last year and seven new guys, so it was really nice for those new guys to get to experience [winning a title] in their first year as well.”

While the finals series did go down as a 4-0 sweep, as Cadrin pointed out, it was still a highly competitive showdown again this year between the Combines and Tigers. Following a 3-0 win in the opening game with an empty-netter, and 3-2 victory in game two on a tally late, game three served as perhaps the biggest win on Meota’s run.

“Game three we were winning 1-0 all game until [Turtleford] tied it up with three minutes left, and then we took the lead again with 40 seconds to go, so that was a pretty huge roller coaster of emotions,” Cadrin said.

“Getting that game three was huge. With it being a best-of-seven series this year, if Turtleford gets game three they’re right back in that series and we’re going five or six games for sure, so we were pretty excited when we got that goal with 40 seconds left.”

Michael Pylypow, who scored the winning goal late in the third game, finished with a team-high 12 goals in 10 playoff games. His 18 points were just one back of Blake Tatchell’s 19 (10G, 9A) for the team lead as well.

Cam Taylor presented the Playoff MVP Award (left), and skates with the SPHL Championship trophy (right). (submitted photos/Cam Taylor)

Goalie Cam Taylor led the way for the team between the pipes, posting a 9-1 record, including a pair of shutouts on his way to being named Playoff MVP, with a sparkling 2.06 goals against average in the postseason.

Making the run even more impressive for the 21-year-old, was how he came to join the Combines this year.

Coming off a four-year absence from the game after winning a Sask U18 AA championship in his final year of Midget in the spring of ‘19, Taylor said he was convinced by Combines assistant coach Levi Pollard, a friend and coworker, to put the pads back on at the senior ranks this year.

“He’s pretty convincing that guy, and he just got me to keep playing games and that’s how it progressed,” Taylor said with a laugh. “It was a good decision and it was all thanks to him, he got me into the league.”

Now the playoff MVP, Taylor was also quick to talk about the role his teammates played in front of him, when asked about the award.

“I think from the start, it’s just a really good group of guys and everyone seemed to be doing their job throughout the whole season,” Taylor said.

“I can’t speak highly enough about our [blue line]; we had a really good D-core and every time I got a shutout, the team was just playing awesome. I knew we had a good group of guys who could play really well, so I’m really proud of the boys for how far we took it.”

The championship serves as the Combines’ third in the last four seasons, dating back to 2017-18. They become the first team to repeat as league champions since the Battleford Beaver Blues won two straight in 2012 and 2013.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1