The Meota Combines will start their playoff campaign on Feb. 6 against the Glaslyn North Stars. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

Senior Hockey Playoffs

Meota Combines look ahead to SPHL Playoffs after Provincial First Round Loss

Feb 5, 2026 | 3:53 PM

The SPHL playoffs are on the horizon, and the Meota Combines are set to face off with the Glaslyn North Stars in the first round. The Combines finished off their regular season with a 7-5 win over the Blaine Lake Raiders, which was a bounce back performance after being eliminated by the Macklin Mohawks in three games. 

It was an odd scenario for the Combines in the provincial playoffs. Despite losing the three-game series, there wasn’t a single second of gameplay in the series that they trailed. 

They had a 4-1 lead at points in all three games. They held on and won game two 4-1 but let the lead slip away and fell 5-4 in overtime in games one and three.  

“That’s probably a first in my sporting career and everyone else I talked with, to never be losing at one point in a series but still lose the whole series. We were pretty heartbroken,” said forward and team manager Aaron Cadrin. “Guys were not happy and we could sit here and make excuses. We were, we were definitely short guys, and we had a ton of guys hurt… But at the end of the day, we were up 4-1 in all three games, and we didn’t win the series and it’s no one’s fault but our own. It was a pretty tough pill to swallow, and I know it’s still kind of affecting the guys.” 

The Combines had an SPHL game against the Blaine Lake Raiders the very next day after being eliminated. “That first period, the next night, was probably the worst period we ever played. You could tell everyone was still depressed and not feeling it,” said Cadrin.

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“We kind of had a pretty serious talk there in that first intermission there and said, we got to quit feeling sorry for ourselves. If we dwell on this, we’re going to have a short, short season if we got this type of attitude.” After being down 2-0 in the second period, the Combines came back for the 7-5 win. 

The Combines have only played against their playoff opponent Glaslyn North Stars one time this season, a 7-1 win back on Nov. 22, 2025. While the Combines have that decisive win and are the #2 seed vs the #7 seed, Cadrin knows they don’t have an easy series ahead. 

“We’ll match up good with them. I think they’re a bit more of a grittier team, and we might have a bit more top end talent, but we’ll see how that pans out in playoff hockey.” 

After an injury-riddled regular season, the Combines will look to get some healthy bodies back for the playoffs. Their first game is on Feb. 6 when they host the North Stars, puck drop at 8:00 pm. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com