The Battlefords North Stars will look to be the first team in three seasons to take down the Melfort Mustangs in a playoff series. (Image Credit: Byron Hildebrand Photography/Facebook)

By Ryan Lambert

SJHL Playoffs

North Stars set for Game 1 vs the Melfort Mustangs

Mar 20, 2026 | 12:01 PM

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) playoffs are finally upon us, and the Battlefords North Stars face off with the Melfort Mustangs in the opening round. 

The North Stars finished in the third seed in the SJHL with a 35-15-4-2. They finished the season strong with a couple straight wins over the Kindersley Klippers. 

After a strong final two months of the season, the Mustangs landed in the sixth seed with a 30-22-2-2 record. Melfort lost their last game of the season, but won 15 of their last 17.

The Mustangs are the reigning back-to-back Canterra Seeds Cup champions led by head coach Trevor Blevins, so North Stars head coach Connor Logan knows that while the North Stars are the higher seed, the Mustangs aren’t to be taken lightly. 

“He can push his group through some adversity. He’s shown that this year. He’s also been able to show that he can have a dominant group that can really turn it on to the playoffs. Over the last two years, they haven’t lost a playoff series. So, I know that he’s comfortable in those situations,” said Logan. 

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The North Stars have struggled against the Mustangs this year, with a 1-2-0-1 record, though all the losses have been close games. 

Oct. 3, 2025: Mustangs beat North Stars 3-2 in shootout in Melfort 

Oct. 4, 2025: Mustangs beat North Stars 2-0 in North Battleford 

Jan. 10, 2026: North Stars beat Mustangs 6-1 in Melfort 

Jan. 27, 2026: Mustangs beat North Stars 4-3 in North Battleford. 

Anthony Campbell led the North Stars in points throughout the season with 57 (22G-35A), while North Stars rookie Finlay Klippenstein led in goals with 26. 

Bo Eisner held the Mustangs lead in points with 44 (13G-31A), and Zayden Sadlemeyer had a team-leading 17 goals through the season. 

A significant advantage for the North Stars is their depth scoring. They had 12 players with 30 or more points this season, while the Mustangs had just four. The North Stars also had 12 players with 10 or more goals compared to the Mustangs six. 

“Depth has been our edge on every team. We have high-end prolific players, but some teams need those guys to be going to have success,” said Logan. We’ve shown that we can have those guys going, and we can have other guys going, and different guys can contribute in different ways.” 

The full series preview is available on battlefordsNOW. 

The Ultra Print pregame show is half hour before puck drop, Napa Auto Parts North Stars begins at 7:30 on CJNB/CJNS. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com