It's Christmas for many hockey fans these days. The Stanley Cup Finals are well underway, with office pools and brackets ready to go. Post-season trades are being considered, so fans are locked in to see where their favourite player will land or how their team will stack up in the fall. For us in southeast Saskatchewan, we're glued to the SJHL Finals series between the Weyburn Red Wings and the Melfort Mustangs. Right now, they're tied at 1-1 after a split weekend in Melfort. Weyburn took Game 1 with a narrow 2-1 win, but Melfort would respond big the next day with a commanding 3-0 shutout victory in Game 2.
So what's at stake for both teams? We sat down with Marty Martinson, the marketing director and play-by-play host for the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins, to get a reading of what fans can expect in the back half of the series.
"For the Melfort Mustangs, obviously the defending champions, looking to be the first team to win back-to-back SJ[HL] titles since Melfort did it back in 2015 and 2016. The dominant season - they had with just eight regulation losses all year. Then on the other side of things, for the Weyburn Red Wings, you know, this is their first finals appearance since 2012. They're looking to win their first title since 2001. So, anytime you're looking to snap that 20-plus year drought, if you want to call it that since the last title, I mean, what an opportunity here. It's been a heck of a series so far, and definitely one that's been fun to watch from the outside."
The black-and-gold didn't make it to the playoffs this year. Estevan finished 10th in the league with a record of 18-31-5-2 after playing 56 games. Even during the regular season, Weyburn and Melfort's clubs were tough to crack for the Bruins.
What the Bruins struggled with against both teams
Weyburn Red Wings
According to Martinson, their Highway 39 Rival was simply a fast team.
"For Weyburn, they're such a fast team. That's really what sets them apart. They're so fast. They're so tenacious. They really get in hard on the forecheck. And, if you're not moving a puck quick, they're going to have you in deep water."
He gave his props to the goaltending from Angelo Zol. The 19-year-old from Kelowna, B.C. holds a .919 SV% and 2.63 GAA from the regular season.
Melfort Mustangs
With Melfort, it's not necessarily one thing, but rather the depth of their lines and their ability to bounce back that Martinson recalled was dangerous.
"For the Melfort Mustangs, I mean, what a season. They're one of the dominant teams here -- one of the most dominant teams over the last decade or so in the league. [They've had] eight regulation losses all season. I mean, what a tremendous year for them. And, you know, just the two losses so far in their playoff run. They had one in overtime in the first round against Kindersley. And then obviously Game 1 of the final series -- and what do they do? They bounce back with a big 3-0 win."
"That's one thing about this Melfort team too is even if maybe you get a game against them, their bounce back ability is second to none. It really shows again that championship pedigree from last season," he added.
Goaltending is also strong with the Mustangs thanks to Kristian Coombs. The 19-year-old Calgary product edges Zol with a .926 SV% and a 2.01 GAA from the regular season. He shined in Game 2 last week, where he helped Melfort with their 3-0 win by blocking all 22 shots sent his way.
FULL CONVERSATION: The X Factor: Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins marketing director and play-by-play host Marty Martinson weighs in on the state of the SJHL Finals between the Weyburn Red Wings and Melfort Mustangs
The X Factor
The 2025 SJHL Finals are different this year, as either winner could make history in their own right. The Mustangs are poised to be the only team to win back-to-back championships since they made it happen back in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, respectively. Meanwhile, the Red Wings would win their first championship title since 2001 - a 20-year drought, as Marty explained earlier.
So, what's the X factor for each team to win the Canterra Seeds Cup?
Weyburn Red Wings
"I think for Weyburn, [you're looking] at the importance of special teams. Their power plays [have] struggled a little bit over the course of the playoffs as a whole. But at the same time, like one thing I always say on the broadcast is with special teams, as much as anything, it's not so much the percentage, but it's when you get the big goals."
For Martinson, he's watching for the red-and-white's special teams and their execution on the ice. He recalled Game 6 of their semi-finals series against the Flin Flon Bombers. Weyburn scored big on a power play in the second period thanks to Max Chakrabarti. He added that he was impressed with how Jerome Maharaj nabbed a short-handed goal in the second period when Jaxon Ruthven served a cross-checking minor penalty.
"It's the timeliness that you're coming through on the special teams, whether that's scoring a big shorthanded goal like they have in their last couple of games there before this last one, or coming through in a big way on the power play," Martinson added.
Melfort Mustangs
"For Melfort, I think it's really just about doing what you did all season long, you know, don't change a thing. You talk about the consistency of this group and again, their bounce-back ability. They end up falling in Game 1 on home ice -- pressure's on for Game 2. And what do they do? They respond with a big 3-0 win."
Consistency is the name of the game, Marty noted. That's a key part of the game that the Bruins struggled with during the regular season. In Melfort's case, it's par for the course for the team.
"It all comes back to playing as a five-man unit. They do that as well or better than any team in this league. They got their D jumping up in the offensive rush, and they got their forwards coming back hard every time on the back check to support their D."
Martinson was not quick to give a prediction as to who would hoist the Canterra Seeds Cup at the end of this series. Regardless of who wins, he says that the true winners will be the fans of both teams.
"I'll tell you this much [after] having gone to a couple of games in the semifinals there when Weyburn were playing the Bombers. I'll tell you what I am expecting is a packed house there at Crescent Point Place. Boy, the atmosphere was electric. That's the thing about, especially here in Southeast Saskatchewan, they love their hockey here."
"As for score predictions, it's really hard to say. I'll tell you what I will say is a prediction is a couple of real tight contests. Anytime you've got the goaltending that you do on these two sides. Angelo Zol - I mean the guy's electric. He's an absolute game breaker in between the pipes. And for Kristian Coombs, I mean, a top goalie finalist in the league this year. I mean, what more can you say about him, but coming up with, again, the big saves coming off a shutout performance there in Game 2, you know, his confidence is going to be sky high as well."
The Weyburn Red Wings will be hosting the Melfort Mustangs for Games 3 and 4 of the SJHL Finals tonight and tomorrow at Crescent Point Place. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm. If you can't make it to the game tonight, you can catch all the action on Country 106.7 or on the Discover Weyburn app.