CALGARY -- The Melfort Mustangs are once again going for Centennial Cup gold.
Zac Somers scored the game-winning goal with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation and the Mustangs would go on to a 4-3 victory over the Trenton Golden Hawks in the national Junior A championship semifinal Saturday night in Calgary.
As a result, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League champions will play for a national title for the second straight season when they face the Calgary Canucks on Sunday at 5 p.m.
“Yeah, that's a dogfight,” Somers said in the HNLive broadcast shortly after scoring his game winner. “The didn't didn't give us much, they played us hard and we finally got a step, got a break and found a way to get one home.”
Logan Belton played setup man on the winning goal, getting off a pass from behind the net and finding Somers breaking into the slot, with his quick shot finding the back of the net with 6:54 remaining in regulation.
Melfort couldn’t have asked for a better start, beginning when Ty Thornton finished off a give-and-go with Belton by knocking in his own rebound to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead only 6:45 into the game.
Ty Thornton! He gets his own rebound to put the Mustangs up by one! 🚨#CentennialCup pic.twitter.com/byeSHW9OPi
— CJHL (@cjhlhockey) May 18, 2025
Nolan Patterson then extended the Mustangs’ edge 47 seconds into the second, getting behind the Trenton defence and taking a feed from Nic Andrusiak before scoring on a breakaway.
Nolan Patterson scores on the breakaway and the Mustangs lead by a pair! 🚨#CentennialCup pic.twitter.com/OXiGUwzdh4
— CJHL (@cjhlhockey) May 18, 2025
The Golden Hawks wouldn’t go away quietly, though, with Corbin Roach getting his squad within one with a shorthanded goal at 4:42 and Cooper Matthews tying things up with 6:21 to play in the second period.
The teams then exchanged goals late in the frame. Tristin Ziola gave Melfort a 3-2 lead with a shorthanded goal with 2:22 remaining, only for Devin Mauro to reply for the Hawks only 18 seconds later on the same power play.
There things would remain until Somers’ late game heroics gave Melfort the semifinal win.
Who else but Zac Somers for the Mustangs! He gives the SJ champs a late lead! 🚨#CentennialCup pic.twitter.com/lGpttxR2zx
— CJHL (@cjhlhockey) May 18, 2025
Kristian Coombs had 18 saves to earn the win in goal for the Mustangs, Ryan Sanborn stopped 16 for the Golden Hawks.
Melfort now turns their attention to the host Calgary Canucks, who advanced in dramatic fashion of their own with a 3-2 overtime win against the Rockland Nationals earlier on Saturday.
The Mustangs and Canucks met in the tournament opener way back on May 8, with Calgary taking a 3-1 win.
“I couldn't be more excited,” Somers said of playing in the Centennial Cup final. “Not a lot of guys get this opportunity. So to be able to do that, it’s the biggest game of my life.”
The game will be broadcast on TSN Plus and HNLive, with puck drop at 5 p.m.
