By Craig Beauchemin

Former North Star, AAA Star wins SJHL title

Apr 27, 2016 | 12:00 PM

The Melfort Mustangs won their second straight SJHL championship on the weekend with help from one time Battlefords North Star Rylan Freed and former Battlefords AAA Star Ashton Clark.

Freed played 10 games with the North Stars during the 2015-16 campaign after being acquired from the Alberta Leagues’ Drumheller Dragons. He was traded to his hometown Mustangs for future considerations on November 13.

“It’s one of the best feelings, playing at home. Growing up here and watching all the Mustangs games during my time living here. It’s a great feeling to win at home,” Freed said.

Freed appeared in 12 of the Mustangs 17 playoff games this season, scoring one goal and chipping in with three assists. While he didn’t suit up for the deciding game six, he said the intensity was felt throughout the rink with the Mustangs up by a goal in the final minute.

“It was a pretty intense last…few minutes after we scored with about two and a half minutes left,” Freed recalled. “You may never get another feeling like that so it was fun to be out there with the guys and celebrate with them.”

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Clark echoed his teammate’s thoughts.

“The whole bench was quiet, nobody was really saying anything,” Clark laughed. “But once it got down to the 10 second mark we all started putting our legs over the bench and it was just the greatest feeling.”

Clark spent two full seasons with the AAA Stars from 2011-2013, scoring 13 goals and adding 21 assists in 76 games. While putting up big offensive numbers has never been his game, Clark said he contributes to his team’s success by getting under opponents skin and drawing penalties.

Clark scored a goal and added two assists in 12 playoff games with the Mustangs this season.

Clark added it was an incredible feeling to finally win a championship in his third year of junior hockey, especially since he came up short in the 2014 Canalta Cup finals with the Melville Millionaires.

The Mustangs are now heading to the Western Canada Cup in Estevan which begins April 30. Both Clark and Freed agreed their team is feeling confident heading in, as they hoped to advance to their second straight RBC Cup.

Email: cjnbsports@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @craig_beauch