The first matchup at the Western Canada Cup will be a familiar one for Portage, as it is a team they saw 4 time last year. Portage played Melfort twice last season at the Western Canada Cup in Fort McMurray, and twice at the RBC Cup in Portage. The Terriers won all 4 matches by a combined score of 19-8. The most lopsided win coming in the RBC Cup semi final, a 6-1 Terrier victory.

The Portage Terriers have only 4 returning players compared to the Mustangs who have 4 returning defensemen alone; 13 in total.

The Mustangs were one of the top teams again in the SJHL, finishing first in the Sherwood Division, and second overall with 39-14-5 for 83pts. That was 4 points down
from their 87 mark last season. Their goal differential was +54.

Special Teams:
Power Play: 18.2% (7th)
Penalty Kill: 85.4% (1st)

Players to watch:

Travis Mayan: The 20 year old left wing with the deadly shot is back for his 3rd and final season with Melfort. He has now lead the league in scoring two years in a row,
registering 40 goals and 84 points last season, and 46 goals 93 this year. He continued his hot play in the playoffs with 23 points in 17 games. He was named the SJHL playoff MVP and was nominated as for the CJHL forward of the year award.

Tristan Frei: This returning centre has stepped up his game this season, finishing second in team scoring with 73 points. He also had a solid playoffs with 19 points. This will also be his third season with the team.

Eric Sinclair: A 19 year old returning defenseman, Sinclair lead all defensemen on his team with 45 points in 58 games.

Richard Palmer: He has gotten the bulk of the starts in net this season for Melfort, going 29-9-3. He posted a 2.92 GAA and a .904 sv%. The 20 year old goalie from Calgary looks to finish off his 3 year SJHL career on a winning note.

The Mustangs have 2 players from Manitoba; Brett Kitt from Brandon, and Sam Houston from Boissevain.

Melfort has 3 players that have committed to NCAA Division 1 schools

The Mustangs come into the Western Canada Cup coming off of another successful playoff run winning the league title for the second year in a row. They swept La Ronge in the first round, snuck past Nipawin in the semi final 4-3, and then downed Flin Flon 4-2 in the league final. Last year they made it all the way to the RBC Cup, due to the fact that Portage was the host team. Melfort has 4 league titles in franchise history, they also won in 92 and 96.

They finished 18th in the CJHL top 20 rankings.

The Terriers play the Mustangs on Saturday at 3pm Manitoba time.

For more on the Mustangs CLICK HERE.

For the complete WCC preview CLICK HERE.