There was no shortage of offense at the inaugural Mustangs Alumni Hockey Game as both teams combined for 17 goals in the 60 minutes of play.
In the end the Red Mustangs were just too much for White Mustangs and won by the decisive score of 13-4.
Despite the lopsided victory, there was plenty to cheer about for the more than 40 fans who attended the game, as players and goalies on both teams showcased their skills over the course of the game’s three periods.
“It was a blast; I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Evan Campbell, a player on the Red Mustangs.
“It’s always good to hang out with the boys and I will definitely be in it again next year.”
Before the game, players lined up at centre ice and were announced to the delight of the crowd, which may have been small, but more than made up for it in enthusiasm. Cheers could be heard for each name called out on both squads.
Right from the initial faceoff, a fast pace was established as both teams worked hard to gain control of the puck and each had more than one opportunity to get the opening goal.
The Red Mustangs didn’t take long to capitalize on one of its scoring chances and made it 1-0 on a goal by Joe Densmore. The goal was scored at 18:33 on a nice rush from just outside of the Red team’s zone.
End to end action highlighted the early portion of the game and once again it was Team Red that was able to increase its lead to 2-0 on another rush into the White Mustangs zone.
Burt Stephens scored the unassisted goal at 16:35 on a low shot that Team White’s goalie, Mitch Heynen, managed to get a piece of, but not enough to keep out of the net.
The White Mustangs had an opportunity to get back into the contest after the game’s first penalty was called against the Red team.
Team White didn’t waste any time establishing control of the puck and took advantage of the extra man for the first minute of the penalty.
The continued pressure eventually resulted in two difficult saves made by the Red Mustangs goalie, Ian Perrier. Perrier got his body in front of both shots, which were fired at a close range. After making the saves his team was able to clear the puck out of the zone.
Not only did the players on the Red Mustangs shutdown the White team for the rest of its powerplay, but they also managed to notch a shorthanded goal of their own, nearing the 14-minute mark of the game.
The goal was put in by Adam Henderson and was assisted by Reed Campbell.
The Red Mustangs didn’t let up and scored one more goal before the end of the first period to make the score 4-0. The goal was scored by Evan Campbell and was unassisted.
Henderson added to Team Red’s lead in the early going of the second frame, scoring his second goal of the game at 16:52. Not a minute later, Reed Campbell would increase the lead to 6-0 on a hard shot that bounced off Heynen’s blocker and in.
Although they were down by a considerable margin, the White Mustangs still had plenty of spirit left in them and the team’s persistence finally paid off nearing the 13-minute mark of the second frame.
Drew Pettitt tallied the team’s first goal, getting the White Mustangs on the board after the Team Red had some difficulty getting the puck out of their zone.
Both teams traded goals for the remainder of the second period, with Henderson scoring his third of the game, which came just over one minute before Pettitt would once again net one for Team White.
Kane Dawe restored the Red Mustangs six goal advantage, but Pettitt answered back, with his third goal, which was scored in the closing minutes of the second frame.
The score going into the final period was 8-3.
The third frame proved to be the best period for the Red Mustangs, who scored an incredible five goals, while limiting the White Team to just one.
Goal scorers on Team Red included Evan Campbell, Jordan Cane, Burt Stephens and once again Henderson, who finished with a team high four goals.
The lone goal scorer for the White Mustangs in the third period was Colin Denais.
Jay Glass was the coach of the Red Mustangs. He said it was easy coaching in the first-ever Mustangs Alumni hockey game.
“We had so many good players on the ice, you don’t really do much coaching,” Glass said.
“You just put the lines out there and let the kids play because there is a lot of talent.”
Glass said the team didn’t really have a game plan heading into Tuesday’s contest.
“We just wanted to make sure we played with a little intensity and had some fun,” he said.
“As coaches we just tried to get the right guys together, so that there was a little chemistry and we just kind of got lucky that we got some goals early.”
Rob Warner is currently playing university hockey in Nova Scotia and was a member of the Red Mustangs in the alumni game. He finished with one assist in the team’s victory.
Warner said that he hasn’t been on a Mustangs team for around eight years, but it was nice to wear the jersey again.
“It was lot of fun, just getting to play with everyone that you don’t really get to play with,” he said.
“It’s just interesting to see where people are going, you get to see where they are coming back from, so it’s good. It has been a while, but it is still fun to put on the jersey and get out there.”
Adam Henderson finished the game with an incredible six points for the Red Mustangs. He said he was happy with the way his team played.
“We played good,” he said. “Everybody was hustling; it was good pace out there for a game this time of year.
We were just having fun, giving it all we had. A lot of guys haven’t put on the Mustangs uniform for a while.”
He said if the alumni game is ever put on again, he will be more than willing to take part.
“I will always take part in Mustangs games,” Henderson said. “I grew up here.”