In the midst of a hot playoff battle for second place in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Sherwood Division, the Nipawin Hawks picked up a crucial two points with a 3-1 win over the league-leading Battlefords North Stars.
Thomas Lenchyshyn got the Hawks on the board in the second period with his first goal since joining the Hawks. Josh Bly and Tanner Thompson added third period goals for the Hawks for the win.
The Hawks got off to a slow start during the Feb. 24 home game, giving up three power plays. They were outshot 12-3 but made it to the intermission tied at zero.
“We weren’t at our best. We turned the puck over at times and even when we had a power play we probably gave them more shots than we created, so there was a few issues in the first that we obviously fixed up in the second and third,” said Doug Johnson, the head coach.
The Hawks’ strength was their penalty kill, which was a big factor in the game as they held the North Stars off the board in four tries including the three in the first period.
“Our penalty kill was outstanding and that’s what it needs to be for us to have success against the top teams,” said Johnson.
The power play also won the special teams battle against the North Stars as they finished the game 1/3, but Johnson was not pleased with the effort of the power play.
“We got the one goal but when there’s a rebound that hits the goalie and then goes off our guy’s shin pad, it’s maybe more of a lucky break thnn execution.”
The win was huge for the Hawks, as their win coupled with a Flin Flon Bombers loss to the Humboldt Broncos moved the Hawks into first place in the Sherwood Division.
Also this week: A weak first period for the Hawks, but a victory over Estevan
