The Nipawin Hawks kicked off their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League best of seven quarter-final series on a high note as they knocked off the Humboldt Broncos 4-1 on home ice.
The Hawks played an exceptional hockey game March 17, scoring twice in the first period and once each in the second and third, while outshooting the Broncos 51-24.
“We thought defensively we played as well as we could have,” said Doug Johnson, the head coach. “Offensively we liked what we did, [we] wish we could have buried on a few more chances but all in all, I thought it was a very good effort and a very complete game for our team.”
Josh Bly kicked off the scoring for the Hawks 1:40 into the first period, and the Hawks never looked back as Michael Grant, Keegan Milligan and Daven Smith all added goals.
The Hawks’ power play came out of the gates flying in the game as they scored twice on their first three chances.
“Everybody knows that power plays are so important. Special teams are so important in the playoffs so it was a point of emphasis,” noted Johnson.
“We did some nice things but there’s still some work to be done.”
The Hawks’ first and third periods were excellent, as they limited the Broncos to just four shots per period, a direct result of the Hawks keeping the Broncos to the outside.
“We always had numbers back. We always were protecting the middle of the ice. We were staying D side and yet we were also very aggressive,” said Johnson.
Winning the one-on-one battles was also huge for the Hawks as well.
“[We] just gave them fits breaking out or sustaining any speed through the neutral zone.”
The two teams had little time to recover as the series quickly flipped back to Humboldt for Game 2 the following night.
