Nipawin Hawks sweep home-and-home series with La Ronge Ice Wolves

Mikesch natural hat trick leads Hawks to win over Ice Wolves

Austin Mikesch’s natural hat trick led the Nipawin Hawks to a 5-1 win over the La Ronge Ice Wolves in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action from La Ronge.

The win pushed the Hawks’ point streak to 17 games, as the club showed little signs of rust after enjoying a 17-day Christmas break.

Despite picking up the win, Doug Johnson, the Hawks’ head coach, admitted it was far from a perfect effort, noting that they had some moments they liked and moments they did not like, but said the most encouraging sign was the play of their younger players.

“Guys like Austin Mikesch, Caleb Paisley, Jeremy Bisson, Jordan Simoneau, guys that don’t get a lot of credit, really had strong games and that’s what you look for with the young guys coming back from the break.”

After a quiet first 18 plus minutes, Mikesch took control of the game scoring at 18:07 of the first period, and at 1:24, and 3:50 of the second period, giving the Hawks a commanding 3-0 lead after two periods of play.

Mikesch’s strong stretch was a result of going to the net hard, and playing the game the right way, noted Johnson.

“None of the goals were what you would classify as a pretty goal but he battled net front, he was strong on his stick, he was in the right spots, went to the dirty areas and that whole game he was always in the play...  He really took advantage of some of the miscues but also really helped himself by just making simple plays.”

After Mitch Zambon scored his fifth of the season on the power play, 40 seconds in the final period to pull the Ice Wolves within two, the black and gold put the game away as Chad McCartney and Grant Baetsen both found the back of the net to give the Hawks the 5-1 win.

Both teams enjoyed a solid night on the power play as the Hawks converted on 2-of-6 opportunities, while the Ice Wolves scored on 1-of-4 chances.

Declan Hobbs picked up the win in the Hawks goal, in his first game with the black and gold since being returned from the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs, turning aside 27 of the 28 shots he faced as the Hawks outshot the Ice Wolves 59-28. 

Hawks ride second half explosion to route of La Ronge

The Nipawin Hawks scored seven times in a span of 20:26 en route to an 8-1 rout of the La Ronge Ice Wolves in Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League action from Nipawin.

The Jan. 6 win pushed the Hawks’ point streak to 18 straight games (17-0-1), and marked a home-and-home sweep of the Ice Wolves.

Doug Johnson, the Hawks’ head coach, was pleased with his club’s effort, noting that the explosion was a result of his club playing better, and the Ice Wolves going into a shell.

“I just thought earlier on we could have done a few things different as far as playing more physical and eliminating time and space away from them. But we made sure we improved every period again which was good and you come away with four points and outscore a team 13-2, you can’t be too disappointed.”

The game got off to a quiet start for both clubs as neither team found the back of the net until Grant Baetsen scored his tenth of the year at 13:01 to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead after one period.

The black and gold then exploded over the next period plus as Logan Casavant, Michael Grant and Kenzie Arnold scored within a stretch of 8:10, giving the Hawks a 4-1 lead after two periods.           

The final period was more of the same for the Hawks as Grant, Arnold, Chad McCartney and Austin Mikesch all found the back of the net to give the Hawks the 8-1 win.

Offensively, it was an excellent night for nearly the entire Hawks lineup, as just five players were held pointless, which was great to see, said Johnson, who notes that it is what he has been aiming for all season.

“For the young guys to get going and for everyone to contribute is huge because that’s what you need in the playoffs. When top lines are playing against top lines, usually it’s what some teams classify as depth forwards that win you series and win you games.”

Both teams enjoyed solid nights on the power play as they combined to finish the evening 4-for-13, with the Hawks finishing 3-for-7, and the Ice Wolves, 1-for-6.

Jake Anthony picked up the win in the Hawks goal, turning aside 20 of the 21 shots he faced as the Hawks outshot the Ice Wolves 56-21.

The Hawks will look to push their streak to 19 straight games when they return to the ice on Jan. 9 for a home matchup against the Battlefords North Stars.

The contest will be a battle between the top two teams in the league, and Johnson said the keys for his club to come out on top will be to play strong physically, take away time and space, and play structured defensive hockey.

“We don’t want to go into a shell, we want to be aggressive defensively but we can’t give up the middle of the ice. We can’t give them easy lanes to the net... focus on the defense and I think we have enough offensive ability that that stuff will take care of itself.”