The Nipawin Hawks (black and yellow) embrace one another as they prepare to shake hands with the Yorkton Terriers (orange and white) after a 4-3 loss in game seven. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Aaron Schulze

Hawks Playoff Exit

Hawks’ season ends with game seven loss

Mar 27, 2019 | 12:57 PM

The Nipawin Hawks 2018-19 campaign is over.

After they battled back from a 3-1 series deficit to force a decisive game seven at home, the Hawks couldn’t continue their journey to repeat as Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) champions when they fell to the Yorkton Terriers 4-3 on Tuesday, March 26.

The Hawks controlled possession for the first half of the first period, until a crucial line change gave the Terriers a two on one at the Nipawin blue line. Kishaun Gervais fed the puck to Jared Leigen who shot it bar and in to make it 1-0 Yorkton.

Seconds after a Terriers power play, Chantz Petruic fired a shot home to extend the Yorkton lead to 2-0.

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With over a minute remaining in the first period, Colten Gerlib’s wrist shot from the point founds its way through Terriers goaltender Ryan Ouellette and the Hawks cut the deficit to 2-1 after the first.

Nipawin Hawks defenceman Colten Gerlib (No. 44) celebrates as his power play goal puts his team on the board in game seven against the Yorkton Terriers. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

For 16 minutes in the second period, the Hawks’ cycle game gave them the advantage in shots on net, but not that Grade A scoring chance.

In the most bizarre stretch of the series, Leigen scored his second goal of the game to make it 3-1 Yorkton with four minutes remaining in the second. Thirteen seconds later, two of the Hawks’ rookies connected when Michael Makarenko finished off Jaxsen Wiebe’s cross ice pass to cut the deficit by one goal once more.

Thirty seconds after that, Petruic put the Terriers back up by two goals and the Hawks trailed 4-2 after the second period.

Doug Johnson, Hawks head coach, said his team’s commitment to protecting their front of the net and attacking Yorkton’s net is what cost them in the first two frames.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” Johnson told northeastNOW. “You try and keep the guys up and make sure they stay focused. We’re down two going into the third, we can score two on them. We just have to make sure we stay positive, we stay upbeat, and commit to the structure.”

As the Hawks entered the dressing room, Johnson spent a few extra moments talking with Declan Hobbs, former SJHL co-goaltender of the year and his starter up until game five against the Terriers where Patrick Pugliese took over. Hobbs picked up his blocker, glove, and helmet. He was either going to back the Hawks to a comeback or play his final minutes of Junior A hockey.

Nipawin Hawks goaltender Declan Hobbs (second right, black and yellow) made 14 saves in his final game in Junior A hockey. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

Hobbs stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third period and gave his team a chance. Hawks forward Logan Moon entered the Terriers zone and wristed in Nipawin’s third goal, and it was a 4-3 game with over eight minutes left in the third.

The Hawks were given as great of a chance as any team could realistically ask for to tie the game: a five on three power play with 1:09 left in the game. With Hobbs pulled for the extra attacker, it was a six on three advantage.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, they couldn’t score the tying goal, and the season ended in front of 1,109 fans in Centennial Arena.

Johnson said it was a lack of patience which prevented the Hawks for forcing the game to overtime.

“It goes side to side then a shot,” he said. “Well, we have a lot of time. Let’s be patient and spread them out, we never did that. We don’t practice six on three very often. We got chances and pucks to the net, they just didn’t go in.”

Nipawin Hawks defencemen Walker Cote (second right, black and yellow) attempting to score the tying goal in the dying seconds of game seven. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

Game seven marked the end of the road for six Hawks. Hobbs, defenceman Walker Cote, defenceman Jarrod Isley, defenceman and captain Gage Misskey, forward Arik Breton, and forward Christian Bosa played their final Junior A hockey games, as they will all be 21 years old by the start of the 2019-20 season and ineligible to play.

The good news for the Hawks is they’ll have plenty of core players available to return next season. Veterans Jake Tremblay, Jordan Simoneau, and Carson Erhardt, along with first-year players Jaxsen Wiebe, Michael Makarenko, and Brodie Girod will be some of the players eligible for next season. Jack Lenchyshyn, Colten Gerlib, Luke Penner, and Zach Ziegler will give the Hawks plenty of options on defence next season, and goaltender Patrick Pugliese looks to be the projected starter after posting a .931 save percentage in 20 games in his first season as a backup.

“We’re always looking forward to next year,” Johnson said. “It just sucks because the season ends. If we’re just focused on one year, we don’t do a very good job because the shelf life is pretty small as a coach.

“Yeah, we’re going to have a nice team next year, but that’s only going to be if they want to and guys have to come back.”

Johnson and the coaching staff will conduct year-end interviews with all of the Hawks players on Thursday, March 28 before taking the next steps to prepare for the 2019-20 SJHL season.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow