The Hawks salute their fans to that traveled to Melfort and saw the SJHL team defeat the Mustangs 3-2 in a shootout Sunday. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)
Shootout snipers

Hawks edge Mustangs in packed Palace

Mar 6, 2023 | 9:52 AM

With over 1,600 spectators in attendance Sunday afternoon the Nipawin Hawks spoiled the party edging the Melfort Mustangs 3-2 in a shootout at the Northern Lights Palace.

Facing off for the first time since early January the arch rivals put on playoff-type show for the fans taking advantage of free admission for the matinee contest.

The home fans were lifted from their seats early. Hayden Tuba beat Jackson Fellner with a wrist shot from the left point making it 1-0 Melfort just 1:20 into the game.

The Hawks settled in and tied the score, Alex Ochitwa jumped on a rebound in front of James Venne and deposited his 18th goal of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season before the buzzer sounded at the end of the opening period. Forward Carson Dobson said the early deficit didn’t phase the Hawks on the road.

“We knew they were going to come hard with all the fans in the stands and stuff, but I think we settled in and started playing our game after that,” Dobson added.

Nipawin took their first lead of the game early in the second period, Alyandro De Leon picked up his fifth of the game on a Hawks’ power-play giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

The Hawks took a major penalty late in the middle period and the Mustangs capitalized, with time in the infraction winding down Leyton Holoien weaved his way passed the Nipawin defenders and scored his 10th goal of the season knotting the score at 2-2.

With no goals in overtime the game went to a shootout, Ochitwa scored as did Carson Dobson for Nipawin, Melfort’s Riley Ashe and Zac Somers couldn’t beat Fellner as Nipawin picked up a key second point in the win.

“They had a good crowd with their free admission night,” Dobson said after the game. “It was awesome to get a win in a shootout. It was exciting, glad to get the win for sure.”

Nipawin has won four of the five games in a shootout. With the extra point the Hawks remain four points ahead of Weyburn for seventh place in the SJHL standings. For Dobson, the 20-year-old longest tenured Hawk he said he didn’t have anything in mind when he moved in with a chance to win the game.

“Just do whatever I can to get it to the back of the net and hope she goes in,” he chuckled.

Dobson has scored on three of five shootout attempts this season. Ochitwa has scored four out of five times.

Next up for Nipawin is their last road game of the regular season in North Battleford on Tuesday. Face-off is 7:30 p.m., the pregame show of Rona Nipawin Hawks Hockey begins at 7:15 p.m. from the Access Communications Centre.

clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork

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