Hawks host Weyburn with playoff spot in the balance

Trailing the Red Wings by four points for the final Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s (SJHL) playoff spot, the Hawks home ice matchup with Weyburn Wednesday is essentially must win territory.

Weyburn has played two less games than Nipawin and will head to La Ronge to face the Ice Wolves for back-to-back games on the weekend. Before those games play a role in the Hawks’ postseason plans, Head Coach Tad Kozun said his club needs a regulation win at the ‘Cage.’

I know our guys are looking forward to it and getting them on home ice. It’s obviously a big game for us with seven remaining. Everyone knows that this is the team we’re chasing right now, and we’ve got to be ready to go,” Kozun said after the club’s game day skate.

The Hawks had a chance to pull even with Weyburn on Saturday on the road. Nipawin jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Red Wings but couldn’t hold the lead and fell 4-2 creating the four point gap between eighth and ninth place. Kozun said the team made a few costly errors in the loss that they hope to avoid in the fourth and final meeting of the season between the clubs.