Noah Derouin is the 10th Nipawin Hawk to score his first career SJHL goal this season. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Falling Short

Hawks outscored in Humboldt

Dec 1, 2024 | 5:55 PM

The Nipawin Hawks capped their week with a 7-5 loss in Humboldt Saturday night.

Looking for another victory at the Elgar Petersen Arena after picking a 1-0 triumph earlier this month, Nipawin got an early goal from Mason Karakochuk but fell flat falling behind by four and eventually losing by a pair. Head Coach Tad Kozun said on the postgame show that the team had a strong beginning but couldn’t continue the momentum for 60 minutes.

“I thought we had a real good start, the first two or three minutes I thought we played well, we got an early powerplay and got a goal there, but we kind of took our foot off the gas. I don’t know if we thought it was going to be easy coming off last night, we didn’t do things the right way and it cost us,” he explained.

Humboldt scored three times in the first and added two more in the second period opening a 5-1 lead, but the Hawks didn’t quit. Finley Radloff scored a powerplay goal and Karakochuk added his second of the game in the second closing the gap to 5-3. The Broncos restored their three goal lead early in the third period before the Hawks scored twice cutting the lead to one, but a late empty net marker with Nathen Claydon on the bench for the extra attacker capped the comeback bid.

“We just never quit, we score a five-on-three goal which is massive, we get a shorthanded goal which is massive, Noah Derouin gets his first goal tonight which is obviously massive,” Kozun said. “There is some good things in the game tonight but the negatives outweighed those tonight and that’s why we came out on the losing end.”

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Nipawin’s first shorthanded goal of the year was scored by Henry Smith, the 20-year-old’s first of the year. The Hawks also scored twice on the powerplay winning the special teams battle but couldn’t shut down the Broncos’ offensive attack. Kozun said Humboldt is a good home ice team and the Hawks battled hard on the road.

“They are a tough team to beat here, we always come here and play them well, but they have always been good on home ice. We knew they’d come out hard and be fired up and like I said, I thought we had a good start, but we let it get away from us,” he said.

Overall, this week the Hawks lost in a shootout after coming back from two down in the third period Tuesday, the team scored once in the third to force overtime and collect a win versus Yorkton before Saturday’s setback, but Kozun admits the week was a positive one and the group will try to build going into another three game week starting Tuesday in La Ronge.

“A real good effort against Battleford, a great effort last night, obviously tonight we come up short, overall, we are taking the strides, we are starting to play Hawks hockey, blue collar hockey in your face and we just have to continue,” he concluded.

Tuesday’s game is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Mel Hegland Uniplex in La Ronge.