The Nipawin Hawks face-off against Kindersley on Tuesday at the Centennial Arena for the final time this SJHL season. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Playoff Push

Hawks host Klippers to begin busy week

Feb 28, 2023 | 4:45 PM

The Nipawin Hawks are back in action Tuesday following a split of their home-and-home weekend series with the Humboldt Broncos when the Kindersley Klippers visit the Centennial Arena for the final time this Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season.

Recapping the weekend in a potential playoff preview Hawks Head Coach Tad Kozun was pleased with his team’s effort against the SJHL’s second place team while losing top defenceman Zander Stewart and Captain Maguire Ratzlaff to injury.

“We battled back in both games, obviously lost two key pieces to our team. It didn’t seem to bother us one bit which was nice to see. To go one and one missing those guys and just the way we competed and battled back in both games I like where we’re at right now,” he said.

The Hawks begin the week at home before three straight games on the road including Wednesday in Melville, Friday in Flin Flon, and a matinee game in Melfort on Sunday. Kozun said with just six games to go every game is crucial and the Hawks can’t look past a resurgent Klippers club following the departure of Head Coach Ken Plaquin.

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“We were in that situation last year when you let a coach go,” he said. “All of a sudden you start playing a little freer, guys are playing for jobs, you don’t really have anything to lose at this point. We must make sure we’re ready.”

Nipawin is 11 points ahead of Notre Dame for the final playoff position, the Hawks are two points up on Weyburn for seventh with six games remaining. The Red Wings also have a half dozen games left, the Hounds have eight more to play.

Kozun is confident the team will clinch a playoff position at some point, however with an outside shot at sixth place [Estevan is six points ahead of Nipawin] every game is important even if Kindersley isn’t going to the postseason.

“These points are obviously huge for us. We want to make sure we’re playing our best hockey come playoff time. It’s all about locking up that position now,” Kozun added.

Face-off at the ‘Cage’ is at 7 p.m.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork

by Clark Stork

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Hawks host Klippers to begin busy week

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