(Clark Stork)

By Clark Stork

Penalties kill the Hawks again

Penalties kill Hawks chance at win

Nov 14, 2021 | 12:15 PM

For the second straight game penalty problems were the Nipawin Hawks demise as the team dropped a 4-1 decision in North Battleford Saturday.

Coming off Friday night’s matchup against the Notre Dame Hounds that saw Nipawin give up five powerplay goals against, the Hawks allowed all four goals against versus the Stars all while shorthanded. Head Coach Doug Johnson said on the postgame show of Nipawin Rona Hawks that

“I think our penalty kill has been pretty darn good this whole year, I don’t understand what happened,” he admitted. “We were okay five-on-five but its in spurts. Five minutes in the third period I don’t think they’ve seen our end; we get the goal and things are going our way. Then we start fumbling and trying to get fancy, right now we can’t play fancy.”

Joel Mabin scored his fifth goal of the season for the Hawks shortly after a third period powerplay for Nipawin. They finished 0/3 on the man advantage while the Stars were a perfect 4/4.

Nipawin falls a game below .500 with the loss, they sit at 8-9-2 on the season, good enough for eighth place in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League standings. The club opened the season with four straight wins however they have sputtered winning just three in their last 11. Johnson said the team needs to play a simpler game to be successful.

Made in Saskatchewan

Find My Plus One: The Canadian App for Getting Out and Living Your Best Life

Mar 09, 2026

Riderville

Ask Not for Whom the Ed Hervey Tampering Window Opens!

Feb 02, 2026

Seniors Scene

New Year - New Habits

Feb 02, 2026

“There is no excuses or explanations now, the mistakes were making there’s no excuse for them. The unfortunate thing is we can’t sit guys out right now, we don’t have enough healthy bodies. We’re playing guys in situations they shouldn’t be in, that’s not a recipe for success. Injuries happen to every team, but we need to battle through,” Johnson said.

Both Josh Morton and Zander Stewart moved up to play forward from their customary defense positions due to Friday’s injuries to Kye Whillans and Rylan Lefebvre. Both centremen will miss time with injuries.

Chase Hamm suffered the loss in goal making 32 saves on 36 North Battleford shots. Michael Harroch turned aside 33 of 34 Nipawin chances.

The Hawks will host Weyburn on Tuesday at the Centennial Arena. All tickets for the game are just $5. Nipawin will also host the Stars on Friday and travel to Humboldt Saturday to cap a busy week. Johnson said the club will regroup Sunday and get ready for Tuesday’s contest.

“I think it will be good, we will play a few games, we will bring some forwards in for Tuesday night to get some guys in better situations to succeed. When everything clicks for us, we can be as good as anyone in the league,” he said.