Kozun gets first win; Hawks snap winless skid

Dec 12, 2021 | 3:26 AM

The Nipawin Hawks are back in the win column and Tad Kozun has his first win as a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) coach.

Looking for their first win since Nov. 26, the Hawks clawed into the Battlefords North Stars in the opening period and never looked back. Jake Smith scored his fourth goal of the season to open the scoring. Nipawin was hosting their Teddy Bear Toss Night and Food Drive for the Salvation Army. Smith’s tally instigated a barrage of bears onto the Centennial Arena ice surface. Four-year Hawk defenseman Cole Beamin scored his first of the year giving the home team a 2-0 lead.

Brody Wilson notched his sixth of the year early in the second period making the game 3-0. The goal proved pivotal, the North Stars answered shortly after cutting the lead to 3-1, but Chase Hamm and the Hawks preserved the lead. Beamin fired his second of the night into the empty net of the Battlefords while they had an extra attacker. Beamin said after the game the victory was for their new interim coach.

“We played for ourselves, and we played for him,” Beamin said. “He’s been really good for us; he’s got our backs and we’ve got his.”

The win snapped a five-game winless streak dating back to an overtime win in Melville. Responding with a comfortable win over the North Stars, a club that has beaten the Hawks 4-1 and 5-2 this season, Beamin said the team feels great after an energetic victory.

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“It feels awesome, all the guys played good, and everything got rolling for us. We worked hard. That’s what we need to do to win and that’s what we did tonight,” he added.

Chase Hamm made 25 saves in the win, his ninth of the SJHL season.

Nipawin jumped a place in the standings and now sit in ninth place. The Hawks are four points back of the Yorkton Terriers, the club travels to Yorkton Tuesday looking to avenge a 1-0 shootout loss on Nov. 27. Beamin said if the players need to be prepared for a critical game as the Christmas break looms.

“Yeah, Yorkton’s a big game,” he admitted. “I don’t know the exact standings, but I think they are a few points ahead of us. It’s a big game and if we play like this, I think we can do it.”

Faceoff on Tuesday is 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on Saskatchewan’s New Beach Radio beginning at 7:15 p.m.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork

by Clark Stork

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Kozun gets first win; Hawks snap winless skid

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