The Hawks had their three game point streak snapped in Weyburn Friday losing 6-2 to the Red Wings on Friday.
Special teams was the determining factor in the result, Nipawin allowed three shorthanded goals and a pair of power-play markers. Coming into the game the Hawks had been almost perfect on the penalty kill and the man advantage units were trending up, but as Assistant Coach Levi Stuart said after the game, special teams were the deciding factor in a negative way.
“Special teams have been the difference maker for us in these last few games and we knew it was going to be the same story here tonight,” Stuart said on the postgame show. “It just comes down to execution, want to and will to.”
Rookie blueliner Landon Pappas scored his first career Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) goal in the loss, Braxton Buckberger added his fifth. Damon Cunningham made 30 stops in the loss.
Nipawin travels to Estevan Saturday to meet the Bruins for the first time this season. Affinity Place has not been kind to the Hawks in the regular season of late, Nipawin has lost eight straight games in Estevan not counting the playoffs dating back to January of 2017. Stuart said earning a win Saturday will be another step forward for the club.
“For our group here, the guys that were here last year it’s a place we didn’t get a win in. We’re definitely looking to break that and go in there and bounce back to how we were playing last weekend and get back to Hawks’ hockey,” Stuart concluded.
Faceoff is 7 p.m., the pregame show of on CJVR begins at 6:45 p.m.