EAST CENTRAL — The beginning.
The Nipawin Hawks shut out Sherwood Division rival the Melfort Mustangs twice to sweep their home-and-home series. The Humboldt Broncos fell in regulation and in a shootout in their series with the Notre Dame Hounds.
Throughout the preseason, coaches throughout the league have preached that championships are not won in September.
So, while none of the local SJHL squads claimed rings last weekend, they kicked off a long season that could lead to one of them possibly hoisting the Canalta Cup.
“The boys gave it their all and battled hard,” Humboldt head coach Scott Barney said. “Obviously, there is some fine tuning we need to do this week and watch some video on areas we need to improve our game.”
With the two victories, Nipawin head coach Doug Johnson achieved the Hawks franchise record for career wins with 300. He surpassed Bruce Thompson, who Johnson played for in Nipawin in the 1990s. It was quite the weekend for Johnson and the Hawks, including homegrown rookie Davis Chorney.
“It was an incredible experience to play the home and home series,” he said of taking on Melfort. “Playing against our rivals in my hometown could not have been better! My uncle held the win record before Doug took it over and it’s great to be a part of that. Doug is a great coach and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
On opening night, 951 fans were at the Centennial Arena to watch the Hawks receive the 2019 Sherwood Division banner. They earned that banner with stingy defence, strong goaltending, and opportunistic offence. The Hawks employed a similar blueprint to succeed on the weekend.
The Hawks triumphed 3-0 on Friday. The next night, in a Northern Lights Palace with 1,081 fans, the Nipawin team once again won 3-0.
Newcomer Ethan Slobodzian recorded both shutouts for the Hawks. The 20-year-old from Mount Hope, Ont. stopped 25 shots on Friday night and 26 on Saturday. Slobodzian had previously played junior hockey in Ontario, Alberta, and Manitoba. Through two games he has not allowed a goal in the SJHL.
Like last season, the Hawks received offence from various sources on the weekend. Five players combined to score the team’s six goals. Veterans Jake Tremblay, who had two goals, and Carson Erhardt each had three points.
For the Mustangs, 20-year-old goalie Shawn Parkinson, in his second season with the team, stopped 55 of the 60 shots he faced. The team will be looking for increased offence from their young, talented forwards when they hit the ice this week.
In front of 1,304 fans at the Elgar Petersen Arena, the Broncos fell 4-1 on opening night to the Notre Dame Hounds. Both teams scored in the first period and could not light the lamp in the second. In the final frame, the Hounds exploded for three goals.
The game was a special night for the Broncos as Ryan Straschnitzki returned to Humboldt for the first time in more than 500 days and Graysen Cameron took the ice for the home opener wearing the captain’s “C”. Both players are survivors of the April 6, 2018 bus crash that claimed 16 lives. They were among the 13 injured. Straschnitzki is paralyzed from the chest down. Signed with Adidas, he is pursuing sledge hockey. After a season away from competitive hockey, Cameron has returned to the Broncos.
The next night in Wilcox, the teams were scoreless in the first period. Notre Dame scored in the second period. In the third, newcomer Tristan Shewchuk found the back of the net to tie up the game. In a shootout, both of the Hounds shooters were able to score, while the Humboldt pair could not.
