The Nipawin Hawks are ready to once again salute their home crowd as the SJHL 2021-2022 season soon gets underway. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Becky Zimmer

Hitting the ice again

Hawks itching to get back in the cage

Aug 20, 2021 | 10:49 AM

With word of the September start in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL), the Nipawin Hawks are ready to hit the ice at Centennial Arena.

Head coach Doug Johnson said they put a lot of effort into getting some semblance of a season last year and did everything right.

However, teams across the SJHL were only allowed two months of game play before being shut down by the provincial government.

“During the actual season there’s no hockey transmitted cases. And we thought we were going along very well. Government even told us we did nothing wrong, but we got shut down.”

Johnson feels more sorry for the players, he told northeastNOW, especially the ones they never got to say goodbye to as they graduated out of the SJHL.

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As the new season approaches, Johnson wants to see a full 50 games plus a playoff run for the entire league and is now focused on preparing the guys for the upcoming season.

It has been an interesting offseason, he said, but has been keeping in contact with the players as best they can.

Anything can happen as they approach the Hawk’s hockey camp next weekend, Aug. 27–29 and until they are able to have a look at where the players are at, they won’t know what the players have.

“(We) put a lot of faith in our players, we believe in our players, we’re excited about them all coming in, but it’s been a long summer…if they didn’t put the time in, they’re not going to be able to compete.”

On top of it all, Johnson wants to see his players excited and willing to learn and be better.

“It’s always what can you do for me today, not what you did for us in the past.”

Johnson said he is excited to see all the fans back in the Hawks’ cage for the new season.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim