The Hawks celebrate their first win in North Battleford since 2020. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Bounce back

Hawks dim North Stars; split weekend series

Oct 8, 2023 | 8:19 AM

The Hawks picked up their first win in North Battleford since Jan. 8, 2020, Saturday beating the North Stars 3-1.

Seeking a weekend split with the Battlefords after the North Stars won 3-0 on Friday in Nipawin, the Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Ronan Buckberger and Eric Hoiness.

The North Stars cut the lead in half with a Carson Olsen goal, but Buckberger added another in the second, restoring the Hawks’ two-goal lead and the win. The 17-year-old defenseman said the team bounced back nicely on the road.

“It’s a big win, a step above .500, and get two points out of the weekend at least,” he said.

Buckberger, the reigning SJHL Rookie of the Week now has three goals and three assists in six games. After his first career two-goal game, the Saskatoon product said his teammates deserve the credit for his early season success.

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“The guys did a good job finding me and I just try to jump into the rush and use my instincts to find gaps in their team,” Buckberger said.

When the Hawks gave up too many gaps in their own zone, it was goaltender Damon Cunningham to the rescue. He stopped all 34 shots he faced; Olsen’s goal came on a North Stars power-play while Cunningham was in the dressing room with a skate issue. Tyson Endall had to enter the game and gave up the goal.

Justen Maric suffered the loss for the Battlefords after shutting out the Hawks on Friday with a 37-save performance. Buckberger said Nipawin was able to make it harder on Maric in the win.

“We just got into his eyes a lot, a lot of rebounds, kind of just crashed the net harder than we did on night one,” he added.

The Hawks will take Thanksgiving off and now prepare for a home-and-home series with the Humboldt Broncos starting Friday at the ‘Cage.’

“It should be a good test,” Buckberger continued. “Last year they beat us out of the playoffs so we’re going to be coming with some fury and be ready.”

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork