The Nipawin Hawks had their year-end awards banquet on Saturday. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Hawks Honours

Hawks handout hardware at awards banquet

Mar 18, 2024 | 1:12 PM

The Nipawin Hawks officially concluded their season with their annual awards banquet Saturday at the local Legion Hall.

The team finished the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season with a record 22 wins, 29 regulation losses, and five losses in either overtime or a shootout and missed the postseason by four points.

The team handed out 12 awards honouring the seasons several of the players including Nipawin product Finley Radloff who was named the team’s first star and top forward. He said being recognized by his teammates as the team’s best player up front is an honour.

“It really does mean a lot, having the guys recognize me is a good accomplishment for myself, but I also couldn’t do it without my teammates,” he said.

The first star award was the most points accumulated during the three-star selections at Hawks games this year. Radloff added to have his name on a couple awards for his hometown team is special, however the 18-year-old hopes there’s more to come.

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“Even guys like Tad [Kozun, Head Coach] on those awards, just to see what he’s done in his past. Hopefully I can get to the point he got to,” Radloff added.

Rookie netminder Tyson Endall was a two-time winner as well taking home the ‘For the Love of the Game Award’ in honour of Joel ‘Goobs’ Verklan and the Fan Favourite Award. The 18-year-old netminder said being recognized for his fun-loving nature means a lot.

“It’s not all about hockey; I love having fun and I love everything here,” he said. “I want to thank the Verklan family, that’s a huge award for a pretty awesome person.”

Other winners include:

Third Star – Maguire Ratzlaff
Second Star – Evan Forrest
Top Scorer – Evan Forrest
Clark J Froehlich Community Service Award – Maguire Ratzlaff
Unsung Hero – Luke Chase
Rookie of the Year – Eric Hoiness
Top Defenceman – Liam McInnis
Most Valuable Player – Damon Cunningham

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

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