The Nipawin Hawks are back on the road Saturday in SJHL action. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Back on the ice

Hawks hit the ice for first time in 2026; on the road vs. Ice Wolves

Jan 3, 2026 | 12:08 PM

The Nipawin Hawks will return to action Saturday as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) ramps up in 2026.

Hitting the ice for the first time since Dec. 20, the Hawks travel to La Ronge to tangle with the Ice Wolves. This will be the fifth of eight meetings between the division foes; Nipawin has won all four to date including two on the road. The Hawks are coming off a 5-0 win over the Melfort Mustangs prior to the Christmas break. Over December Nipawin dealt with plenty of injuries and sickness including a postponement of a game against La Ronge on Dec. 17. Nipawin managed to work through the adversity and sit third overall in the SJHL. Head Coach Tad Kozun said his group has battled and are getting healthier.

“Well, we have 20 guys practicing this week,” Kozun joked as preparations for the Ice Wolves continues. “We had some resilient players, especially the last week before the break, managing a split with Melfort including a dominant home ice win to close 2025, I am extremely proud of this group.”

The players returned from the break on Dec. 30 and have been practicing this week to get back into their regular routines in Nipawin. Kozun said Friday’s practice was excellent and his players are excited to get playing again.

“It’s been two weeks since we played, of course the guys appreciated going home and seeing family and friends. Now that the second half is here, we need to get back at it and dial in. We are happy with how the first 30 games went, but we definitely aren’t satisfied with where we are at. We believe we built a special group; it’s time to get to work,” he said.

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The Hawks will be without Brendan Olson, the 20-year-old forward is with Team SJHL at the Viking Cup playing for a gold medal Saturday night in Camrose, Alta. The ice Wolves will be without goaltender Graham Brown as well, the 2005-born netminder is also a member of Team SJHL.

Faceoff at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre is 7:30 p.m. The pregame show of Nipawin Chrysler Dodge Hawks Hockey begins at 7:15 p.m.