The Nipawin Hawks (black and yellow) had some highs in the first half of the 2019-20 SJHL season but are hoping for more consistency in 2020. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

By Aaron Schulze

Hawks Mid-season

Mid-season review: Hawks aim to meet expectations in second half

Dec 23, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Heading into their final weekend of games before the holiday break, the Nipawin Hawks sat seventh in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) standings with 38 points (18 wins, 16 losses, two overtime losses) in 36 games played.

The Hawks are still postseason contenders. The top eight teams out of 12 in the SJHL earn playoff berths.

Still, compared to the 2018-19 season, the Hawks’ vibe has taken a 180-degree shift.

“It definitely hasn’t gone the way we wanted,” said Doug Johnson, Hawks head coach and general manager. “It’s almost a complete reversal. Last year, we were very happy and ahead of schedule, and this year we’re way behind where we thought we’d be.”

When northeastNOW conducted a mid-season review with the Hawks during the 2018-19 season, they were first in the SJHL standings with 56 points (27 wins, 10 losses, one overtime loss, one shootout loss) in 39 games. Last season’s success even took Johnson by surprise as he didn’t expect to be fighting for first with only six returning players from the 2018 SJHL championship squad.

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This season, 10 players returned. On paper, Johnson believes his Hawks are stronger this season, which makes the slower start more frustrating.

“Defensively, we’re not as strong; we’re giving up way more chances this year,” he said. “Goaltending has taken a huge hit; we’re not getting the saves we need. At the end of the day, guys aren’t competing and buying in, and that’s disappointing because that’s on [me and the coaching staff]. We need to make sure we do a better job of getting the guys ready night in and night out to compete and do what it takes to win at this level.”

The Hawks have surrendered 101 goals in 34 games (2.94 goals against average), ranked third best in the SJHL. But compared to the 70 goals against in 39 games last season (1.79) there is more to be desired. Offensively, they’ve scored nearly the same amount of goals as they did the year prior. The Hawks’ goals per game of 2.81 (101 goals) is 8^th in the SJHL, but only slightly higher than their 2.77 at the same point last season.

Some Hawks players, such as captain Jake Tremblay, Michael Makarenko, and Carson Erhardt have improved one season later – nearly matching or surpassing their point career high in point production. Defenceman Max Johnson and Western Hockey League veteran Zach Cox have also come in to produce.

The Hawks also made a flurry of trades in the first half of the season. In came defencemen Mkyllan Couture, forwards Cade Benson and Dawson McKenzie, and goaltender Dalton Dosch, and out went defenceman Dylan DiTomaso and Nathan McInnis, forwards Ethan Mack and Eric Sorensen, and goaltender Ethan Slobodzian.

Johnson doesn’t believe the Hawks’ chemistry is thrown off with all the trades. He cited their Canalta Cup championship season in 2018 when they brought in defencemen Gage Misskey and Wayde Johannesson, and forwards Christian Bosa and Tyler Adams all part way through the season.

In terms of making a second half push, Johnson mentioned how his 2011-12 Hawks were in the same position as his current team is. They were 17-17-3 before Christmas and went 17-3-1 in the second half of that season.

“The bright spot is we have a lot of talent on the team,” Johnson said. “We’re underperforming. That means there’s upside and we just have to make sure we bring it out of the players. There are still 22 games left in the year, that’s a lot of hockey. If we go on a 15-5 run, our season looks a lot better than it does right now, and this team is capable of doing that. We just have to go out and make sure it happens.”

The Hawks return to action on Friday, Jan. 3 when they host the Melfort Mustangs at Centennial Arena.

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aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow