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Maguire Ratzlaff (14) was one bright spot Tuesday for the Nipawin Hawks. The team lost 4-1 but Ratzlaff scored his third goal of the SJHL season. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)
Tough Tuesday

Hawks grounded at home against Estevan

Sep 21, 2022 | 9:03 AM

The Nipawin Hawks failed to follow up Saturday’s exciting home ice win Tuesday dropping a 4-1 decision to the visiting Estevan Bruins.

Nipawin Assistant Coach Levi Stuart said the game was a letdown after such an energetic performance in the win over Flin Flon.

“They weren’t mentally prepared, physically prepared, our feet weren’t moving, and we didn’t have near the energy we did for Saturday,” he said after the game.

Estevan opened the scoring in the first just after a Hawks’ penalty ended. The Bruins tacked on three more in the second before Nipawin broke the shutout bid of Cam Hrdlicka in the third period. Maguire Ratzlaff scored his third goal of the season on a powerplay.

Nipawin now has a record of two wins and a loss just a trio of games into the 2022–23 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL). The Hawks won’t have to wait for redemption against the reigning SJHL champions, Nipawin hosts the Bruins again Wednesday.

“This is our first big test in the sense to see what we’ve got, who’s willing to do it after a bad game,” Stuart said. “Everyone is going to have a bad game, but it’s how you bounce back right? We’ll see tomorrow.”

After Wednesday’s game Nipawin will be off until Sunday when they meet the Yorkton Terriers in Warman at the SJHL Showcase. They also meet the Bruins in Warman on Wednesday.

clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork