The Nipawin Hawks surround goalie Damon Cunningham after making 34 stops in his SJHL debut on Wednesday in La Ronge. 9Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Dynamic Debut

Hawks tame Ice Wolves; Cunningham crucial in win

Jan 12, 2023 | 12:08 PM

The Nipawin Hawks edged the La Ronge Ice Wolves 3-2 Wednesday on the strength of Damon Cunningham making 34 saves in his Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) debut in the Nipawin net.

Looking to pick up their second road win of the 2023 calendar year, Nipawin started fast at the Mel Hegland Uniplex scoring just under four minutes into the game. Carson Dobson scored his 12^th goal of the SJHL season and first of the night giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

La Ronge tied the game before the first period was over, Liam McInnes scored his first goal of the year after returning from a lengthy injury.

The Hawks soared out of the dressing room for the second period padding their lead to 3-1, F.X. Bedard beat Ice Wolves’ goaltender Dawson Smith for his seventh goal of the campaign, Dobson bounced his second of the game past Smith for the game-winner.

Cunningham allowed a late goal while Smith was on the La Ronge bench for an extra attacker but held on for the win in his first career Junior ‘A’ start. The 18-year-old Sturgeon County, Alta. product was quick to credit his teammates after the win.

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“The boys made it really easy for me tonight, they played unreal in front of me. We got off to a really hot start in the first period. They let me feel the puck, and then I got into it after that. It was fun,” he said.

Nipawin reached out to Cunningham on Dec. 23 after Lowen Kenyon left the team. Cunningham was playing in the Kootenay Interior Junior Hockey League in Sicamous, B.C. He said getting his “Christmas wish” and joining a junior ‘A’ team has been fantastic.

“It’s been awesome, the guys here are awesome, and they have really welcomed me onto the team,” he added.

The Hawks will now regroup and get set to host Melville on Friday at the Centennial Arena. With a secure position in the playoffs for now, Nipawin begins a five-game run with three teams all trying to close the gap. Cunningham said the club will simply focus on itself going forward.

“I think everybody is riding high right now,” he said. “We believe in each other and ourselves. We believe we can make some noise.”

Face-off on Friday is 7 p.m.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork