The Nipawin Hawks went head-to-head with the Flin Flon Bombers at the Whitney Forum Saturday in SJHL action. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Saturday Night Hockey

Hawks’ comeback falls short in Flin Flon

Feb 5, 2023 | 4:07 PM

The Hawks did all they could Saturday to try and upset Flin Flon and former teammate Harmon Laser-Hume, but a late surge fell short and Nipawin lost 4-3.

Playing their first game since Jan. 28, the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) club travelled to the Whitney Forum for the first time since Sept. 17. The Hawks started strong jumping out to a 1-0 lead just three and a half minutes into the game, Braxton Buckberger bounced in a rebound past Laser-Hume for his 18^th goal of the season.

The lead didn’t last long due to penalty problems for the Hawks. The Bombers couldn’t capitalize during a five-on-three power-play, but Cory King tied the game on the one-man advantage.

Nipawin retook the lead early in the second period, Finley Radloff shovelled a rebound for his second career SJHL goal. More discipline issues haunted the Hawks allowing Flin Flon to score three straight goals and take a 4-2 lead going to the third period.

The Hawks didn’t quit and fired 16 shots on the Bombers’ net in the third, Joel Mabin beat his former teammate for his 14^th of the season, but Nipawin’s comeback fell short. The 19-year-old Lethbridge, Alta. product felt his team deserved a better fate.

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“That’s a good team over there and being able to outplay them most of the game feels pretty good,” he said after the game. “It’s not the outcome we wanted but we definitely outplayed them I thought.”

Despite being outshot 18-12 in the first period the Hawks finished with 40 attempts at Laser-Hume who made 37 stops in the win. Nipawin’s Damon Cunningham shined as well making 31 saves in the loss.

Mabin went back to that lapse in the last half of the second period as a major factor in the Hawks’ third straight loss.

“Our emotions kind of got the best of us and we weren’t being the most disciplined team and that team’s got a pretty good power-play so it kind of hurt our momentum a bit there but it was a good bounce back in the third,” he said.

The Bombers top-ranked power-play scored twice on four attempts, Mabin’s goal came while Nipawin was on the man advantage, Buckberger’s first period tally also came during a power-play, and the Hawks had four chances.

Nipawin will now prepare for a three-game southern road trip that begins Thursday in Notre Dame against the Hounds.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork