Nipawin Hawks still hungry after championship season
Repeating back-to-back championship victories is a challenge in any sport, let alone for a Junior A hockey club, where teams can quickly go from contenders to rebuilders and vice versa in a few years.
But it seems someone forgot to tell the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).
Since 2005, the SJHL has had five clubs pull off the repeat. The Humboldt Broncos, La Ronge Ice Wolves, Yorkton Terriers (twice), and more recently the Melfort Mustangs, have each achieved the feat. If the odds were ever in the Nipawin Hawks’ favour to retain the Canalta Cup, this would be it.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, they won’t have the same roster to contest those odds, with only seven players returning from last year’s squad. Doug Johnson, head coach of the Nipawin Hawks, told northeastNOW his team will have to replace some of the production that’s gone, including their top six scorers and top defenceman.