The Hawks will look for their third straight win in NIpawin Friday versus the Battlefords North Stars. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW staff)

By Clark Stork

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The Hawks are back in action tonight in Nipawin with the Battlefords North Stars coming to town.

The black and gold are riding a modest winning streak after back-to-back home wins over Kindersley and Notre Dame last weekend. Head Coach Tad Kozun said the team is hoping to continue the momentum against the 2022/23 Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) champions.

We had a really good week building off what we did last weekend getting back in the win column getting wins at home. The best thing about it is we get to get right back out in front of our fans and continue to build,” Kozun said.

The Hawks started the season with a loss to Flin Flon at the Centennial Arena. Nipawin let a third-period lead slip away in La Ronge and had the Hounds down 4-0 after the opening two periods last Saturday and let Notre Dame bite back to make the final 4-2. Kozun said he would like to see more of a complete finish from the group.

“At least we’re learning those things by picking up a win,” he explained. “It’s a good thing when you learn those lessons now, you have to learn when you have to put a team away.”

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North Battleford has started the season with a couple of wins and three losses. The perennial powerhouse North Stars are in a minor rebuild coming off a dominant season a year ago, but Kozun expects a tough test both Friday at home and on the road Saturday.

“They are no slouch; they are a well-coached team as most in this league are. If you take a night off you will be on the wrong end, so we must make sure we’re ready to go,” Kozun concluded.

Faceoff is at 7 p.m. at the Centennial Arena.

Saturday’s rematch with the Battlefords is on CJVR beginning with the pregame show at 7:15 p.m. and puck drop at 7:30 p.m.

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clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork