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Hawks collect trio of SJHL awards

Mar 6, 2018 | 7:00 AM

Three members of the Nipawin Hawks, including the team’s head coach, are among the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s (SJHL) annual award winners.

The league announced the winners Sunday afternoon, naming Doug Johnson the back-to back winner of the coach of the year award. The eight-year coach and general manager of the organization said the entire town deserves to share the credit.

“I’ve always said this is an organization award than an individual award,” Johnson told northeastNOW. “We’re not doing it without the staff, the board, the billets, everybody in Nipawin.”

Johnson has led the club to a Sher-wood division championship this season, and can lock down the top spot in the standings with a victory Tuesday over La Ronge at the Centennial Arena. The coach of the year award is the lone honour voted on by peers, which Johnson said makes the award extra special.

“When your peers recognize you, it means a little more,” he said. “Each community has its own advantages and challenges, but at the end of the day we all go through the same thing day after day so it’s nice that way.”

Prince Albert product Josh McDougall has put together a season to remember, leading league defenseman in scoring with 72 points. McDougall, 19, will attend Mercyhurst University next year, but will leave the league as the top defenseman. He said being named the top player at his position is nice.

“It’s pretty cool to be recognized among other players in this league. I was proud to accept it,” he said.

McDougall is a three-time defenseman of the month and earned that honour among weekly winners numerous times. He has the most points for a defenseman since Humboldt’s Brady Wacker had 82 in 2008. He said everything has went well in his second full season.

“I just tried to play my best, be my best, and it turned out to be a really good year,” McDougall said.

Nipawin netminder Declan Hobbs was named the co-winner of the goaltender of the year with Kindersley’s Justen Close. Hobbs has posted a 21-4-1-2 record with three shut-outs and a goals-against-average of 2.17. The 19-year-old said his teammates helped him collect the honour.

“It’s pretty cool feeling,” he said. “I couldn’t have gotten the award without my teammates, but when everyone is on the same page, that’s when individual success comes out.”

Nipawin has two games remaining in the regular season, taking on La Ronge Tuesday and the Battlefords North Stars March 9.

 

clark.stork@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @ClarkStork