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Hawks soar to silver at U18 Tier 2 provincials

Coach “proud of the boys” for not quitting after “tough” first game

ATHABASCA – The Athabasca U18 Hawks rode a rollercoaster of emotions hosting the eight-team U18 Tier 2 Provincial Championships March 30 to April 2 at the Regional Multiplex.

Their tournament started with an opening-night, 12-1 blowout loss to the La Crete Lumberjacks, a defeat that nearly ended their weekend before it even got started. But following that punch to the gut, the Hawks rebounded with a 9-5 win over the Beaumont Braves March 31, then a 7-5 victory over St. Paul Canadiens April 1 in Pool ‘A’ of the round robin that propelled them into the Sunday-morning semifinal versus the Hanna Colts, a club who had gone 2-0-1 in Pool ‘B’.

And as they had done following the opener, the Hawks played stellar hockey and cruised to a 4-1 victory to set up a rematch with the Lumberjacks, a club that went 3-0 in Pool ‘A’ and had tallied 24 goals for and have only given up three — in the other semifinal La Crete steamrolled Edson 5-0.

Hawks coach Brad Sakowich said that the first game blowout was a needed burst of adversity to kick things back into gear after close to a month-long hiatus.

“We knew we needed to win two out of three games, so losing that first one, everything became about winning. You lose again and you’re out,” he said.

“These are such great kids, they’re such great leaders themselves. We (the coaches) knew it was unacceptable, and they knew it in their hearts. They found it within themselves to play how they needed to play.”

In the Sunday-evening final, the stands were packed 15 minutes before puck drop, and the players matched that energy right from the opening face-off. Although the Lumberjacks struck first, the Hawks didn’t wither and went on to take a 2-1 lead by the end of the first period.

But as they’d done all weekend, the Lumberjacks were able to find another gear and turn the tide in the second and go up 3-2, then add two more in the third period to score a 5-2 win.

Sakowich said that the boys “played to their capacity,” which is all the coaching staff could ask for.

“I’m very proud of the kids, they did all we ever asked them to do, we’re all very proud of them,” he said.

Looking back on the year, Sakowich couldn’t have been prouder of his club as they finished second in the Northern Alberta Interlock 2-3 league, with a 12-3-5 record, and a second-place finish after losing to Edson in the playoffs.

The Hawks had nine third-year players, a fact that wasn’t lost on anyone during the weekend tournament. When asked if he had a message for the boys that have aged out of the program, Sakowich told them to “never quit.”

“In life you can’t quit. It doesn’t matter if you’re on a job, or wherever you are, you can’t quit. Always do the best you can until the end, and that’s what they did.”

Cole Brennan, TownandCountryToday.com

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