Hawks face Swift Current Blades in playoffs

The Under-15 Maple Creek Hawks played their last regular season game against the Swift Current Capitals on Sunday.

With the regular season over, the Under-15 Maple Creek Hawks can now focus on the playoffs.
In the three-game series they will face Swift Current Blades. Dates and times will be announced soon.
Judging by past results, it is a winnable series for the Hawks. However, they will still have to bring their A-game to prevail ­– and perform much better than they did against Swift Current Capitals on Sunday, according to the coaching staff.
In that last regular season game, the Hawks lost 4-1 at Maple Creek Skating Rink.
“We are hoping for a lot better outing in the playoffs than tonight,” said Dave Cunningham, the head coach.
“We had a horrible start and a horrible finish. Nobody showed up to play. I don’t know the right things to say … it was kind of a lacklustre effort today from our guys.”
The performance contradicted the form that the Hawks had showed so far in February.
They had won their previous four games, two of them against their playoff opponents: February 4, 4-0 against Swift Current Blades (home); February 5, 4-3 against Wood River (away); February 7, 5-1 against Swift Current Blades (away); February 12, 4-3 against Swift Current Capitals (home).
Yes, that last victory was against a team they found so difficult to play the following day.
“We definitely can play better hockey,” said Kent Hanna, assistant coach. “Today was kind of an exception.”
Assessing the season, Cunningham and Hanna gave the Hawks a seven out of ten.
“We had a good November, a pretty bad month after Christmas, and a pretty good month after that,” said Cunningham. “So, we had a good start, poor middle, great finish.
“We went 4 and 1 over our last couple of weeks, so we are hoping to carrying that form into the playoffs, with a little better effort than today.
“Our team are much better than they performed today.”
“Much better,” Hanna agreed.
Cunningham believed the Hawks could have secured a first or second spot in the U15 division in the Southwest Saskatchewan Hockey League, had they maintained their early season form.
“We are now looking forward to a good playoff series,” he said. “It’s up to the players, put it that way.”

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