Above: Flag Bearer Jack Wantzing of the 7/8 Roblin Park Raiders
It is only game one of a series many think will go well into the first week of April so it is a bit premature to write the obituary or press the panic button. We can dissect this one until the cows come home (sorry my Farming Friends) but nothing we say will change the outcome. Bottom line, and I believe the majority of the fans taking in this one would agree, is the fact that on this night, the Hawks were not as good as the Raiders. Consequently, it was the Raiders leaving the confines of the Eric Coy Arena with a 5 – 2 win and a one game to nil lead in the series. NUFF said!!!
The majority of the game had the Hawks in a catch and chase mode. Raiders opened the scoring at the 8:29 mark of the first period. At 10:50 of the same period, the Hawks would tie it up at one, compliments of a goal by AP Matt Lawrence, his first as a Hawk with assists going to line-mates Mike Lorange and Spencer Ferbers. Raiders would restore their lead early in the second stanza but less than 2 minutes later, Shane Kustra-Nelson, would continue his torrid playoff scoring spree with his 6th of these playoffs. Earning assists would be Shawn Pachet and James Najduch. The teams would head to the dressing rooms knotted at 2 goals apiece. At this point your Hawks were being outplayed, out worked and out shot 30 – 21. The roof really came crashing down on this series opener in the third. Raiders would score 3 unanswered PP goals and out shoot your Hawks by a 20 – 7 margin. YIKES!!!
It is a well documented fact that specialty teams play a critical role in determining the outcome of a game. That fact was re-enforced in spades tonight. Hawks were 0 for 4 on the PP and yielded 3 goals out of the 4 odd man opportunities afforded the Raiders. No question, this was the biggest difference in the game. Ben Thorlakson made 45 saves in the Hawk’s net and his counterpart at the other end of the rink, Ryan Brown, made 26 stops to record the win.
Hawks now have a few days off to reload and refocus before heading to the Seven Oaks Arena and game # 2. This one is scheduled for Sunday, March 26th and is a 2:30 p.m. start. See you there!!