Above: Flag Bearer Mark Maskiw of the 7/8 Roblin Park Raiders

It was anticipated that game # 3 could very well be the best game of the series and both the Hawks and Raiders delivered on that prophecy. Just like the two previous encounters, this game had it all. There were plenty of quality scoring opportunities and narrow misses for both teams, there were big saves, slick plays and crunching body checks. This series definitely has brought out the best in both teams. There is little doubt this is playoff hockey.

Your Hawks would open the scoring early in this one. Only 1 minute and 36 seconds had ticked off the clock before Nolan Sekundiak would give the Hawks an early advantage with an assist going to Shane Kustra-Nelson. Six minutes later, the Raiders would respond and the teams would vacate the slippery surface knotted at one. Another quick start, this time with only 1 minute and 28 seconds played, Dylan Zeke would put his teammates up a goal with help from Shawn Pachet and Zach Heisinger. That would be the only goal of the second frame. With a little less than 4 minutes to play in the third, Captain Mike Lorange would give the Hawks some breathing room with an assist being credited to Shane Kustra-Nelson, his second of the game. These no quit Raiders would pot one with only 14 seconds remaining to make things a little discomforting but that would be all the scoring done on this night. Make the Final, Hawks 3 – Raiders 2. Raiders lead the series 2 games to 1.

Raiders would out shoot the Hawks by a 42 – 32 margin. Ryan Hall would stop 40 of those Raider shots to record the “W”. His counterpart, Ryan Brown, would stop 29 Hawk drives and would be charged with his first loss of these playoffs. Specialty teams in this one were dead even. Both the Hawks and Raiders were afforded 4 PP’s each and neither team could take advantage of their odd man advantages.