Hawks Fall At Home To Avros
The Hawks welcomed the Winnipeg Avros to Morden on Friday night. It was the Hawks first game since the league wide week long break. Madison Froese got the start in net for the home team.
The first period was a very even one with both teams having several good scoring chances. It was the Avros who capitalized on two of their quality chances, to jump out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
The Avros widened the lead in the second when their top line dominated a shift down low in the Hawks zone and scored a nice goal to make the score 3-0 after 40 minutes.
The Hawks were finally able to get on the board early in the third while on the powerplay. After a minute of good puck movement where every Hawk player touched the puck, Rylee Harms moved it down the wall to Mia Brass. Brass fed Bree Pearce behind the goal line and Pearce moved it behind the net to Payton Manness. Manness walked out and fired a great shot past the Avros goalie from a tough angle. The Avros responded five minutes later to restore the three goal lead. Late in the third, the Hawks found a second goal. Sophia Cox created a turnover at her blue line and the puck sprang out to Sinead Convery. Convery started the rush and moved the puck to Casey O'Brien on her right. O'Brien crossed the Avros' blue line and fired a hard wrist shot over the goalie's shoulder to collect her sixth of the season. Any momentum the Hawks gained from the late goal was quickly squashed by the Avros who added two more goals in the next 30 seconds to put this one to bed.
The final score was 6-2 for the Avros with their top line accounting for five of the goals and combining for 13 points. Manness was chosen as the player of the game for the Hawks for her relentless effort and strong net front presence. The Hawks will look to right the ship on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Central Plains Capitals in Portage at 2:45pm.
Go Hawks
Hawks Storm Back In Third, Fall Short In Shootout
The Hawks were at home Wednesday night to face the Central Plains Capitals. It would be the Hawks last game before the league black out for U18 Nationals. Hannah Bannister was given the start in this game.
The opening period was a dull affair with neither team able to generate much in the way of quality chances. The Hawks enjoyed a 9-6 edge in shots, but the period ended scoreless.
The second period saw the Hawks fall behind as Central Plains scored a goal early in the period and add another with just over a minute to go. Despite outshooting the Capitals 18-14 through 40 minutes, the Hawks were behind by two goals. You had the feeling from watching the game that the Hawks would have a push, as they were certainly the team taking the initiative.
The third period was dominated by the hosts. They outshot the Capitals 14-3, but it took them a while to get back into the game. While on a powerplay, the puck moved around the outside nicely. Claire Boyd and Sophia Cox helped to set up Casey O'Brien, who walked out from behind the net and fired home the Hawks first goal of the night. Despite the Hawks' relentless push, the Capitals regained their two goal lead when a winger was left all alone in front off a defensive zone draw and made no mistake to make the score 3-1, with just under six minutes to play. Just past the five minute mark, Sinead Convery collected a clearing attempt from the Capitals in the neutral zone. Convery made a nice escape and carried the puck into the Capitals' zone. She handed the puck off to O'Brien, who fired home her second of the game from long range, to once again draw the Hawks to within a goal. The Hawks pulled their goalie and were rewarded with an equalizer in the final minute. Convery collected the puck behind her net and made a good outlet pass to Payton Manness. Manness turned the puck up ice onto the stick of Mia Brass. Brass found Cox with a head of steam through the neutral zone. Cox crossed the blue line and fired an innocent looking shot towards the net and it somehow found its way home to tie the game at three.
Overtime settled nothing, so it was off to a shootout. The Hawks sent Manness and Cox out and they were both denied. Central Plains scored on one of their first two attempts. O'Brien needed to score to extend the shootout and she did just that with a great move to the backhand. The third shooter for the Capitals walked in a fired one right upstairs to end the game. The Hawks named Convery as player of the game for a solid defensive performance, for making several great escapes and smart passes, including setting up the second goal. The Hawks will have over two weeks off before welcoming the Winnipeg Avros to Morden on Friday, November 14th at 8pm. The Hawks will be looking for a better result than their last meeting with the Avros that ended in an 8-0 defeat.
Go Hawks!
Hawks Can't Keep Up With Selects
The Hawks welcomed the Eastman Selects to Morden on Saturday afternoon. The Selects were riding a strong wave of victories after going 4-0 at the NIT and not allowing a single goal against in the process. Madison Froese got the start in net for this one.
The opening period was a good one for the Hawks as they kept the Eastman chances to a minimum and they even opened the scoring. Makayla Warnick moved the puck to her defence partner Rylee Harms who moved it down the wall to Claire Boyd. Boyd's effort on net deflected off an Eastman defender and past the Selects' goalie, to open the scoring. Sadly for the Hawks, it was all downhill from this positive start. Eastman tied it on the powerplay and then took the lead for good late in the first.
The Hawks battled hard all game, but Eastman was just too strong as they outshot the Hawks 33-3 in the final two periods and ended up winning the contest 6-1. Skyla Hildebrand was chosen as player of the game for her solid two way effort. The bright spot on this day came from the Hawks team fundraiser. The proceeds from the 50/50 sales, as well as the team bake sale, went to South Central Cancer Resource. All told, the team will be giving a cheque in the amount of $1,367 to this wonderful cause. Thank you to everyone who helped the Hawks achieve this successful donation.
The Hawks are back at it Wednesday, October 29th when they host the Central Plains Capitals for a 7:30pm puck drop in Morden.
GO Hawks!
Hawks Earn Third Straight Regular Season Win, First In Regulation
The Hawks hosted the Central Plains Capitals Friday night in Morden. Madison Froese has recovered from the lower body injury that forced her out of the previous game and was making the start in goal.
The opening period started slowly, but the Hawks got a big offensive night started just eight minutes into the game. A good forecheck by Casey O'Brien helped get the puck to Bree Pearce behind the Capitals' net. Pearce cycled the puck back to O'Brien who one touched a great pass to Sophia Cox just outside the blue paint. Cox capitalized for her second of the season, giving the Hawks the lead. CP tied the game on a great individual effort by Lins just under two minutes later. The Hawks reestablished the lead late in the first. Sinead Convery took a pass at the point and fired a shot towards the net. It went off Leah Klassen in front and then a scramble ensued. Payton Manness took a few whacks at the puck, before finally getting it past the goalie to make the score 2-1 Hawks.
The second period belonged to the hosts. They extended the lead in the very first minute of play. Cox and O'Brien did some good work in the offensive zone to set up Claire Boyd in front of the goal. Boyd's effort trickled home to double the Hawks' lead. Boyd added another, seven seconds into the Hawks' first power play of the game. The Hawks won the draw and Delaney Darby moved the puck accross to her defence partner Ella Victor. Victor let a shot go that was redirected by Cox right to Boyd, who potted her third of the season. The Capitals pulled one back at the halfway point of the period, but O'Brien finished off a beautiful team passing play to end the second. From their own zone, Pearce moved the puck up the wall to Manness. Manness went cross ice to Convery who took a few strides with the puck before hitting a streaking O'Brien in stride behind the defence at the far blueline. O'Brien went top shelf to collect her third of the season.
The third period was all Capitals, depsite the Hawks getting an early four minute power play. The Capitals outshot the Hawks 12-3 in the final period, but could only get one goal past Froese, who made several spectacular saves on the evening. The Hawks added a late empty net goal when O'Brien won the draw in her own end back to Darby. Darby fired the puck around the wall to Boyd, who chipped it off the boards into the neutral zone. Cox used her speed to win the race to the puck and slid it into the empty net to make the final score 6-3. Cox was named player of the game for opening and finishing the scoring and for her solid play on the wall all game long.
The Hawks will have a quick turnaround as the always dangerous Eastman Selects come to Morden Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm. The Hawks are hosting their annual bake sale to raise money for Cancer Care. Bring your wallets and your sweet tooth to tomorrow's game.
Go HAWKS
Hawks Have Up and Down Day Two at NIT
The Hawks showed some great heart in game 3 of the NIT event. Hannah Bannister got the start in net. The Hawks controlled the play for most of the game, but found themselves behind thanks to a couple of great goals by the Dallas Stars Elite team. The Hawks pulled one back late in the second. Claire Boyd moved the puck to Casey O'Brien behind the Dallas net. O'Brien found an open Delaney Darby who stepped into the high slot and fired a great shot to the top corner. Dallas reclaimed their two goal lead early in the third. The Hawks didn't quit and continued to battle right to the last whistle. With just over a minute left, Mia Brass and Chase Braun did some good work on the forecheck. Brass found Braun alone in front and she capitalized to give the Hawks life. They pulled Bannister for the extra attacker and found the game tying goal with 30 seconds to play. Rylee Harms moved the puck to her defence partner Mackenna Steeves, who fired a good shot towards a swarm of bodies in front of the net. A juicy rebound was collected by Boyd and sent the bench into a frenzy when she buried the rebound. The Hawks were rewarded for their great effort as they worked hard the entire game. Boyd was named player of the game for buzzing in the offensive zone all game and collecting a couple of points.
The second game of the day saw the Hawks face the Anaheim Lady Ducks. They started really well getting the game's first goal. The line of Casey O'Brien, Sophia Cox and Claire Boyd stayed hot. The trio were all involved in a nice low to high play that led to an excellent O'Brien chance. The goalie made the first save, but O'Brien found her own rebound and capitalized. Unfortunately for the Hawks, it was all downhill from that point. They gave up seven consecutive goals, lost starter Madison Froese to a lower body injury and were frustrated by some chippy play from their opponents. Bannister was solid coming into a game in a tough spot and Payton Manness was chosen player of the game for her usual strong play at both ends of the ice.
The Hawks head north Sunday and will resume regular season play next weekend. They welcome the Central Plains Capitals to Morden Friday night at 8pm and then they host their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Bake Sale Fundraiser on Saturday at 4:30pm when the Eastman Selects come to town.
Go Hawks
Hawks Drop A Pair On Opening Day Of NIT
The Hawks are in Minnesota for the 2025 Tradition NIT hockey tournament. This is a huge event with teams from all over North America. The Hawks were matched up against the New Hampshire Mountain Cats Academy and the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes on day one.
The opening game was a back and forth affair with the shots being even at 23 apiece in the end. The Hawks just couldn't solve the Mountain Cats' goalie. The final score was 5-0 and Rylee Harms was chosen as player of the game. She blocked several shots and started the rush on a handful of occasions with heads up break out passes
The second game was a better one for the Hawks, but they once again struggled to find the back of the net. Carolina took advantage of a few odd man rushes to take a commanding lead. The Hawks did manage to score their first goal of the event exactly halfway through the third period. From a defensive zone faceoff, the Hawks gained possession. Bree Pearce chipped the puck out of her zone and Casey O'Brien collected it in the neutral zone. O'Brien found Sophia Cox who had raced up the ice to make it a two on one. Cox made a nifty deke to the backhand and tucked the puck home. The Jr Hurricanes added an empty netter to make the final 5-1. Player of the game was Chase Braun for her relentless effort for the entire game.
The Hawks will be back on the ice Saturday at 12:30pm when they face the Dallas Stars Elite and again at 8:50pm when they face the Anaheim Lady Ducks.
Go Hawks
Hawks Earn Second Consecutive Shootout Victory
The Hawks welcomed the Westman Wildcats to Morden on Sunday afternoon coming off a huge shootout victory the previous day over the Winnipeg Ice. Madison Froese got her fourth start of the season in net. The Hawks acknowledged Wildcats Hadley Robertson and Callie Franklin who helped the host Central Energy U15 fast pitch team win the silver medal at the Canadian Championships this summer in Morden/Winkler. They teamed up with current Hawks; Payton Manness, Sinead Convery and Bree Pearce to accomplish that incredible feat this summer.
The Hawks opened the scoring in this game just over halfway into the first. Claire Boyd was very strong on the wall in the Wildcats' zone to knock the puck loose to Delaney Darby. Darby moved the puck to Casey O'Brien who drove into the slot and fired a great shot top shelf to open the scoring. The Wildcats evened the score with just over a minute to play in the first as they capitalized on a strong forecheck to create the scoring opportunity.
The second period was all Westman as they scored two nice goals to take a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. The first was a great deflection off a point shot and the second was a very smart back door power play goal with three and half minutes to play in the second. The Hawks were worried this game was slipping away, as not only were they down two goals, but they were getting badly outshot 24-12 through two.
To their credit, the Hawks showed up in the third to earn themselves at least a point in this game. Just before the eight minute mark, Darby broke up a play in her own zone and moved the puck to Sophia Cox. Cox chipped it out the zone to O'Brien who moved up ice, cut into the slot and fired her second goal of the game over the Wildcats tender's shoulder. The Hawks tied things up with just over two minutes to play. They were on a power play and Manness and Ella Victory were moving the puck back and forth on the left half wall. The puck found its way over to Rylee Harms and her point shot went off a Westman leg and deflected into the net, giving Harms her first goal as a U18 Hawk.
The game went to overtime and started with the Wildcats on an almost full two minute power play. Froese made several big saves and got some luck with a few pucks directing off the iron. At the end of overtime, the score remained 3-3 and Froese had made 40 saves heading to the shootout.
The Hawks elected to shoot first and Manness scored a beauty backhand deke to put the Hawks in the driver's seat. The first Wildcat shooter missed the net, Mackenna Steeves was denied and the second Wildcat shooter lost control of the puck as she went to make her move. This set the stage for O'Brien to win the game. She moved in slowly and then quickly moved the goalie side to side and flicked a great backhand up under the bar to set off the victory celebration.
Froese has 42 saves on the afternoon, her second game in a row with 40 plus stops. O'Brien was chosen as player of the game for her strong physical presence and for scoring two massive goals and adding the shootout winner.
The Hawks will be heading south of the border next weekend to compete in the NIT event in Minneapolis. Good luck girls.
Go Hawks!
Hawks Earn First Win Of Season
The Hawks welcomed the league's top team to Morden on Saturday afternoon. The Winnipeg Ice were fresh off a mid week shootout win against the Eastman Selects to become the only remaining undefeated team in the league with a 5-0 record. Madison Froese got the start in goal for the hosts.
The opening period was a back and forth affair that saw both teams score two goals. The Ice opened the scoring just over five minutes into the game with a slick three way passing play. Before the goal could be announced, the Hawks had tied the score. Sophia Cox chipped the puck out of her zone and Casey O'Brien collected it with speed crossing the Ice blueline. O'Brien's effort was stopped, but Claire Boyd was there to bury the rebound and collect her first as a U18 Hawk. The Ice regained the lead just over a minute later, but the Hawks tied it up with less than five minutes to play in the first. Payton Manness and Rylee Harms worked a nice give and go at the Ice blueline. Manness slid the puck over to Makayla Warnick who fired a wrist shot into the top of the net, to get her first as a Hawk.
The second period was controlled by the Ice. They outshot the Hawks 12-5 and managed to grab the lead on a great power play deflection, just past the seven minute mark.
The Hawks tied things back up early in the third. Delaney Darby jumped all over an Ice turnover at their own blueline and ripped a great shot top corner to get her first of the season unassisted. The Ice poured it on for the rest of the game, outshooting the Hawks 18-3 in the third and also hitting at least three posts, but they couldn't reclaim the lead.
This game needed overtime, but neither team could score, so it went to a three round shootout. The first four shooters had no luck, including Mia Brass and Darby for the Hawks. O'Brien mishandled the puck entering the zone on her attempt, but regrouped and tucked a nice backhand deke past the Ice goalie to give the Hawks the advantage. The Ice's third shooter scored a very nice goal to extend the shootout. Manness was next up for the Hawks and she fired an absolute laser under the bar to put the Hawks in a position to win it for a second round in a row. Froese stood tall against the Ice shooter, making her 44th save on the night to secure the Hawks first win of the season. Froese was a well deserving choice as player of the game for her amazing effort
The Hawks are right back at it Sunday afternoon when they welcome the Westman Wildcats to Morden for a 2:30pm puck drop.
Go HAWKS!!!
Lightning Rain On Hawks Home Opener
The Hawks were in Morden Sunday afternoon for their regular season home opener. Madison Froese got the start in net against the winless Interlake Lightning. In fact, the Lightning hadn't managed to score a single goal in their first three games, so the Hawks knew they'd be coming out strong to change their fortunes.
The Hawks started this game out on the right foot. They outshot the Lightning 7-4 in the first and scored the only goal of the period. Mackenna Steeves worked a give and go with Mia Brass at the offensive blue line. Steeves wristed a shot towards the goal that Casey O'Brien deflected towards the goalie. A rebound resulted and Sophia Cox jumped all over it to put the Hawks ahead.
The second period saw the Lightning find the back of the net for the first time this season. They won a puck battle below the Hawks goal line and snuck a nice wrap around effort past Froese to tie the game just over a minute into the frame. The Lightning added a second on a very slick end to end rush by Bragg. The Hawks tied the score just over a minute later. A nice zone entry with speed by Leah Klassen created the opportunity. Klassen's speed created space for Bree Pearce who took the puck behind the net and found Delaney Darby open at the blue line. Darby's attempt on goal was deflected by Payton Manness in the high slot. Pearce had the first crack at the rebound and after her attempt was stopped, the puck fell to Klassen, who finished the sequence she'd started, by jamming home the loose puck.
The Lighting showed great character by coming out to start the third with more jump and grit than the hosts. Their efforts were rewarded with two goals. The first came from an offensive zone faceoff, as they were quicker to find the rebound from a point shot. The second was just a result of their forwards wanting the puck more than our players off a turnover and they took a 4-2 lead with just under ten minutes to play. The Hawks did have a late game surge, but couldn't generate any further goals. Claire Boyd was chosen as player of the game for supporting her defence and for her usual solid all around work ethic.
The Hawks will be back in action next weekend with two home games. They welcome the Winnipeg Ice on Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm and will round out the weekend against the Westman Wildcats on Sunday at 2:30pm. The Hawks will be eager to get their first win of the season.
Go Hawks
