The Mitchell Hawks continue their journey to make their 50th season a special one.
Finishing second in the Pollock division with 47 points, the Hawks have as good an opportunity as they've ever had to win the division. They have explosive offense, a steady and reliable D core, and great goaltending. Head Coach Kory Dietz says depth and a focused, 200-foot game from everyone has been their biggest contributor to success so far. That will need to continue for a championship, and to get by the Goderich Flyers in the first round.
On offense, there's little reason to worry about scoring goals. Mitchell boasts the top 2 scorers in the Pollock Division, as Derek Elliot won the scoring championship with 69 points in 34 games, and Nathan Templeman put up an amazing 50 points in just 25 games. Blake Pickering finished tied for 3rd with last year's scoring leader Lauchlin Elder of Walkerton with 47 points in 35 games. In all, Mitchell had 6 players put up 30 or more points. The depth is there with Drew Gross, Quinten Haddock and Chace Duckworth, and captain Tyler Pauli is completely healthy after earlier injuries limited him to 26 games. This group will be a handful for any opponent.
Mitchell gets no weaker along the blue-line, with a steady group of veteran players who can put up points, but prefer to play a solid stay-at-home game. Garrett James put up 24 points in 32 games, and alongside Mackinnon Hawkins 17 points, the Hawks can add offense from their D. But the stout, smothering defensive acumen of those two, plus the physical play brought to the fold by Luken Van Pelt and Trevor Skinner, with hard-nosed Chad Lemire and Jamie Shoemaker, the Mitchell D has championship calibre.
In net, there are no worries as Graeme Lauresen turned in a great season, appearing 20 times and going 14-5-1, with a .906 save % and 2.47 GAA. He doesn't need to be all-world to take this team all the way, just good, which he's definitely more than capable of. If for some reason Lauresen struggles or gets an injury, Wyatt Nicholson is more than capable of taking up starting duties. In 16 appearances, he posted 9 wins and an .893 save %, alongside a 2.88 GAA. He can fill in without issue should the Hawks need him.
For more on the upcoming playoffs, listen to Head Coach Kory Dietz:
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