It wasn't the way the Humboldt Broncos would have liked to leave Nipawin. A 4-0 loss in the second game of a home and home pair in a three day span to start the season.


We also must remember that this Humboldt Broncos team has only had five games and three weeks to form any cohesiveness. They were also playing the returning Canalta Cup Champions with seven returning players including the goaltender of the year in the SJHL last year, and that's what he looked like over the last two games.


Declan Hobbs picked up right where he left off, stopping another 49 shots in a shutout performance Saturday night in The Cage.

The game after he stopped 39 of 40 in a 2-1 victory on Wednesday night. 87 of 88 shots he stopped over the two games for an unprecedented .988 save percentage. Surely those numbers will not hold up, but tough to argue the fact that if he wasn't in between the pipes that the Broncos might have came away as a 2-0 team as opposed to an 0-2 team. 


The first period started the same way as the Broncos home opener. Humboldt seemed to be controlling the pace in the early going. Forcing the early action towards Hobbs, in turn not allowing too much rubber to find Dane Dow. 


At the end of twenty minutes it was none different than in Humboldt, as both teams would take to the dressing rooms tied at one. 


The second period rolls around and once again it was the home team that found the score- sheet early into the middle frame. Christian Bosa one of the returning players on the Hawks would enter the zone with speed and fire a shot over the glove of Dow for the games opening goal. From there the Hawks were able to utilize the momentum from the crowd at The Cage into two more goals. Both coming on the powerplay and both courtesy of Arik Brteton, after rebounds bounced off Dane Dow and into the slot where the forward was untied.


The third period added the 4th and final goal for the Hawks off the stick of Carson Erhardt along with another litany of shots that were turned aside from Declan Hobbs. 


No matter how you want to categorize the first two games of the season. Shot attempts and offensive zone time have favoured the Broncos.

Pair that with a less hot goaltender and more time to fine tune the little things. You'll find yourself in the win column more often than not.