For the first time ever, the HCI Mohawks boys soccer team are provincial champions.

The Mohawks blanked John Paul Collegiate of North Battleford 4-0 in Saturday's provincial final in Yorkton.

Coach Kaitlin Prokosch says that being able to win the way they did left everyone on the team in jubilation.

"It was absolutely fantastic. Everybody was super pumped. The boys were ecstatic that they had won the provincial championship, especially beating out Sacred Heart in the second round, that was the icing on the cake."

Prior to Saturday, the boys soccer team had only appeared in one provincial final previously - a loss to John Paul in 2009. 

Prokosch says that the team felt great to be able to get some redemption for Mohawks of the past.

"Last time they got this close, it was against North Battleford again, and so this time we were able to win to take home the provincial title."

In the lead up to provincials, the Mohawks had entered regionals as an underdog. They were seeded fourth out of four teams, which put them up against the top seed from Moose Jaw Central immediately.

After winning the regional final against Notre Dame, HCI was ranked fourth heading into the provincial championship, which after defeating Regina Luther, put them up against the defending champions.

Prokosch says that the rankings never really phased the team in a positive or negative way.

"They did what they had to do. They were a little nervous having to go up against Sacred Heart, but they gave it their all," she explained. "It helped that some of the players knew players from Sacred Heart and knew how they played, so it helped that they were able to get in their head and help us win that game."

Sacred Heart defeated HCI in the regional semifinal last year before going on to win provincials. They had appeared in three straight finals prior to the Mohawks knocking them off.

The Mohawks were also victorious in their league this season, defeating the previously unbeaten Middle Lake Avengers in the final.

Prokosch says that having to play in a tough league certainly helped shape the identity of the Mohawks as a team.

"If we were to play weaker teams all throughout the season, the boys would go in there with a way different mindset than they did," she said. "They know that anytime we go up against Lake Lenore or Middle Lake, that they give us a run every single time, so that helped in making sure that they kept going hard all the time."

The Avengers won the provincial 1A championship, defeating Lake Lenore 2-0 in the final. Combined, the two schools have made 11 provincial final appearances since 2005.

With a roster of 18 players, the future looks bright for the Mohawks as well, as they are only losing four players to graduation.