It took an extra 45 minutes, but the Nipawin Hawks left Humboldt with a 3-1 series lead following a 6-5 triple overtime win over the Humboldt Broncos on Wednesday.

Brandan Arnold scored 5:44 into the third overtime period as the Hawks took advantage of a penalty against the Broncos, ending the game.

"It's unfortunate we let it slip away in the third period with a couple of mistakes, and it bit us in the butt," Head Coach Darcy Haugan said following the game. "This one hurts for sure."

After trailing 3-1 to the Hawks early in the second period, the Broncos rattled off four straight goals to take a 5-3 lead into the second intermission.

Nipawin scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the third period to eventually send it to overtime.

Logan Schatz, Logan Boulet, Kaleb Dahlgren, Nick Shumlanski, and Conner Lukan had the goals for the Broncos, while Jacob Wassermann was in goal for 53 saves.

Despite the loss and a now 3-1 series deficit, Haugan says that they'll be right back to work on Thursday looking to put their best foot forward for Game 5.

"Our mindset never changes here. We need to take care of tomorrow. Come to the rink, get treatment, try to be better tomorrow, and get ready for Friday."

He added that with a series that has been played tight in all four games, they aren't going to roll over for the Hawks.

"They have to beat us one more time, and I like our group. Obviously, this one stings, but we have to put it behind us. You keep playing until they tell you you're done, and that's the mindset we have to have. We can't ever quit, and we have to be persistent."

Game 5 will be on Friday in Nipawin at 7:30pm. If the Broncos are successful in Game 5, they would return home for Game 6 on Sunday at 7:00pm.