The male U18 Pembina Valley Hawks are mired in a four-game losing skid after dropping a trio of games this past week.
After being edged 4-2 by Eastman last Thursday in Steinbach, the Hawks didn’t fare any better on home ice in Morden as they fell 3-2 and 5-3 to Parkland Saturday and Sunday.
Koen Bleznuk went above and beyond to keep Pembina Valley in the game against Eastman, as the Selects outshot the Hawks 58-28 including 23 in the final frame alone.
Carson Hiebert scored for the Hawks in the second period to even things up at 1-1. Casey Magarrell then did the same partway through the third to make it 2-2. Eastman got the winning goal just 13 seconds later and then put it away with an empty netter.
Pembina Valley led 2-1 after 40 minutes against Parkland Saturday, but the Rangers tied it up early in the third and then got the extra point when they connected for the winner 4:52 into overtime.
Hiebert and Cole Secord scored for the Hawks. Shots on goal were 39-38 in favour of Parkland, with Bleznuk taking the loss between the posts with 36 saves.
Allowing a pair of power play goals made the difference in the second game Sunday as those markers helped propel the Rangers to a 4-2 lead after 20 minutes.
Secord, Hiebert, and Magarrell scored for Pembina Valley, while Bleznuk stopped 30 of 34 shots before Parkland put it away with an empty net goal. Total shots on goal were 44-36 in favour of the Hawks.
Pembina Valley now sits in eighth place at 18-13-1-1 for 38 points. They are three back of Parkland and Southwest and five in front of Yellowhead.
After visiting Eastman Tuesday, the Hawks were scheduled to head to Brandon Friday and then to Shoal Lake for a weekend doubleheader with Yellowhead.
