Koch SUPERU – Change the Way You Grow
Dave Leaderhouse
For the better part of the last decade the Nipawin Hawks have been somewhat of a goaltending factory with numerous netminders having secured NCAA Division 1 scholarships.
The most recent in that production line is Ross Hawryluk and with the incumbent starter in the Hawks’ goal having moved to Western Michigan since play was stopped in November due to the Covid-19 crisis, the door has been opened for recently-turned 19-year-old Chase Hamm to pick up the torch when play resumes.
The 5-foot-9, 167-pound Saskatoon product got into just one game prior to the stoppage in play and while his 20-save performance wasn’t enough in a 2-1 setback to the Kindersley Klippers on the final night of play, his play did put the Hawks on notice that he is ready for a bigger role with the team in the future.
Hamm made the move to the north-east part of the province after three solid seasons with the Saskatoon Contacts of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League. Hamm had a 20-8-0-0 record in his 28 starts with the Contacts during his final season of midget eligibility posting a 2.66 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. Hamm also saw action in six playoff games where he lowered the GAA to 2.60 and increased the save percentage to .920.
Those numbers were all dramatically higher from the previous season when he had a 3.41 GAA and .900 save percentage in 27 starts as a 16-year-old. His freshman season with the Contacts saw him get into 14 games and despite having a 4.51 GAA and .860 save percentage the door was open for him to move into a bigger role with the team in the future.
Finding himself in a similar position now with Nipawin, Hamm will certainly benefit from a defensive-minded system consistently turned out by the Hawks. With two more seasons of junior eligibility remaining after this unusual campaign, Hamm will have plenty of time to make a statement to become the latest goalie in the Nipawin system to secure a solid future both as a player and as a student.