With the Niverville Nighthawks fighting for their place in the MJHL playoffs, this past weekend was a huge opportunity for them to grab 4 points and inch towards their first-ever postseason appearance.
The Selkirk Steelers entered Saturday’s contest in Niverville only 1 point behind the Nighthawks for the 4th place spot in the MGEU Eastern Division. Niverville had lost their previous 5 games at home and were desperate for a win in front of their home crowd.
The CRRC was packed for the Saturday night contest and the home team started off hot with Gavin Gunderson and Ty Kennet each scoring in the first 4 minutes of play, giving the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead after 1 period.
In the second period, Selkirk battled back and found success on the man advantage when Ty Smith scored at the 5:16 mark. Ethan Brown and Lucas Brennan each grabbed assists on the play. The Steelers looked to get back into the game with some nice defense and some well-executed rushes up ice, but the Nighthawks had other plans.
Ethan Whillans helped the Nighthawks regain their 2-goal lead heading into the 3rd and then scored again early on in the final frame making it 4-1 Niverville. Whillans’ 2nd goal on the evening was scored on the power play and kickstarted a string of special teams goals for the Nighthawks after the Steelers got into some penalty trouble. Carter Spirig also scored his second goal of the night on the man advantage, and Evan Bortis joined in with a PP goal making it 6-1 Niverville. Braden Panzer helped make it 7-1 in favour of the Nighthawks just over halfway through the 3rd and the home team finished the contest in a solid 7-2 team win.
The third frame was a tumultuous one considering the feisty nature of two teams battling for their playoff hopes, but the Nighthawks avoided any major setbacks and put an exclamation point on a much-needed win. Chris Fines was solid in net, stopping 23 of 25 attempts while Hunter Tarves of the Steelers made 34 saves after facing 41 shots.
The Nighthawks didn’t have much time to dwell on their victory as they were to take on the Winnipeg Blues on Sunday afternoon. Winnipeg trailed the Nighthawks by 9 points for the 4th and final playoff spot, so they were in search of a much-needed win, as Niverville hoped to pad their lead over both the Steelers and Blues.
The Nighthawks came out strong and Brendan Bottem gave the home team an early lead after he buried a shot past Blues netminder, Brock Moroz. The goal came 1:58 into the first period as Ty Kennet and Gavin Gunderson gathered assists and continued their strong play on the weekend.
The Blues tied things up about 5 minutes later when Thomas Kaufield found the back of the net and the period ended in a 1-1 draw.
The middle frame was a good one for the Nighthawks as Ty Kennet scored twice, adding to his weekend total for 5 points in 2 games. Ethan Whillans, Desmond Johnson and Brendan Bottom were credited with assists on the goals while Dane Couture made key saves throughout the period, keeping the Nighthawks ahead 3-1 after 40 minutes.
In the 3rd, Winnipeg came out firing as Thomas Kaufield scored his second of the game and all things pointed to a furious finish as the Blues were within 1 and the score 3-2. Dane Couture continued his strong play, holding the fort in net while the Nighthawks' defense battened down the hatches for the duration of the final period. Couture finished with 32 saves on 34 shots and Brock Moroz of the Blues made 29 stops on 32 attempts.
Overall the Nighthawks played some good hockey, stayed out of penalty trouble, and capitalized on the man advantage over the weekend. Ty Kennet, Carter Spirig, and Ethan Whillans each had multi-goal games for Niverville, and the goaltending duo of Fines and Couture made some game-changing saves along the way. Niverville has shown they can play with anyone in the league and if they hope to make an impact in the offseason, they’ll need a strong effort from the entire squad. As of now the Nighthawks sit 5 points up on the Steelers in the 4th place position (MGEU Eastern Division) and hope to keep things rolling as they head into their upcoming schedule.
Niverville hosts the Neepawa Titans Wednesday night and then take on the Dauphin Kings for a weekend home & home series.