After a five-day layoff, the Niverville Nighthawks showed no signs of rust Tuesday afternoon in Winnipeg, erupting for six third-period goals to defeat the Winnipeg Blues 8–2.
The contest marked the beginning of a challenging stretch for Niverville, who will play seven straight games away from the CRRC.
As has been the case in all four meetings between the teams this season, the Blues kept the game tight through two periods before the Nighthawks pulled away late.
Calyb Moore led the offensive charge with two goals, while 13 different Nighthawks collected at least a point as Niverville captured its tenth consecutive victory.
The Nighthawks wasted little time opening the scoring. Just 26 seconds into the contest, Parker Carrier fired a shot from the left wall that beat Blues goaltender Kannen Kirkwood, giving Niverville a 1–0 lead. The goal was Carrier’s fourth of the season, and his first in 21 games.
The score remained unchanged until the final five minutes of the opening frame. Beckham Garchinski threaded a perfect pass to Hayden Wheddon on a breakaway. Although Wheddon was denied, Jake Demone pounced on the rebound and buried it to double the lead. Demone has two goals on the season and has points in four straight games.
Winnipeg responded late in the period when Aiden McDonald found a loose puck in the slot and snapped it blocker-side past Ben Chornomydz, cutting the deficit to 2–1 heading into intermission.
The second period featured strong goaltending at both ends, but the Blues managed to tie the game just over five minutes in. McDonald picked up the puck at the red line, beat a Nighthawks defender at the blue line, and ripped a glove-side shot from the right circle to make it 2–2.
The game turned decisively in the third.
Just over two minutes into the final frame, Wheddon sent Adam Vigfusson in alone, and the Nighthawks captain beat Kirkwood blocker-side for what would stand as the game-winning goal. The assist marked Wheddon’s league-leading fortieth of the season.
Only 22 seconds later, Evan Panzer extended the lead. After keeping the puck in at the blue line, Panzer worked it to Marlen Edwards, who fed Panzer behind the net. Panzer was able to tuck a wraparound past Kirkwood to make it 4–2.
The onslaught continued at the 7:36 mark when Loik Leduc notched his seventeenth of the season. Carrier found Leduc along the right wall, where he danced around a defender, stepped into the slot, and snapped a shot over Kirkwood’s left arm. The goal was Leduc’s fifth in five games.
Moore added his first of the night on an odd-man rush with just under eight minutes remaining, wiring a shot from the right circle over the glove to make it 6–2.
Moments later, Edwards intercepted a clearing attempt at the blue line, skated into the left circle, and rang a shot off the post and in. The goal capped a three-point night for Edwards, who extended his point streak to five games and has recorded at least one point in every game since joining Niverville on January 6.
Moore completed the scoring in highlight-reel fashion with a short-handed breakaway goal, stripping the puck after a faceoff, beating two defenders at the blue line, and finishing with a backhand to seal the 8–2 final.
The Nighthawks have now scored eight or more goals in four of seven games since returning from the holiday break. With the win, Niverville improves to 34–2–1, while the Blues fall to 10–23–3.
Between the pipes, Ben Chornomydz was once again stellar, stopping 30 of 32 shots to improve to 10–0 on the season. He has allowed two goals or fewer in every one of his ten starts. Kirkwood finished with 38 saves.
Niverville will enjoy another four-day break before resuming their road trip Saturday night in Dauphin, where they’ll face the Kings.