After spending three weeks away from the CRRC, the Niverville Nighthawks returned home Sunday evening and gave their fans plenty to cheer about. Just two nights after seeing their 16-game winning streak snapped in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Steinbach Pistons, the Nighthawks bounced back in a big way, routing the Virden Oil Capitals 11–2.
It was the second time in team history the Nighthawks have scored 11 in a game. In the 2023–24 season, the Nighthawks beat the Winnipeg Freeze 11–3.
Evan Panzer stole the spotlight with a four-goal performance while linemates Calyb Moore and Ryken Arran each recorded four points. The trio combined for 12 points on the night. In total, eight Nighthawks finished with multi-point games.
From the opening puck drop, the Nighthawks played like a team with something to prove. The lingering frustration from Friday’s loss to Steinbach was evident. Unfortunately for the visiting Oil Capitals, they were the ones to absorb it.
Niverville buried four goals in a span of just 3:40 before the game was seven minutes old, then added three more to take a commanding 7–0 lead into the first intermission.
Panzer opened the scoring less than three minutes in, burying a rebound off a setup from Moore. Moments later, John Scott finished a pass from newcomer Renat Nhanieiev, who recorded his first point in front of the home crowd.
A fortunate bounce led to a 3–0 marker from Hayden Wheddon, who capitalized after collecting a loose puck at the side of the Oil Capitals net and beating a surprised Braxton Burdeny.
Virden called a timeout, but it didn’t help, and just over a minute later Panzer deflected in his second of the period off a perfect feed from Ryken Arran, chasing Burdeny from the Virden net.
Panzer completed his hat trick midway through the period with a glove-side rocket on relief goalie Micky Gross. Twenty seconds later, Moore extended the lead to 6–0 with a perfectly placed shot over the glove as well.
Merik Boles capped off the Nighthawks’ most explosive period of the season when he found a loose puck at the blue line, walked into the slot, and fired a shot blocker-side to make it 7–0.
The scoring barrage continued in the middle frame, where the Nighthawks struck four more times. Captain Adam Vigfusson scored twice to reach 15 on the season, Scott added his second of the game, and Panzer buried his fourth to stretch the lead to 11–0 through 40 minutes.
Virden tallied a pair of late goals in the third, but the damage had long been done. With the win, Niverville improved to 23–1–0–1 on the year and have now collected points in 17 straight games.
Goaltender Austin Dubinsky stopped 33 of 35 shots, improving his record to 18–1–0–1.
After the loss on Sunday night, the Nighthawks had their first taste of adversity in almost two months. Head coach Dwight Hirst was pleased with how his team bounced back following that emotional overtime defeat.
“Yeah, it’s a good response,” Hirst said. “You lose a game to one of your rivals in overtime in a full barn with an electric atmosphere and you wonder if there will be a setback, but I thought the boys handled it well.”
He also praised the team’s blistering start.
“The first 10 minutes was one of the best starts I’ve been involved in with a hockey team in a long time.”
Niverville’s line of Panzer, Moore, and Arran dominated the night, combining for a massive 12-point effort. Hirst credited their tempo and work ethic.
“I thought their energy is what gave them the opportunity to have the game they had,” he said. “A guy like Evan, it’s nice to see him have some puck luck because he’s been around it of late, and it was nice to see him rewarded. I thought that line was dynamic tonight.”
He also pushed back on the notion that Niverville is a one-line team.
“Everybody’s saying we’re kind of a one-line team, but our depth scoring has really come through as of late. It’s opportunities for those players to step up, and they have.”
Moore extended his point streak to four games with his four-point effort, recording three goals and 10 points in that span. After weeks on the road, Moore says he was excited to be back in front of the Niverville faithful.
“We’ve been away for a while, so it’s nice to get back on home ice in front of our fans and get a big win like that,” Moore said. “It’s not every day you get to put up 11, so I think the big thing is to enjoy it for tonight, then flush it and be ready for Selkirk on Tuesday.”
Moore also praised the chemistry of his line.
“I think the big thing is our line has a lot of speed and consistent effort every shift. We make a lot of good plays, and it just comes easier after that.”
The busy stretch continues for the Nighthawks, who hit the road on Tuesday night for a date with the Selkirk Steelers. Niverville then returns home Wednesday night when they welcome the Portage Terriers to the CRRC. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
See below for an exclusive interview with Calyb Moore.