It was a spirited start to the preseason for the Niverville Nighthawks, back on home ice in front of a bustling home crowd on Friday night at the CRRC.
With their new rookie lineup in place, the Nighthawks faced off against the Selkirk Steelers.
The game was packed with offence and gave the fans a lot to cheer about—and the dramatic result took a little longer than 60 minutes to reach, halfway into overtime.
Niverville got on the scoreboard first at the 12:35 mark with a goal from Kelby Diehl, with assists from Regan Anderson and Alex Ballard.
The Steelers answered back with a pair of goals, one unassisted and the other on the power play, before Nighthawks tied it up. The second home team goal was scored by Bryan Linklater.
Selkirk was the only team to find the back of the net in the second period, taking a 3–2 lead.
The offence came alive just 27 seconds into the third and final frame, with Anderson scoring on the power play; Linklater and Lane Apperley assisted. Five minutes later, the Nighthawks took back the lead after another counter from Mattew Bertolin, assisted by Kayle Pawklick.
But this was a seesaw affair, and Selkirk stormed back with two more goals of their own, retaking the lead.
The equalizer for the Nighthawks came from defenceman Brock Assailly, with a well-time assist from River Arnason.
In overtime, Niverville brought home their first preseason victory when Bertolin scored his second of the game. The final score was 6–5.
Exhibition games are an opportunity for coaches to see their latest prospects in action before settling on an official roster. On this night, two rookies stood tall in goal for the Nighthawks. Quinn Burfoot stood between the pipes for the first 30 minutes of play before being relieved by Joseph Bertram.
Another roster note: defenceman Noah Hudson of Niverville suited up for this game, an exciting privilege for any hometown player. Hudson has been auto-protected by the club since the spring.
“It’s a huge honour,” Hudson said earlier this year. “I’m really excited to be recognized by the Nighthawks. I’m just looking forward to the future.”
