The Niverville Nighthawks earned a point on Sunday night but weren’t able to pull through in extra time as they fell 3–2 in a shootout to the Virden Oil Capitals. With the loss, the Nighthawks stay in fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 22–13–3.
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Virden got on the board midway through the second frame to open the scoring.
In the third period, Niverville scored twice early on to jump out to a 2–1 lead with goals from Matthew Bertolin and Matteo Speranza.
However, the Oil Capitals would not be dismayed and tied the game shortly after to send the game to overtime.
Overtime solved nothing. In the shootout, Virden scored once to win the game 3–2.
Niverville’s Austin Dubinsky stopped 37 shots in goal for the loss.
“I was happy that we clawed out a point in a night when we are clearly a step behind, as it was our third game in four nights,” said Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst. “We were not only physically tired, but mentally tired as well. We need to mature into what makes us better when our feet are not matching the mental approach. Puck management and clarity in our structure needs to step up at times when our physical and mental readiness isn’t there. And learning to be uncomfortable when you’re not comfortable is where we need to find ways to win when we can’t bring the energy needed to play our game.”
Next up on the schedule is a rematch against Virden, this time on the road on January 17. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
