The Niverville Nighthawks gave the fans at the CRRC a treat on Friday night as they swiftly dismantled the Winnipeg Blues by a 5–1 score. With the win, the Nighthawks stay in fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 14–9–1.
Niverville took it to Winnipeg right from the opening puck drop, scoring three goals in the first couple of minutes from Ty Kennett, Brett Tatatyn, and Brendan Bottem. The Blues got one back later in the first period, but that’s as close as they would come.
Bottem and Tataryn each added their second goals of the game in the second and third periods, respectively.
Raiden LeGall stopped 26 shots in goal for the Nighthawks. The rookie netminder now improves to 7–4–0 on the season with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
“I would say we kept it simple,” said Bottem. “We got pucks in deep and had a good forecheck. We scored a bunch of goals in front of the net tonight, and if we want to be successful moving forward we have to keep scoring near the net.”
Bottem was happy that he was able to get on the scoresheet against the Blues with two goals and an assist.
“It’s always a great feeling to score and contribute to the team. I haven’t scored in a few games, so it was nice to see a couple hit the back of the net.”
Bottem originally started the 2023–24 season with the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL, but after nine games he decided to come back to Niverville and join his old team.
“I am super happy to be back in Niverville,” said Bottem. “This is a very special place to me, and it’s always amazing playing in front of the best fans in the MJHL. Everything has been going great so far since I have been back. We hit a little bit of a losing stretch recently, but we are trending back in the right direction and looking forward to making a run with this group of guys.”
The Nighthawks are back in action tonight with another home game against the Dauphin Kings. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.
