The Niverville Nighthawks put on a clinic on Sunday afternoon at the CRRC with an 8–2 demolition of the Swan Valley Stampeders. With the win, the Nighthawks stay in second place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 4–1–0.
For the second straight game, the Nighthawks put on a splendid performance for the home crowd. On the way to gifting every ticket holder with free pancakes from the Niverville Smitty’s—a perk that happens every time the Nighthawks score six goals or more at a home game—they outshot their opposition by a 46–24 margin.
The Nighthawks scored once in the first period, three times in the second, and four in the third period.
Luke Wagner and Adam Vigfusson led the way with a pair of goals apiece, while Matteo Speranza, Lane Apperley, Evan Panzer, and Carter Spirig all pitched in tallies of their own for Niverville.
“I’d tend to think that this year’s team is a little more of a tight-knit group than last season and are playing a lot more as a group, which is great to see early in the season,” says Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst.
Niverville’s Austin Dubinsky stopped 22 shots in goal for his first win as a Nighthawk. It was also his first start in net.
“We loved Austin’s performance today,” Hirst adds. “It was important to see him in game action and he did very well today.”
The Nighthawks are back on the road on October 4, taking on the Virden Oil Capitals. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
“To get ready for the weekend, we’re going to work on our first reactions off faceoffs and defensive structure on the attack when the opposing teams are in full control,” says Hirst. “It’s just some of the little details that need to be continually worked upon for us to get better as a team.”
