The Niverville Nighthawks were a step behind all night long on their way to falling 4–1 to the Winkler Flyers at home. With this loss, the Nighthawks remain in fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 30–16–3.
Winkler outshot Niverville by a 52–22 margin over the course of the night and it showed on the scoreboard.
The Flyers scored late in the first period, and then three times in the second period to lead 4–0 before the Nighthawks finally woke up and got on the board. Merik Boles scored his sixteenth goal of the season late in the second period to cut into the Winkler lead.
However, the third period was scoreless and the game ended with the Nighthawks finishing well short.
Niverville’s Austin Dubinsky stopped 48 shots in goal for the loss.
“Winkler dictated pace and control all night long, as we didn’t respond well with structure or intensity,” says Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst. “Those are both things we lacked tonight as it was in one ear and out the other.”
This game could be seen as a potential first round playoff preview, since Winkler is likely to be the Nighthawks’ opponent. Should this be the case, Hirst notes what his team needs to do better if they’re going to have any success against the Flyers.
“We have to play to our strengths and do what we do best,” says Hirst. “We didn’t do it tonight. We played tentatively, cautiously, on the perimeter, and we need to understand that we must be at our best every time we step on the ice.”
The Nighthawks are back in action with another home game on February 26 against the Portage Terriers. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
