It was a chippy Sunday afternoon at the CRRC as the Nighthawks fell short in a tough 5–2 loss to the Dauphin Kings. With the loss, the Nighthawks stay in fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 21–18–4.
“Their goalie was great, but we weren’t nearly smart enough today,” said Nighthawks head coach Kelvin Cech. “We played dumb and took too many penalties, and were trying weird stuff that didn’t work for us. So it was not nearly good enough tonight.”
The Nighthawks had lots of chances throughout the game but failed to capitalize, which let Dauphin in the door.
Dauphin scored once in the first period and three times in the second period to jump out to a 4–0 lead after 40 minutes.
In the third period, the Nighthawks found their game a bit and scored a couple of goals, but it was too little too late. Hayden Wheddon and Josh Paulhus scored for the Nighthawks.
Dane Couture stopped 27 shots in goal for the Nighthawks.
Despite the loss, there were some positives for the Nighthawks to build on after this afternoon’s encounter.
“After the second period, we wanted something to build off of and something positive,” said Cech. “A couple of the guys dropped the mitts, which gave the crowd something to cheer for. No matter what, we have to give the crowd something. It’s not about fighting; it’s about team toughness. And we feel a lot better after the third period, so that’s something to build on.”
The Nighthawks continue their home stand next weekend with two big games against the Winkler Flyers and Portage Terriers, respectively. The action begins Friday night at the CRRC, with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m.
“We just need to continue on with our details and compete even if we don’t have the full energy. So that’s the biggest thing for us, and something we need to improve going forward.”
