For the first time in franchise history, the Niverville Nighthawks have won four games in a row after dismantling the Selkirk Steelers 7–3 on Saturday night at the Selkirk Recreation Complex. With the win, the Nighthawks improve their record to 12–9–1 and remain fourth in the MJHL’s East Division.
It was a game that the Nighthawks controlled from start to finish and one they led on the scoreboard the whole way through.
“It was definitely a good response,” said Nighthawks head coach Kelvin Cech. “We didn’t want to critique a win, but we thought the standard we showed last night wasn’t up to par. Everyone was better from top to bottom tonight, so it was a really impressive win.”
Landmark’s Bryce Warkentine led the way for the Nighthawks with a hat trick. Other goals for the club were scored by Brendan Bottem, Josh Paulhus, Evan Bortis, and Luke Schaeffer.
Chris Fines stopped 27 of 30 shots in net to pick up the win for Niverville.
“Right from the drop of the puck, our defence controlled our zone with and without the puck so much better than last night’s game,” said Cech. “They were crisp, made good reads, and their habits were awesome. Our forwards used their skill from there, and we were able to find the back of the net a bunch.”
“We are very consistent in our play, and we’ve been playing a full 60 minutes lately, which is key,” added captain Brett Tataryn. “I love our game tonight because we had the pressure on all game.”
Cech has been pleased with the play of Bryce Warkentine since he joined the team early in the season after the 18-year-old wasn’t given an invitation to try out with the rival Steinbach Pistons at training camp.
“He was with the Pistons, and there wasn’t a fit there for him, but fortunately there was a fit with us,” said Cech. “He’s contributing valuable minutes for us and is getting rewarded for some awesome habits.”
Tataryn and a few of the other Nighthawks were in Portage for a few days this week, playing in the MJHL’s Showcase, which featured the top players from around the league playing in front of scouts from across North America.
“The showcase went better than we thought,” said Tataryn. “We imagined it would be very chaotic with everyone playing with random guys from other teams, but it was a very good pace, and it was nice to meet some players around the league.”
The Nighthawks return to battle on November 25 when they take on the Portage Terriers on the road. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.