The Niverville Nighthawks wrapped up their six-game homestand in emphatic fashion on Saturday night, downing the Northern Manitoba Blizzard 7–1 on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the CRRC.
Before puck drop, the team held a moving pregame ceremony honouring longtime Nighthawks volunteer Susan Shaver, who is currently battling pancreatic cancer. Shaver was recognized at centre ice to a standing ovation.
An Offensive Blitz
Once the action began, it didn’t take long for Niverville to strike. Just 25 seconds into the first period, Loik Leduc crossed the Blizzard blue line and threaded a perfect backhand pass through the defence to a streaking John Scott, who beat Blizzard netminder Keagin Kelln for the early 1–0 lead.
The goal came in Kelln’s first appearance with the Blizzard since being acquired from Grande Prairie (AJHL) on November 13.
Despite the early marker, Kelln settled in and turned aside the next 15 shots of the opening frame. Niverville dominated the period 16–2 in shots but carried only a one-goal advantage into intermission.
The second period belonged entirely to the Nighthawks as the floodgates opened with five goals.
Six minutes in, Hayden Wheddon redirected a pass from Seth Quayle over the blocker of Kelln for his tenth of the season, doubling the lead to 2–0.
Kelln delivered one of the highlights of the night shortly after, robbing Merik Boles with an exceptional stick save on a wraparound attempt.
But moments later, while on the power play, Evan Panzer buried a rebound for his first of two power-play goals, extending the lead to 3–0.
Rykan Arran then lifted a shot from the top of the crease over Kelln to make it 4–0.
Arran struck again two minutes after that when Parker Rolston forced a turnover and found Arran in the slot, where he wired a wrist shot past Kelln’s glove for his second of the night.
The Nighthawks had made it 6–0 before the period ended, following a beautiful five-man passing sequence that finished with Dawson Zeller sliding the puck to Panzer, who tapped home his second goal of the game and fifth of the year.
Early in the third, Niverville continued to press. Adam Vigfusson converted a cross-crease feed from Wheddon to push the lead to 7–0.
The Blizzard broke the shutout near the end of the game when Hunter Dingman pounced on a loose puck just outside the crease and fired it past Ben Chornomydz, cutting the lead to 7–1.
Chornomydz remains unbeaten on the season, improving to 4–0–0 while stopping 16 of 17 shots. Kelln finished with 47 saves in the loss.
Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst was pleased with how players stepped up when given expanded roles.
“Tonight was an opportunity for some different players to get into a game and add something offensively, and there were a lot of good things that came out of that win for us,” Hirst says. “Some of those guys got a little more of an opportunity tonight, and they all took it.”
With the win, the Nighthawks extended their remarkable winning streak to 12 games, improving their season record to 18–1–0.
Road Trip Ahead
After six straight at home, Niverville now heads out for a five-game road swing beginning next Friday and Saturday, starting with a rematch against the Blizzard before moving on to Swan Valley.
“Most definitely we are looking forward to going on the road,” Hirst says. “It’s nice to get on the road and play in some different rinks. There’s a different element when you’re on the road—you get to see some different personalities from the players, and it’s going to be fun to do that with the team.”
The Nighthawks return home on December 7, when they host the Virden Oil Capitals. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m.
See below for a game highlight reel and an exclusive interview with Dawson Zeller.