Ty Dilello
The Niverville Nighthawks put together a massive performance on Friday evening on the road, winning 2–0 over the Virden Oil Capitals. With the win, the Nighthawks maintain their hold on fourth place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 29–24–4.
It was a tight-checking, low-scoring affair all night long for both clubs. Nighthawks captain Brett Tataryn opened the scoring just two minutes into the contest, and it would serve as the game-winner.
Brendan Bottem added another tally for the Nighthawks late in the second period.
Raiden LeGall stopped 46 shots in the Nighthawks’ goal for the shutout.
“We had a strong start to the game, did well on the faceoff dots tonight, and didn’t break on the times we were under pressure,” said head coach Dwight Hirst.
Hirst was quick to give credit to his netminder, who put in an outstanding performance.
“It was a first star quality night for Raiden and the best I’ve seen him play since I’ve been here,” said Hirst. “It was his compete and his composure that helped fuel the win tonight. When he plays like he did tonight, it’s a fountain of confidence for our group. When you know you have a goalie that plays with that compete and confidence, it’s a blank page for us.”
The Nighthawks are back in action with a home game tonight in their regular season finale against the Swan Valley Stampeders. The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.
Most importantly, with the win over Virden the Nighthawks stay two points ahead of the Selkirk Steelers in the chase for the final MJHL playoff spot. If Niverville can earn a single point in the contest against Swan Valley, they will clinch the playoff spot.
“We are in the driver’s seat, and we control our destiny,” said Hirst. “Worrying about what Selkirk does is not on our minds. We are not looking in the rearview mirror right now.”