Ty Dilello – Niverville Citizen
The Niverville Nighthawks have extended their win streak to three wins in a row after blasting the Winnipeg Freeze 6–0 on the road on Friday evening. With the win, the Nighthawks move into first place in the MJHL’s East Division with a record of 6–1–1.
After a scoreless first period, the Nighthawks broke through in a big way with four unanswered goals from Michael Debrito, Michael Tanchak, Carson Teckenburg, and Eric Martin.
The Nighthawks added two more goals in the third period from Brett Tataryn and Debrito, making Niverville a big winner.
“It’s always nice to score a couple,” said Nighthawks head coach Kelvin Cech. “It was a tight game early on, and they had some chances, but fortunately we were able to break through and get the two points. We had some great offensive production tonight that we’re happy about.”
The Nighthawks had a new player making his debut for the team: recently acquired forward Carson Teckenburg from the Oklahoma Warriors of the NAHL. Teckenburg was slotted in on Niverville’s first line and promptly scored in his first game.
Keegan Gordon stopped 22 shots in goal to pick up the shutout for the Nighthawks. Playing against his old team, Gordon earned just the second shutout in Nighthawks team history, after Ethan Kadatz recorded the first last season.
“That was a conscious plan that we made, to swap the rotation to have Raiden play Waywayseecappo,” said Cech. “We knew that Keegan would have a big night against his old team. It was a good team, of course, but the guys knew what was at stake for Gordon. So full marks for the goose egg.”
The Nighthawks are back in action tonight on the road with a battle against the Portage Terriers. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m.
“Portage is where our season ended last year. There are new players on both teams, but we still have the same mentality and the same identity. It’s a big game in the standings as a divisional matchup. The last time we went there, we had some bad memories, so we want to go back and bring the good vibes.”