By: Clarence Braun
The Niverville Nighthawks travelled to Selkirk on Friday, September 9 to complete a preseason home-and-away series with the Steelers. The Nighthawks had won the first game 4–1.
The first period saw the Steelers take an early lead, with Dawson Dear striking for his first of two goals only. The goal came just 31 seconds into the period.
Dear was back for his second goal at 11:32 to give the home side a 2–0 lead.
Josh Paulhus of the Nighthawks found the back of the net at 15:05, his first goal of the preseason.
The first period saw seven penalties called in total, with the Steelers taking four and the Nighthawks taking three.
The second period opened with the Nighthawks adding their second goal of the night, this one scored by Gavin Gunderson at the 12:09 mark.
With the score knotted at 2–2, the Nighthawks’ Eric Martin scored with just three seconds remaining in the period, to go ahead 3–2.
Five additional penalties were assessed in the second period, with the Nighthawks taking four of them.
In the third period, the Steelers scored the one and only goal, on the power play at 12:16. It was a rough and tumble frame, with nine penalties being assessed, five of them by Steelers.
With the game tied at three, the game went to overtime. The Steelers took an early penalty, but the Nighthawks were unable to capitalize on the opportunity.
At 2:55, Ethan Brown scored his second goal of the game, securing the win for the Steelers.
After the game, Nighthawks head coach Kelvin Cech commented that he was satisfied with the improved pace of play as the game wore on. He loved the penalty kill but was somewhat disappointed at the number of penalties the team took.
However, Cech expressed confidence that the team is moving in the right direction. He says the team is hungry to take the next steps towards the regular season.
The Nighthawks will complete their preseason tonight with a return tilt against Steinbach.