Trip to Souris important for Nighthawks, Red Wings
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/09/2022 (1315 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Wednesday’s 3-2 win for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Weyburn Red Wings over the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Niverville Nighthawks was strictly an exhibition affair.
However, it was a key game for both programs as they prepare for their respective 2022-23 campaigns.
That’s especially true for the Nighthawks, as the contest at the Souris Memorial Complex was the first of any kind for the expansion side.
Brodie Pearson of the Niverville Nighthawks gets shoved by Weyburn Red Wings teammates Ethan Clements (#25) and Ian Maier during an exhibition game in Souris on Wednesday night. (Lucas Punkari/The Brandon Sun)
“It’s important for us to get that out of the way and now we can relax a little bit,” Nighthawks head coach and general manager Kelvin Cech said.
“We can’t take our foot off of the gas and we’re still working towards opening night, but we’ve survived a game and it’s nice to check that one off.”
The 13th and newest team in the MJHL has four more exhibition games planned for next week before they begin their regular season slate on Friday, Sept. 16 against the host Steinbach Pistons.
Their home opener will be the following evening when they’ll welcome the Pistons to the Niverville Recreation Centre.
“It’s going to be pretty busy from here on in,” Cech said. “We still have quite a large roster at camp and we have all hands on deck behind the scenes to make sure everything’s ready for that first night in Steinbach and our home opener the following evening.
“We’re kind of like a duck right now. We’re frantic underneath the surfaces but pretending to be calm on top.”
While Cech and the rest of the Nighthawks staff are busy dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s at the moment, Red Wings head coach and general manager Cody Mapes thinks the expansion club should fare well this winter.
“Kelvin has experience from being in the league before (as the head coach for the Winkler Flyers from 2019 to 2021) and if the players that we saw here in Souris are part of the final group they have, I think they’ll be just fine,” Mapes said.
“They are already well organized and I think they are going to surprise a few people this year.”
Wednesday’s contest was a typical preseason affair as both sides took a little bit to find their legs.
The Nighthawks held a 2-0 lead after the first period but the Red Wings controlled the play for the final two frames.
They completed the comeback with 4:22 to go in the third as William Jasmin wired a shot over the left shoulder of Nighthawks netminder Levi Hall.
“We were a bit tentative to start but once the guys started skating a bit, we saw a lot of good things,” Mapes said of the Red Wings, who will go on the road to start their 2022-23 campaign on Sept. 16 against the Melville Millionaires.
“We just finished up our training camp this weekend so we really haven’t put in a whole lot of structure just yet. However, the effort that we saw from the guys in the second and third periods was very impressive.”
Niverville Nighthawks netminder Levi Hall moves into position to stop a shot from Weyburn Red Wings defenceman Ian Maier. (Lucas Punkari/The Brandon Sun)
Jasmin led the way for the Red Wings with two goals, while Nicholas Guberman had a goal and an assist each.
Tommy Bouchard went the distance in goal and turned aside 27 shots.
Niverville’s offence was paced by Aidan Ballance, who had a goal and an assist.
Jobey Pearson dished out a pair of helpers in the loss, which saw Lane Janssen open up the scoring.
Hall and Dylan LeClair combined for a 38-save performance.
“It was a little sloppy early on but I thought it was a pretty back-and-forth game,” Cech said.
“Overall, it was just a fun evening. It was nice to face a different opponent and come here to Souris and meet some of the local hockey legends from the area.”
ICINGS: The Virden Oil Capitals acquired 19-year-old forward Dean Gorchynski from the Winnipeg Freeze in exchange for future considerations on Wednesday afternoon. The Winnipeg product was fourth in scoring for the Freeze last season with 27 points — nine goals and 18 assists — in 40 games … On Tuesday, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines picked up 18-year-old forward Timothy Kim from the British Columbia Hockey League’s Victoria Grizzlies for future considerations. Kim, who calls Vancouver home, had a goal and five assists in 37 games last year.
» lpunkari@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @lpunkari