Postgame: Bruins 4 Nitehawks 6

Well! That was a game I dont wish to revisit anytime soon! Ever heard of Dylan Quinn?? The name has passed my ears once or twice without so much as a second thought, until tonight. Quite simply, he was the MAIN (notice i said "main") reason the score was not at least 10-4! One of the reasons I cant, in good conscience, rant about, but there are some who will just KNOW what it is that of which I speak....or hint at....or whatever!! Another reason? Poor finish.....lack of motivation......maybe getting too fancy......yes these boys were guilty of most if not all the above. If this had have been against a more solid opponent, it would have been ugly. But after all, a win.....is a win!!

Grand Forks got it going a mere 1:21 into the game on a goal from Bryan Read to surprise the crowd in Beaver Valley Arena. I truly believe it surprised the Nitehawks players too as they stepped it up somewhat after that. Then, GF scored again. This time at 8:05 on a roof job from Nathan Cory who had a semi-break and BV was at a loss only to be fully stunned, along with the entire KIJHL I'm sure, when just :39 seconds after that GF got its 3rd of the period and took a 3-0 lead into the intermission. Starting goalie Mike Vlanich was upset about the circumstance of the 3rd goal and removed himself for the remainder of the period only to return for the 2nd. Bruins players were elated and ecstatic leaving the ice after 20 minutes in which they really only played about 5 minutes of the period but lead where it counts.

What was said in the dressing room can only be left to the imagination of those not present, but BV came out skating! Josh Peters got the Hawks on the board with a bullet from the point on the pp. Dominant play continued and 3 mins later, Justin Niminiken made not 1...not 2...but 3 moves to leave the GF defense playing tiddlywinks with themselves while he squeezed the puck through a well positioned Quinn who looked to have the shot stopped but it trickled through for BV's 2nd goal. Grand Forks looked to be taking a 3-2 lead into the 3rd but a scramble on a BV rush lead to a Nick Perez goal with 4 ticks left on the clock. The arena went nuts as the boys vacated the sheet after 40 with the score all tied up.

Make or break!....3rd period started off with BV pushing HARD. After playing close to an entire 7 mins in the GF end, D-Man Arie Postmus ripped a point shot past Quinn to put BV into the lead for the first time. Who would have ever thought that almost any team in the league, given the current standings, would be getting its first lead of a game against Grand Forks close to the midpoint of the 3rd period?? Dallas Calvin would add a little insurance at 9:44 that would prove to be key as BV literally took their foot off the throttle again and coasted towards the final buzzer. Sure, they kept GF hemmed into their zone, but there was no semblance of team work and with 1:09 left, Cody Robertson grabbed hold of some sloppy defensive play in the BV zone and slipped one past Vlanich to pull GF within 1. A Postmus INT. penalty 30 secs later and GF pulls their goalie for a 6-on-4 attack with :29 left in the game. After several close scrambles, Christian Johnson grabs a loose puck and, without hesitation, spins and fires the puck down the ice.....dead center of the net!!



Game Stars:

GF - Dylan Quinn 53 saves on 59 shots!!
BV - Justin Niminiken 1G...and it was a highlite reel candidate!!
BV - Mason Spear 1A


In closing, the BV coaching staff was "displeased" with the effort of the boys tonight. Look for a more disciplined team in Nelson on friday against the Leafs. On a side note, during the game, I received a veritable explosion of followers on the teams @BVNitehawks account so I say "Thank You" to whomever has put the name out there for us!!!


In the only other game in the KIJHL tonight, Castlegar hosted the Spokane Braves and came out with a 6-0 win. Jordan Gluck getting his 2nd career shutout.