This was NOT a game, it was a slaughter. I'll be frank here, Grand Forks was horrid. On the plus side, our Nitehawks played with confidence and purpose. When asked after 20 minutes if they were going to slow down, "No!" was the answer. And why should they? Just because the opposition is either lacking the talent, or the coaching, to keep up, why should they lower their play to that level?
Even though it was a sad sight to watch and I actually felt bad for Dylan Quinn who was put in goal after BV scored 8 on starter Jeremy Mandoli in the first period. Quinn made some very nice saves throughout the second and the third. His play and more posts than I could count, are truly the reason that it wasnt 20+ goals for BV.
I'm going to slip away from the normal format here as it will take just way, way too long to get through it all.
Three Nitehawks got hat-tricks on the night: Christian Johnson(4), Craig Martin(3), and Dallas Calvin(3). Johnson missed on a penalty shot in the 3rd. AP call-up, Jake Lucchini had himself 3 assist on the night as well. The stretch pass was utilized to an extreme tonight as BV had break after break after break. Collins, Perez, Derochie, Edwards(2), and Niminiken were the other goal scorers for the Nitehawks while Brendan Lee scored the only goal for Grand Forks.
Game Stars:
BV - Christian Johnson 4G, 1A
BV - Arie Postmus 2A
BV - Derek Lashuk 2A
For the 2nd game in a row, BV has had E.Dasti as a ref, and for the 2nd game in a row, there were few penalties on both sides. Yes, he let stuff go, but it was both ways. Thats the way it should be.
Tuesday 24 January 2012
Sunday 22 January 2012
Postgame: Nitehawks - 7 Rebels - 3
Game 6 of 8 between Castlegar and Beaver Valley was extremely important as CG held a 4-1 season series lead and if BV wanted to have any chance of tying the series (possibly important come playoff time), tonight was it.
In their 3rd game in 3 nights, I half expected to see slow legs to start this game. I couldnt have been further from the truth! BV came out with jump and speed from the opening faceoff, wasting no time in their assault on the Rebel goal. Justin Niminiken took just 56 seconds to quiet the home crowd and give BV the lead. As expected, it was a rough game and penalties were taken. Niminiken made CG pay for their sins just under 6 mins in, and the Nitehawks jumped out to a lead that the Rebels just havent allowed in the last 12 games. BV would take that 2-goal lead into the break.
True to his first period form, and improving on it a bit, Niminiken took just 47 seconds this time and suddenly BV has a 3 goal lead that has the Castlegar crowd dead quiet (well, their side at least). Again, Rebels take penalties, and again, Niminiken makes them pay! With his 4th goal, not just on the night, but in a row, Nims gives BV a 4-goal lead. Cue the battle! An unbelievable fight at center ice between Josh Peters and Braydon Horcoff that lasted close to a minute. This was no wrestling match, it was fist pumping action the whole time! Peters got the jump early on and was serving samiches furiously, but Horcoff hung in there and served some of his own near the end. Even though I'm biased, I still have to call this a draw as it was entertaining as hell! More CG penalties and guess who?....no, NOT Nims lol (would have been cool though eh?)...this time it was Derek Lashuk with a rocket from the point, again on the pp and Nitehawk fans are losing it in the stands with a unprecedented 5-0 lead on the Rebels still a minute and a half shy of the halfway point of the second! With a lead like that, what team doesnt slide into protect mode? BV owned the first 30 minutes of this game, but took a step back after the 5th goal and allowed CG to start pressing. 'Big" Mike Vlanich held steady turning away all shots until a squeaker got past him with 1:33 remaining in the second and the Rebels on the pp. OK, 5-1, still pretty good. No, wait, 5-2.....what? With 5 seconds left, Robinson pulled a puck wide on a rebound and wristed it past Vlanich to give CG the momentum heading into the third.
Castlegar carried that momentum and pushed. BV bent, but did not break. Vlanich made some saves are truly HON candidates! Bryan Hinchcliffe hushed the CG faithfuls with almost 8 mins to go and the Ryan Edwards shut them up completely just 34 seconds after and suddenly its 7-2 BV! Brantley Schapansky and Nolan Kinney (apologies for the mix-up on twitter) dropped gloves off the ensuing face-off and it was over before i finished tweeting the previous goal. One punch and Kinney was licking snow. Things started getting a bit chippy nearer the end, but Ref Dasti kept control and removed the culprits. Just like the end of the second, Robinson scored with only seconds remaining to make the final score 7-3 BV.
Game Stars: for some reason, they are never chosen in CG, so I will chose my own.
BV - Justin Niminiken 4G 1A
BV - Mason Spear 3A
BV - Mike Vlanich
Yesterday was Justin Niminiken's birthday, so I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and congratulations on your first career hat-trick (and 4-goal game)(make sure he reads this boys)!! With the win, the Nitehawks snapped a 12-game Rebel win streak, and a 4-game losing streak TO the Rebels themselves. Next game is at home on Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm when we host the ever threatening Grand Forks Border Bruins!!
I wont go into anything regarding officiating, as I believed tonight to be a very well handled affair. I do, however, believe that the KIJHL needs to look into the possibility of a 2-ref system to help eliminate the animosity that is being created with the crowds. Across the league, game attendance is dropping and many pbp guys and analysts that ive spoken with attribute it in part to poor officiating. Just some food for thought for any league officials that may happen to read this :)
In their 3rd game in 3 nights, I half expected to see slow legs to start this game. I couldnt have been further from the truth! BV came out with jump and speed from the opening faceoff, wasting no time in their assault on the Rebel goal. Justin Niminiken took just 56 seconds to quiet the home crowd and give BV the lead. As expected, it was a rough game and penalties were taken. Niminiken made CG pay for their sins just under 6 mins in, and the Nitehawks jumped out to a lead that the Rebels just havent allowed in the last 12 games. BV would take that 2-goal lead into the break.
True to his first period form, and improving on it a bit, Niminiken took just 47 seconds this time and suddenly BV has a 3 goal lead that has the Castlegar crowd dead quiet (well, their side at least). Again, Rebels take penalties, and again, Niminiken makes them pay! With his 4th goal, not just on the night, but in a row, Nims gives BV a 4-goal lead. Cue the battle! An unbelievable fight at center ice between Josh Peters and Braydon Horcoff that lasted close to a minute. This was no wrestling match, it was fist pumping action the whole time! Peters got the jump early on and was serving samiches furiously, but Horcoff hung in there and served some of his own near the end. Even though I'm biased, I still have to call this a draw as it was entertaining as hell! More CG penalties and guess who?....no, NOT Nims lol (would have been cool though eh?)...this time it was Derek Lashuk with a rocket from the point, again on the pp and Nitehawk fans are losing it in the stands with a unprecedented 5-0 lead on the Rebels still a minute and a half shy of the halfway point of the second! With a lead like that, what team doesnt slide into protect mode? BV owned the first 30 minutes of this game, but took a step back after the 5th goal and allowed CG to start pressing. 'Big" Mike Vlanich held steady turning away all shots until a squeaker got past him with 1:33 remaining in the second and the Rebels on the pp. OK, 5-1, still pretty good. No, wait, 5-2.....what? With 5 seconds left, Robinson pulled a puck wide on a rebound and wristed it past Vlanich to give CG the momentum heading into the third.
Castlegar carried that momentum and pushed. BV bent, but did not break. Vlanich made some saves are truly HON candidates! Bryan Hinchcliffe hushed the CG faithfuls with almost 8 mins to go and the Ryan Edwards shut them up completely just 34 seconds after and suddenly its 7-2 BV! Brantley Schapansky and Nolan Kinney (apologies for the mix-up on twitter) dropped gloves off the ensuing face-off and it was over before i finished tweeting the previous goal. One punch and Kinney was licking snow. Things started getting a bit chippy nearer the end, but Ref Dasti kept control and removed the culprits. Just like the end of the second, Robinson scored with only seconds remaining to make the final score 7-3 BV.
Game Stars: for some reason, they are never chosen in CG, so I will chose my own.
BV - Justin Niminiken 4G 1A
BV - Mason Spear 3A
BV - Mike Vlanich
Yesterday was Justin Niminiken's birthday, so I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY and congratulations on your first career hat-trick (and 4-goal game)(make sure he reads this boys)!! With the win, the Nitehawks snapped a 12-game Rebel win streak, and a 4-game losing streak TO the Rebels themselves. Next game is at home on Tuesday, January 24th at 7pm when we host the ever threatening Grand Forks Border Bruins!!
I wont go into anything regarding officiating, as I believed tonight to be a very well handled affair. I do, however, believe that the KIJHL needs to look into the possibility of a 2-ref system to help eliminate the animosity that is being created with the crowds. Across the league, game attendance is dropping and many pbp guys and analysts that ive spoken with attribute it in part to poor officiating. Just some food for thought for any league officials that may happen to read this :)
Saturday 21 January 2012
Postgame: Nitehawks - 4 Chiefs - 0
It was a much better outing for Beaver Valley on all accounts. They did start the 1st very rough, but managed to pick things up and kept it throughout the rest of the game. Defensively, turn-overs were still an issue but they kept things on the outside and what did manage to sneak in front of Perehudoff was quickly dealt with.
D-man, Arie Postmus, got things rolling on a high slapper that managed to see its way through a crowd and past a surprised O'Donnell to make it 1-0 BV under 5 mins in. Craig Martin scored his 38th of the year on the PP to put BV up 2-0 at 7:55. Nitehawks third goal was announced as scored by Tyler Collins, but as he was sitting on the bench, and I SAW Mason Spear put the puck high glove side, Im going to go with that theory. BV took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, but trailed in shots 11-10.
Kelowna received the only 3 penalties of the first, as so BV started the second with 3 of their own. Chris Derochie got the 4th and final goal for the Nitehawks just before mid-period and thats when the school bus started loosing its wheels for the Chiefs. Once again, and for the second straight night, BV opponents lost their verbal composure. In the final minute of the second, Brendan Jost took a hooking call. It was a legit call by all standards, but Jordan Salahort did not think so and upon voicing his opinion, received a 10min misconduct. Kyle Clerke then takes a X-Checking sin with 31 secs left and things are not boding well for the Chiefs. Luckily, nothing else happens and BV takes a 4-0 lead into the 2nd int.
The 15-min break between period period allowed time for tempers to cool as we we made it an entire 10:25 into the 3rd before all hell broke loose. A hit behind the BV goal resulted in a retaliation by 2 Chiefs which in turn brought in all the players on the ice. The hit was hard, but legal. Kelowna was thoroughly frustrated at that point and so needed very little to boil over and thats pretty much what happened. Now usually, I am berating the officiating at this point for NOT keeping control of the game, but I felt he did a very good job of that in this one, more on that later. In this case, he tossed the whole lot. All 10 players involved, were sent to their rooms. Calvin, Boyczuk, Stang, McKinnon, Hikari(KC), McDougall(KC) received 10min misconducts. Andrusiak(KC) got 10 and 2 for roughing, Collins got 10 and a game, Renner(KC) got 5 for fighting and a game, Salahor(KC) got 10 and a game. Oddly, Salahor had JUST been back barely 28 seconds from his previous misconduct. Net result, after over 121 minutes in penalties called in that single play, was a 2 min pp for BV on the original retaliation. This just fueled the fire as Kelowna took 3 more penalties within a 5 min span causing more verbal abuse to the officials by players. Bamber and Hill were also escorted off with game misconducts. It was good the game was close to over at that point as the Chiefs bench was very empty.
There was no scoring in the third, but that was due to a brilliant show of skill by Tyler O'Donnell. He is truly the reason it wasnt 8-0 and, in my eyes, deserved a spot in the 3 stars. Zack Perehudoff mad the save of the night in the final minute off Kelowna's scoring leader Dane Rupert on a clean break-away from the blueline to keep his shut-out bid intact as BV cruises to a 4-0 win.
Game Stars:
BV - Chris Derochie 1G 2A
BV - Zach Perehudoff 27 save SO(5th career)
BV - Craig Martin 1G 1A
As mentioned before, the officiating in this game was a far cry from the night previous. He allowed the boys to play and called those that warranted calling. In many an instance, he either called both teams or neither at all for simultaneous infractions, which got the goat of many a fan. I myself even caught myself a few times before realizing what he was doing and changed how I responded to his calls. For the majority of the game, the calls were fair. The only reason things became UNFAIR, was because of the verbal abuse received by the Kelowna players. At that point, I didnt blame him one bit for not standing for it and doing what was in his legal right as a referee and to remove the abusive parties from the game. My mother, whom I had taken to last nights debacle in Summerland, was much more impressed with the officiating but stated she was "...embarrassed to say I am from Kelowna after listening to how those players treated the ref.." Now, this boils down to respect. If she heard what they were saying 8 rows up ( and she asks me to repeat alot when we speak), then how many more people in that arena heard it?
D-man, Arie Postmus, got things rolling on a high slapper that managed to see its way through a crowd and past a surprised O'Donnell to make it 1-0 BV under 5 mins in. Craig Martin scored his 38th of the year on the PP to put BV up 2-0 at 7:55. Nitehawks third goal was announced as scored by Tyler Collins, but as he was sitting on the bench, and I SAW Mason Spear put the puck high glove side, Im going to go with that theory. BV took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, but trailed in shots 11-10.
Kelowna received the only 3 penalties of the first, as so BV started the second with 3 of their own. Chris Derochie got the 4th and final goal for the Nitehawks just before mid-period and thats when the school bus started loosing its wheels for the Chiefs. Once again, and for the second straight night, BV opponents lost their verbal composure. In the final minute of the second, Brendan Jost took a hooking call. It was a legit call by all standards, but Jordan Salahort did not think so and upon voicing his opinion, received a 10min misconduct. Kyle Clerke then takes a X-Checking sin with 31 secs left and things are not boding well for the Chiefs. Luckily, nothing else happens and BV takes a 4-0 lead into the 2nd int.
The 15-min break between period period allowed time for tempers to cool as we we made it an entire 10:25 into the 3rd before all hell broke loose. A hit behind the BV goal resulted in a retaliation by 2 Chiefs which in turn brought in all the players on the ice. The hit was hard, but legal. Kelowna was thoroughly frustrated at that point and so needed very little to boil over and thats pretty much what happened. Now usually, I am berating the officiating at this point for NOT keeping control of the game, but I felt he did a very good job of that in this one, more on that later. In this case, he tossed the whole lot. All 10 players involved, were sent to their rooms. Calvin, Boyczuk, Stang, McKinnon, Hikari(KC), McDougall(KC) received 10min misconducts. Andrusiak(KC) got 10 and 2 for roughing, Collins got 10 and a game, Renner(KC) got 5 for fighting and a game, Salahor(KC) got 10 and a game. Oddly, Salahor had JUST been back barely 28 seconds from his previous misconduct. Net result, after over 121 minutes in penalties called in that single play, was a 2 min pp for BV on the original retaliation. This just fueled the fire as Kelowna took 3 more penalties within a 5 min span causing more verbal abuse to the officials by players. Bamber and Hill were also escorted off with game misconducts. It was good the game was close to over at that point as the Chiefs bench was very empty.
There was no scoring in the third, but that was due to a brilliant show of skill by Tyler O'Donnell. He is truly the reason it wasnt 8-0 and, in my eyes, deserved a spot in the 3 stars. Zack Perehudoff mad the save of the night in the final minute off Kelowna's scoring leader Dane Rupert on a clean break-away from the blueline to keep his shut-out bid intact as BV cruises to a 4-0 win.
Game Stars:
BV - Chris Derochie 1G 2A
BV - Zach Perehudoff 27 save SO(5th career)
BV - Craig Martin 1G 1A
As mentioned before, the officiating in this game was a far cry from the night previous. He allowed the boys to play and called those that warranted calling. In many an instance, he either called both teams or neither at all for simultaneous infractions, which got the goat of many a fan. I myself even caught myself a few times before realizing what he was doing and changed how I responded to his calls. For the majority of the game, the calls were fair. The only reason things became UNFAIR, was because of the verbal abuse received by the Kelowna players. At that point, I didnt blame him one bit for not standing for it and doing what was in his legal right as a referee and to remove the abusive parties from the game. My mother, whom I had taken to last nights debacle in Summerland, was much more impressed with the officiating but stated she was "...embarrassed to say I am from Kelowna after listening to how those players treated the ref.." Now, this boils down to respect. If she heard what they were saying 8 rows up ( and she asks me to repeat alot when we speak), then how many more people in that arena heard it?
Postgame: Nitehawks - 6 Steam - 5
I actually contemplated NOT writing this tonight as I dont have a whole lot of positive to comment on, but decided I need to get it over with and out of my system. For those of you that read and follow regularly, you will know my standpoint on the following already. Therefore this wont come as too much of a surprise. Please note: The follow statements are wholly my own and do not in any respect reflect the opinion of the Beaver Valley organization!
If the last game was the best I had seen, this was inexplicably the worst! I have seen bad officiating in my very short tenure on the KIJHL scene and come to regard this as a norm around the league and have been validated on many occasions with fans and coaches alike. This game took the cake and then ate it in front of everyone. While the penalty that WERE called were clearly penalties, it was what was allowed to go on long before the third rolled around, that set the tone. Many, many non-calls(both sides, but mainly on BV) were witnessed by the crowd which got the animosity started in the stands. If anyone has ever been to an emotional game, you will know that fan mood can effect player mood, especially if its frustrated and somewhat negative. This is what happened tonight and while BV managed to hold their composure, Summerland did not. This loss of composure led to several 10 minute misconducts for 'beaking' at the refs during breaks in play. The thing that made the whole fiasco more important was the fact that it was a CLOSE game! If it had have been a blow-out, then things could have been different. Enough....on to the game story....
Like I said, it was the worst game i have seen. And this time not from an officiating standpoint, but a gameplay one. BV was blatantly being outplayed by Summerland. I figured it was going to be just the first period jitters after a long drive, but it was game-long. The Steam deserved to win this game, hands down, but BV mustered just enough talent, combined with a shortened Summerland bench due to misconducts, to pull off the win.
The power play actually was a huge part of this game with BV going 4-for-11 and SS 3-for-6. 16-yr old phenom Craig Martin got things going with a ppg with just under 7 mins to go in the 1st. Not to be outdone, Gerry Hol pots 2 ppg's with under 4 mins left to give Summerland the 2-1 lead after one.
Nick Perez got one of the few regular strength goals at 5:01 of the 2nd to pull BV even at 2 and Tyler Collins got a ppg a minute and a half later to put the Nitehawks ahead. Ryan MacMurchy at 9:05 on the pp and Doug Chadwick at 17:39 regained the Steams lead before we are through 2.
Arie Postmus took just 18 seconds of the 3rd to bring BV back square with Summerland where it stayed until the penalty fiasco reared its ugly head and BV netted 2 ppgs from Derochie and Baines within a 1:10 span just past the midpoint of the period. Josh Spence, thankfully, scored 2 minutes later which defused an ugly fan situation in which I was in the center of (could have been ugly). Summerland pushed hard the last few minutes but were unable to get the puck to the net for the tying goal and BV held on for the win.
Game Stars:
BV - Craig Martin 1G 4A
SS - Gerry Hol 2G 1A
BV - Tyler Collins 1G 1A
The win aside, there was not many positives in this game. I had brought a close family member with me tonight who resides in Kelowna. I often speak to her about how well the Nitehawks are doing and how proud I am of the accomplishments they achieve on a nightly basis. While they managed to hold their composure at the end of the game and keep out of the box, they did not play like the team that hold court on any given night and deem their opponents unworthy.
I had the opportunity to speak with BV Head Coach Terry Jones after the game, and when asked about the officiating, he commented:" It was interesting! They(Summerland) deserved to win this game. I feel they outplayed us but in the end, they lost their composure , we didnt, and that had a big impact on the outcome."
Out of the line-up for tonights game, Dallas Calvin will be returning for tomorrows game against the Kelowna Chiefs in Kelowna.
If the last game was the best I had seen, this was inexplicably the worst! I have seen bad officiating in my very short tenure on the KIJHL scene and come to regard this as a norm around the league and have been validated on many occasions with fans and coaches alike. This game took the cake and then ate it in front of everyone. While the penalty that WERE called were clearly penalties, it was what was allowed to go on long before the third rolled around, that set the tone. Many, many non-calls(both sides, but mainly on BV) were witnessed by the crowd which got the animosity started in the stands. If anyone has ever been to an emotional game, you will know that fan mood can effect player mood, especially if its frustrated and somewhat negative. This is what happened tonight and while BV managed to hold their composure, Summerland did not. This loss of composure led to several 10 minute misconducts for 'beaking' at the refs during breaks in play. The thing that made the whole fiasco more important was the fact that it was a CLOSE game! If it had have been a blow-out, then things could have been different. Enough....on to the game story....
Like I said, it was the worst game i have seen. And this time not from an officiating standpoint, but a gameplay one. BV was blatantly being outplayed by Summerland. I figured it was going to be just the first period jitters after a long drive, but it was game-long. The Steam deserved to win this game, hands down, but BV mustered just enough talent, combined with a shortened Summerland bench due to misconducts, to pull off the win.
The power play actually was a huge part of this game with BV going 4-for-11 and SS 3-for-6. 16-yr old phenom Craig Martin got things going with a ppg with just under 7 mins to go in the 1st. Not to be outdone, Gerry Hol pots 2 ppg's with under 4 mins left to give Summerland the 2-1 lead after one.
Nick Perez got one of the few regular strength goals at 5:01 of the 2nd to pull BV even at 2 and Tyler Collins got a ppg a minute and a half later to put the Nitehawks ahead. Ryan MacMurchy at 9:05 on the pp and Doug Chadwick at 17:39 regained the Steams lead before we are through 2.
Arie Postmus took just 18 seconds of the 3rd to bring BV back square with Summerland where it stayed until the penalty fiasco reared its ugly head and BV netted 2 ppgs from Derochie and Baines within a 1:10 span just past the midpoint of the period. Josh Spence, thankfully, scored 2 minutes later which defused an ugly fan situation in which I was in the center of (could have been ugly). Summerland pushed hard the last few minutes but were unable to get the puck to the net for the tying goal and BV held on for the win.
Game Stars:
BV - Craig Martin 1G 4A
SS - Gerry Hol 2G 1A
BV - Tyler Collins 1G 1A
The win aside, there was not many positives in this game. I had brought a close family member with me tonight who resides in Kelowna. I often speak to her about how well the Nitehawks are doing and how proud I am of the accomplishments they achieve on a nightly basis. While they managed to hold their composure at the end of the game and keep out of the box, they did not play like the team that hold court on any given night and deem their opponents unworthy.
I had the opportunity to speak with BV Head Coach Terry Jones after the game, and when asked about the officiating, he commented:" It was interesting! They(Summerland) deserved to win this game. I feel they outplayed us but in the end, they lost their composure , we didnt, and that had a big impact on the outcome."
Out of the line-up for tonights game, Dallas Calvin will be returning for tomorrows game against the Kelowna Chiefs in Kelowna.
Friday 20 January 2012
Rivalrys Abound....
I figured I should maybe get back to the last home game and the 2nd of two as part of the Nitehawks 30th anniversary weekend.
Castlegar Rebels - 3
BV Nitehawks - 2
It was by far and away THE best game that I have witnessed so far in the KIJHL. And that includes last years playoffs!! CG held the edge in play for the most part of the game, but only slightly, even though BV lead 1-0 and 2-1 after the 1st and 2nd respectively on a ppg from Johnson and a very nice shorty by Derochie late in the 2nd. CG got the only goal of the third with 14.4 seconds remaining with an empty net for the extra attacker to send it to OT.
After a fairly penalty liberal 1st, the 2nd and 3rd were relatively penalty free-ish with the ref letting the boys play and fully putting the whistle on the shelf just after the 10 min mark of period 3. Which leads me to an extremely weak and poorly timed "hooking" call just 17 secs into OT. The play was called because a Rebel stepped onto a Nitehawk stick and went down. OK, a penalty, sure Ill admit it. BUT, when soooo much was allowed to transpire late in the third, why was this suddenly called? CG made it count, getting the winner 1 minute in to win their 4th in a row against BV this season.
Game Stars
CG - Eric Alden 1G
BV - Chris Derochie 1G
BV - Ryan Edwards 1A
Castlegar Rebels - 3
BV Nitehawks - 2
It was by far and away THE best game that I have witnessed so far in the KIJHL. And that includes last years playoffs!! CG held the edge in play for the most part of the game, but only slightly, even though BV lead 1-0 and 2-1 after the 1st and 2nd respectively on a ppg from Johnson and a very nice shorty by Derochie late in the 2nd. CG got the only goal of the third with 14.4 seconds remaining with an empty net for the extra attacker to send it to OT.
After a fairly penalty liberal 1st, the 2nd and 3rd were relatively penalty free-ish with the ref letting the boys play and fully putting the whistle on the shelf just after the 10 min mark of period 3. Which leads me to an extremely weak and poorly timed "hooking" call just 17 secs into OT. The play was called because a Rebel stepped onto a Nitehawk stick and went down. OK, a penalty, sure Ill admit it. BUT, when soooo much was allowed to transpire late in the third, why was this suddenly called? CG made it count, getting the winner 1 minute in to win their 4th in a row against BV this season.
Game Stars
CG - Eric Alden 1G
BV - Chris Derochie 1G
BV - Ryan Edwards 1A
Friday 13 January 2012
Postgame: Dynamiters - 3 Nitehawks - 6
First of all, I would like to apologize to each and every one of my readers. I know, as well as you know, that it is spelled "Nitehawks", NOT "Nighthawks" like I have been in the last few blog entries. I would LIKE to blame it on the rain, but being the middle of winter, I dont think that will fly. What I really must do, is try and stop performing the late night posts. Ya right! Thats gonna happen!! Since we are here anyway..........
A HUGE win for the home squad tonight!! Facing down a Kimberley team that has been surging until recently, Beaver Valley came to play!!
Kimberley has a well coached and, for the first period at least, a very disciplined team. The task at hand for BV was to try and stifle a solid offense along with breaking down a stingy defense. While the Nitehawks had several good controlling shifts in the first, they managed only 8 shots to the Nitros 13. Big Mike Vlanich was the story of the night with a few NHL quality saves in which he was cleanly beaten but still somehow managed to smother the beachball Kimberley was tossing his way. Mason Spear, who played 36 games with Kimberley before being traded to Fernie and then BACK to BV last season, scored the only goal of the first with 45 seconds remaining.
Nitehawks took that lead into the second where Ryan Edwards stunned the Nitro bench with a goal just 11 seconds in. After having nearly flawless discipline in the first, Kimberley takes its first penalty just over a minute into period 2. Justin Niminiken made them pay for it netting BV's 3rd goal 21 secs into the pp and just 1:25 into the second had a 3 goal lead. But they weren't done. With just over 7 mins to play in the second, Kimberley would take their 2nd penalty of the game, and BV would capitalize once again. This time Niminiken would feed Spear for his 2nd of the game. Hot Hot Hot Christian Johnson(9G-4A-13pts in last 5 games), who I believe should get a "most improved player" award for this season, made it 5-0 Nitehawks with 47 seconds left in the second to give BV a huge lead heading into the third.
Either it was a coaching decision(doubtful) or just the thought of a 5 goal lead, but the Nitehawks came out and played a highly defensive game for the third. The defense was absolutely stellar all game so there should have been no need to fear. Given the potent offense of Kimberley, I would have thought a defensive game should be saved for the final 5 mins or so, NOT the entire period! On goals by NOW league scoring leader Senate Patton, Jordan Revie(ppg) and Taylor McDowell(ppg), Kimberley climbed back into the game with plenty of time to draw even. This is when the Nitehawk defense sealed the holes and Big Mike shut the door with more saves to frustrate the Nitro forwards. Kimberley sealed their fate when, taking a penalty with just over a minute remaining, they pulled their goalie. Craig Martin would pot the empty-netter to ice the cake and blow out the fuses as BV sends Kimberley packing.
In case any are wondering, yes, the ref missed several calls, and called some that were a bit wishy-washy. Overall, the calls were made fairly to both sides which is the way it should be.
Game Stars:
BV - Mason Spear 2G 1A
BV - Christian Johnson 1G 2A
KD - Rylan Duley 1A
Tonight was opening night of the "Catch The Fever" weekend celebrating 30 years in the KIJHL for the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Crowd size wasnt what we had hoped for, but there is still tomorrow nights game against the Castlegar Rebels. Game time is again 7:30. Volunteers are asked to show up at least 1 hour early to help get set up.
A HUGE win for the home squad tonight!! Facing down a Kimberley team that has been surging until recently, Beaver Valley came to play!!
Kimberley has a well coached and, for the first period at least, a very disciplined team. The task at hand for BV was to try and stifle a solid offense along with breaking down a stingy defense. While the Nitehawks had several good controlling shifts in the first, they managed only 8 shots to the Nitros 13. Big Mike Vlanich was the story of the night with a few NHL quality saves in which he was cleanly beaten but still somehow managed to smother the beachball Kimberley was tossing his way. Mason Spear, who played 36 games with Kimberley before being traded to Fernie and then BACK to BV last season, scored the only goal of the first with 45 seconds remaining.
Nitehawks took that lead into the second where Ryan Edwards stunned the Nitro bench with a goal just 11 seconds in. After having nearly flawless discipline in the first, Kimberley takes its first penalty just over a minute into period 2. Justin Niminiken made them pay for it netting BV's 3rd goal 21 secs into the pp and just 1:25 into the second had a 3 goal lead. But they weren't done. With just over 7 mins to play in the second, Kimberley would take their 2nd penalty of the game, and BV would capitalize once again. This time Niminiken would feed Spear for his 2nd of the game. Hot Hot Hot Christian Johnson(9G-4A-13pts in last 5 games), who I believe should get a "most improved player" award for this season, made it 5-0 Nitehawks with 47 seconds left in the second to give BV a huge lead heading into the third.
Either it was a coaching decision(doubtful) or just the thought of a 5 goal lead, but the Nitehawks came out and played a highly defensive game for the third. The defense was absolutely stellar all game so there should have been no need to fear. Given the potent offense of Kimberley, I would have thought a defensive game should be saved for the final 5 mins or so, NOT the entire period! On goals by NOW league scoring leader Senate Patton, Jordan Revie(ppg) and Taylor McDowell(ppg), Kimberley climbed back into the game with plenty of time to draw even. This is when the Nitehawk defense sealed the holes and Big Mike shut the door with more saves to frustrate the Nitro forwards. Kimberley sealed their fate when, taking a penalty with just over a minute remaining, they pulled their goalie. Craig Martin would pot the empty-netter to ice the cake and blow out the fuses as BV sends Kimberley packing.
In case any are wondering, yes, the ref missed several calls, and called some that were a bit wishy-washy. Overall, the calls were made fairly to both sides which is the way it should be.
Game Stars:
BV - Mason Spear 2G 1A
BV - Christian Johnson 1G 2A
KD - Rylan Duley 1A
Tonight was opening night of the "Catch The Fever" weekend celebrating 30 years in the KIJHL for the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Crowd size wasnt what we had hoped for, but there is still tomorrow nights game against the Castlegar Rebels. Game time is again 7:30. Volunteers are asked to show up at least 1 hour early to help get set up.
Sunday 8 January 2012
Postgame: Rockies - 2 Nitehawks - 11
Beaver Valley ends a 3-game homestand on a positive note, defeating Columbia Valley 11-2. In those 3 games, BV has outscored its opponents 23-4 overall. Needless to say, there wasnt much competition in this afternoons game as the Nighthawks controlled each and every aspect for the majority of play.
Once again, BV scores early. Ryan Baines, taking the ice for the first time in a Hawks jersey since March 3rd when BV was ousted from the playoffs by the Rebels, took an early tripping penalty which put BV on the pk just over a minute in. That didnt phase Justin Niminiken as, shorthanded, he used his speed and caught the Rockies defense napping literally squeezing the puck past ex-Nitehawk Travis Beekhuizen just 10 seconds into the penalty kill. CV answered back against the flow on a lucky play of their own getting a goal from Josh Haley to tie it at one less than 5 minutes into the 1st.
After having the power play come up blank in recent weeks, BV finally got into action this weekend. Craig Martin got it going again tonight at 10:08 of the 1st to give Nitehawks a 2-1 lead after 1.
Dallas Calvin gets BV's 2nd ppg of the night as they take a 3-1 lead once again early in a period that would be wholly owned by the Nitehawks. If I had a stopwatch on offensive zone pressure, BV would have at least 15 mins of the 2nd period! Christian Johnson, Max Flanagan, Jacob Boyczuk and Calvin with his 2nd, rounded out the 2nd period scoring as BV took a 7-1 lead into the break.
Jayson Cannell on a beautiful patience play beats an outstretched Vlanich for CV's second goal near the midpoint of the 3rd. Having just being content to control the play up to that point, BV went back on offence and answered a minute later with Johnsons 2nd. Craig Martin then displayed why the Trail Smoke Eaters have a vested interest in him as he lulled the defense with a few stories and then undressed them down to their skivies on his way to net where he made it look as if Beeker didnt exist. That puck was in before Martin touched it....it just didnt know it yet! Flanagan and Niminiken(ppg) each with their 2nd of the night to finally end the game and stop the slaughter as BV takes it 11-2.
Game Stars:
BV - Justin Niminiken 2G, 2A
BV - Max Flanagan 2G
BV - Dallas Calvin 2G, 2A
Nitehawks spread out the wealth as five different players scored 2 goals in this afternoons game and the only player to NOT get a point was Josh Peters. Justin Niminiken almost gets his first career hat-trick in the last minute but hits both posts of a wide open net.
In his 2011/2012 debut, Ryan Baines pulled in a n assist on Niminikens 3rd period goal. Talking with him after the game, I asked him how it felt to be back on the ice after 10 months. "It felt good, but I'm TIRED!" he replied laughing. Welcome back Ryan, good thing you have a few days off to work the jello out of the legs!! I do have to say, that boy is FAST! If he can put out that kind of speed when cold, he will be flying once the conditioning catches back up.
Next weekend, Beaver Valley will be hosting the "Catch the Fever" weekend. More details can be found on our facebook page. Looking forward to seeing some of the followers at the game and hopefully at the Saturday evening get together at the Fruitvale Pub.
Once again, BV scores early. Ryan Baines, taking the ice for the first time in a Hawks jersey since March 3rd when BV was ousted from the playoffs by the Rebels, took an early tripping penalty which put BV on the pk just over a minute in. That didnt phase Justin Niminiken as, shorthanded, he used his speed and caught the Rockies defense napping literally squeezing the puck past ex-Nitehawk Travis Beekhuizen just 10 seconds into the penalty kill. CV answered back against the flow on a lucky play of their own getting a goal from Josh Haley to tie it at one less than 5 minutes into the 1st.
After having the power play come up blank in recent weeks, BV finally got into action this weekend. Craig Martin got it going again tonight at 10:08 of the 1st to give Nitehawks a 2-1 lead after 1.
Dallas Calvin gets BV's 2nd ppg of the night as they take a 3-1 lead once again early in a period that would be wholly owned by the Nitehawks. If I had a stopwatch on offensive zone pressure, BV would have at least 15 mins of the 2nd period! Christian Johnson, Max Flanagan, Jacob Boyczuk and Calvin with his 2nd, rounded out the 2nd period scoring as BV took a 7-1 lead into the break.
Jayson Cannell on a beautiful patience play beats an outstretched Vlanich for CV's second goal near the midpoint of the 3rd. Having just being content to control the play up to that point, BV went back on offence and answered a minute later with Johnsons 2nd. Craig Martin then displayed why the Trail Smoke Eaters have a vested interest in him as he lulled the defense with a few stories and then undressed them down to their skivies on his way to net where he made it look as if Beeker didnt exist. That puck was in before Martin touched it....it just didnt know it yet! Flanagan and Niminiken(ppg) each with their 2nd of the night to finally end the game and stop the slaughter as BV takes it 11-2.
Game Stars:
BV - Justin Niminiken 2G, 2A
BV - Max Flanagan 2G
BV - Dallas Calvin 2G, 2A
Nitehawks spread out the wealth as five different players scored 2 goals in this afternoons game and the only player to NOT get a point was Josh Peters. Justin Niminiken almost gets his first career hat-trick in the last minute but hits both posts of a wide open net.
In his 2011/2012 debut, Ryan Baines pulled in a n assist on Niminikens 3rd period goal. Talking with him after the game, I asked him how it felt to be back on the ice after 10 months. "It felt good, but I'm TIRED!" he replied laughing. Welcome back Ryan, good thing you have a few days off to work the jello out of the legs!! I do have to say, that boy is FAST! If he can put out that kind of speed when cold, he will be flying once the conditioning catches back up.
Next weekend, Beaver Valley will be hosting the "Catch the Fever" weekend. More details can be found on our facebook page. Looking forward to seeing some of the followers at the game and hopefully at the Saturday evening get together at the Fruitvale Pub.
Saturday 7 January 2012
Postgame: Posse - 0 Nighthawks -3
Not even official assistance could stop the Nighthawks as they steam-rolled Princeton 3-0 at the Beaver Valley Arena. It was a rough game with plenty of hitting and post-whistle scrums.
Chris Derochie got things going early in the 1st with a goal on a feed from Chris Martin which turned out to be the game winner. Christian Johnson would get 2 in the 2nd from Justin Niminiken, one :29 seconds into the period and the other with :20 seconds remaining. Sky Buller made some very nice saves throughout the game to keep Princeton relatively close, but the stellar play of Zach Perehudoff didnt give the Posse a chance to gain ground. That along with outstanding defensive play kept the opposition frustrated all night.
As previously mentioned during the feed from tonight, I had noted that BV coach Terry Jones was displeased with several calls made by the officials and requested a discussion at the end of the 1st. This was subsequently denied on-ice, but by the resulting calls at the beginning of the second the discussion clearly took place behind closed doors. In a period of 1:33 seconds, BV took 2 tripping and 1 high-sticking penalty. While the high-stick was obviously legit, both the trips were bogus with Posse players "diving". Combine this with game-long NO-calls on the same plays in which BV had been penalized has me believing one of 2 things: 1 - bias, 2 - score management. I dont buy the second so that leaves only one option.
Now, I feel as I must re-iterate, I dont care if a call is made or not made, I only care that calls are made(or not made) fairly and evenly to both teams. Thats been my stand point all along and I hold by it firmly.
Anyway, enough about that. Nitehawks win on the night with Zach Perehudoff getting his 3rd career KIJHL shutout along with 1st Start honors.
Game Stars:
BV - Zach Perehudoff
BV - Josh Peters
BV - Christian Johnson
As alluded to prior to the game, the Nighthawks have re-signed returning player Ryan Baines. Ryan played 41 games with BV last year and racked up 10-14-24 with 72 PIM. When asked what he has been doing this year he replies, "Just going to school!". Baines was attending courses in Kelowna at the OBCU campus but has transferred to Trail when he found that he could take all the same courses here. I think he missed us!! The 5'10" 170lb forward will be a welcome addition, and with the rapid recovery of Scott Davidson(knee surgery), the Nighthawks are surging into the last 16 games on all cylinders!
Tomorrow's game is against Columbia Valley. BV won the only other meeting against CV on Nov 26, 9-3 in Invermere. The game time is 1pm.
Chris Derochie got things going early in the 1st with a goal on a feed from Chris Martin which turned out to be the game winner. Christian Johnson would get 2 in the 2nd from Justin Niminiken, one :29 seconds into the period and the other with :20 seconds remaining. Sky Buller made some very nice saves throughout the game to keep Princeton relatively close, but the stellar play of Zach Perehudoff didnt give the Posse a chance to gain ground. That along with outstanding defensive play kept the opposition frustrated all night.
As previously mentioned during the feed from tonight, I had noted that BV coach Terry Jones was displeased with several calls made by the officials and requested a discussion at the end of the 1st. This was subsequently denied on-ice, but by the resulting calls at the beginning of the second the discussion clearly took place behind closed doors. In a period of 1:33 seconds, BV took 2 tripping and 1 high-sticking penalty. While the high-stick was obviously legit, both the trips were bogus with Posse players "diving". Combine this with game-long NO-calls on the same plays in which BV had been penalized has me believing one of 2 things: 1 - bias, 2 - score management. I dont buy the second so that leaves only one option.
Now, I feel as I must re-iterate, I dont care if a call is made or not made, I only care that calls are made(or not made) fairly and evenly to both teams. Thats been my stand point all along and I hold by it firmly.
Anyway, enough about that. Nitehawks win on the night with Zach Perehudoff getting his 3rd career KIJHL shutout along with 1st Start honors.
Game Stars:
BV - Zach Perehudoff
BV - Josh Peters
BV - Christian Johnson
As alluded to prior to the game, the Nighthawks have re-signed returning player Ryan Baines. Ryan played 41 games with BV last year and racked up 10-14-24 with 72 PIM. When asked what he has been doing this year he replies, "Just going to school!". Baines was attending courses in Kelowna at the OBCU campus but has transferred to Trail when he found that he could take all the same courses here. I think he missed us!! The 5'10" 170lb forward will be a welcome addition, and with the rapid recovery of Scott Davidson(knee surgery), the Nighthawks are surging into the last 16 games on all cylinders!
Tomorrow's game is against Columbia Valley. BV won the only other meeting against CV on Nov 26, 9-3 in Invermere. The game time is 1pm.
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Postgame: Braves - 2 Nitehawks - 9
HAPPY NEW YEAR for sure!! In what was to be bounce-back game for Beaver Valley, they came out and made the most of what they were given, and it didnt take long....
Christian Johnson (@CaliJohnson23) got things started just :25 seconds in. Spokanes Matt Thurston capitalized on what would be a rare defensive ooops and tied the game at 6:38. Dallas Calvin (@dallas_calvin20) got his first of 3, Tyler Collins (@phillycollins92), and Brantley Schapansky also scored to give BV the 4-1 lead after 1.
The 2nd was pretty much a duplicate of the first. DC gets his 2nd, Mason Spear (@mase7teen), Chris Derochie (@c_derochie69), and Craig "candybag" Martin (@_martin17) score to make it 8-1 before Dylan Tappe gets Spokanes 2nd and last goal. BV made use of the stretch pass in the 2nd to open up the Spokane defense, and they did it with deadly efficiency!!
Third period wasnt as full of scoring, but it made up for it in drama. The refs made several weak calls on Spokane (yes, I said Spokane) that had the Braves bench irate and drawing at least one bench minor for their troubles. In the face-off circle prior to next puck drop, Dylan Tappe turned and spoke something to the ref which isnt suitable to be repeated in this format. This exchange immediately earned him an early trip to the showers and a spectators view for the remaining 16:26. Now, I tend to speak my mind(ish) when the officiating is suspect and not to the benefit of the Hawks, but I believe that things need to be called fairly both ways and I do think there was good reason for the Spokane side to be upset. Luckily for the Braves, they managed to kill off the penalties and play carried on back and forth until the 9 min mark when Brantley Schapansky went on a spree!! Two crushing open-ice hits and one along the boards in a 15 second span earned him a charging penalty and a paltry face-wash from Nick Farmer. Both sat for 2, but the grin on the face of Schapansky as he skated to the box told volumes. Calvin netted his 3rd with 6:21 left and BV cruzed to a 9-2 win, and sole points possession of first place.
Game Stars:
BV - Dallas Calvin 3G, 2A - was a physical force on both sides of the puck
BV - Justin Niminiken 1A - showed his speed often to make plays
BV - Brantley Schapansky 1G - extremely physical
I noticed a remarkable difference in the 4 days since the CG game. The boys once again had life. They showed better choices and decisions with the puck while displaying confidence and poise which ultimately overwhelmed the Braves.
Tonight was the first of a 3-game home stand. Jan. 7th and 8th provide Princeton and Columbia Valley respectively as food for the ever-hungry brood that rattle the cages of the opposition.
Christian Johnson (@CaliJohnson23) got things started just :25 seconds in. Spokanes Matt Thurston capitalized on what would be a rare defensive ooops and tied the game at 6:38. Dallas Calvin (@dallas_calvin20) got his first of 3, Tyler Collins (@phillycollins92), and Brantley Schapansky also scored to give BV the 4-1 lead after 1.
The 2nd was pretty much a duplicate of the first. DC gets his 2nd, Mason Spear (@mase7teen), Chris Derochie (@c_derochie69), and Craig "candybag" Martin (@_martin17) score to make it 8-1 before Dylan Tappe gets Spokanes 2nd and last goal. BV made use of the stretch pass in the 2nd to open up the Spokane defense, and they did it with deadly efficiency!!
Third period wasnt as full of scoring, but it made up for it in drama. The refs made several weak calls on Spokane (yes, I said Spokane) that had the Braves bench irate and drawing at least one bench minor for their troubles. In the face-off circle prior to next puck drop, Dylan Tappe turned and spoke something to the ref which isnt suitable to be repeated in this format. This exchange immediately earned him an early trip to the showers and a spectators view for the remaining 16:26. Now, I tend to speak my mind(ish) when the officiating is suspect and not to the benefit of the Hawks, but I believe that things need to be called fairly both ways and I do think there was good reason for the Spokane side to be upset. Luckily for the Braves, they managed to kill off the penalties and play carried on back and forth until the 9 min mark when Brantley Schapansky went on a spree!! Two crushing open-ice hits and one along the boards in a 15 second span earned him a charging penalty and a paltry face-wash from Nick Farmer. Both sat for 2, but the grin on the face of Schapansky as he skated to the box told volumes. Calvin netted his 3rd with 6:21 left and BV cruzed to a 9-2 win, and sole points possession of first place.
Game Stars:
BV - Dallas Calvin 3G, 2A - was a physical force on both sides of the puck
BV - Justin Niminiken 1A - showed his speed often to make plays
BV - Brantley Schapansky 1G - extremely physical
I noticed a remarkable difference in the 4 days since the CG game. The boys once again had life. They showed better choices and decisions with the puck while displaying confidence and poise which ultimately overwhelmed the Braves.
Tonight was the first of a 3-game home stand. Jan. 7th and 8th provide Princeton and Columbia Valley respectively as food for the ever-hungry brood that rattle the cages of the opposition.
Tuesday 3 January 2012
The VOICE of the Nitehawks
As many of you had probably noticed, the long time play-by-play man John Coutts stepped back from the mic earlier in the season due to some personal health issues. He was replaced by Garett Ferguson.
While going to school at SAIT, Garett cut his teeth in play-by-play and color commentary for the teams there. He had been working at KBS doing some news work the past 5 months and got his chance here literally through the grapevine. He seized control of the mic and only recently relinquished it due to receiving a job position in the Yukon. When asked about his time in the chair, Garett had this to say "Hardest part of doing it was getting names to the right number, took about 4 games to know hawks fully but each team was basically a new one every night, but had a hell of a time, Sheldon (co-commentator who worked along with Coutts) was a beauty colour man, knew tons about hawks and more than I thought about visitors."
With Garett now gone, and his health in much better condition, Ol' Faithful is back at the helm bellowing out the call just like old times. He once told me he had listeners in all parts of the world, which I thoroughly believe considering how widespread the readership is of just this simple blog!!
On behalf of the Nest, we congratulate Garett on his next step and hope it expands his horizons to an even greater extent.
And to John, WELCOME BACK!!!
(Comments are welcome to be directed towards either Garett and/or John and will be forwarded accordingly)
While going to school at SAIT, Garett cut his teeth in play-by-play and color commentary for the teams there. He had been working at KBS doing some news work the past 5 months and got his chance here literally through the grapevine. He seized control of the mic and only recently relinquished it due to receiving a job position in the Yukon. When asked about his time in the chair, Garett had this to say "Hardest part of doing it was getting names to the right number, took about 4 games to know hawks fully but each team was basically a new one every night, but had a hell of a time, Sheldon (co-commentator who worked along with Coutts) was a beauty colour man, knew tons about hawks and more than I thought about visitors."
With Garett now gone, and his health in much better condition, Ol' Faithful is back at the helm bellowing out the call just like old times. He once told me he had listeners in all parts of the world, which I thoroughly believe considering how widespread the readership is of just this simple blog!!
On behalf of the Nest, we congratulate Garett on his next step and hope it expands his horizons to an even greater extent.
And to John, WELCOME BACK!!!
(Comments are welcome to be directed towards either Garett and/or John and will be forwarded accordingly)
New Years Beginning!!
First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! Its been a hectic and somewhat demanding time of year which has resulted in a lack of time to sit down and reflect on what has transpired of the last few weeks.
Two home'n'homes and a tonne of turkey have the Nitehawks currently sitting atop the KIJHL. Technically, they are tied with Kamloops at 55pts, but 2 games in hand and 2 more wins gives them the nod for top spot.
It started in Nelson on Dec 16th. Kamloops had a 2pt lead on BV in the standings but had been slipping. Nitehawks invaded the NDCC and came out with a 4-3 win on goals by Martin, Spear(2), and Calvin. Mike Vlanich hauled in 1st star for the game. The venue shifted to BV for the second half 2 nights later on Dec 18th where Craig Martin stole the show netting all 4 of the Nitehawk goals and 1st star in another 4-3 BV win.
Kamloops loss to Princeton on Dec 16th and gave BV top spot, but only temporarily as Kamloops won on the 17th while BV sat idle. The 18th proved to be bitter sweet for the Nitehawks. Their win gave them what they thought was going to be the lead throughout the holidays, but Kamloops managed a single point in an OT loss to Chase giving them the league lead at the break.
With Kamloops not playing until Jan 6th, the Nitehawks had a chance to pass and put some serious distance between them and anyone else. Unfortunately, I think the turkey is still weighing heavy. Dec 29th in Castlegar was their chance to take the lead but were outworked in the 1st period but picked things up in the final 2. Sadly, the push by the Rebels in period 1 was enough to seal the win as Ryan Edwards had the only BV tally midway through the second in a 3-1 loss. The loss also marks the first time BV has lost since November 5th (also to the Rebels), a string of 13 straight wins.
Dec 30th once again had the venue switch to the Beaver Valley Arena and the second half versus Castlegar. As they had the previous night, BV was outworked and outplayed in the first period but managed to escape with the game tied on a late ppg by Craig Martin. BV picked up play in the 2nd and took the lead on a goal by Mason Spear only to be answered unassisted just :08 seconds later on a defensive miscue. Justin Niminiken pushed BV into the lead just before the midpoint of the game and the Nitehawks looked to be taking a 2 goal lead but had it called off due to a "high-stick" (dont get me going on the officiating, we could be here all night). So, a 1 goal lead it was, but a lead is a lead until another defensive zone giveaway resulted in a Rebel goal in the last minute. The third period would yield no goals although BV pushed hard and had several quality chances to ice it but were unable to finish. Off to OT we go with BV pushing hard once again when against the flow and yet another defensive giveaway, Tyler Jones gets his second of the game and the game winner as BV loses 4-3.
The loss in overtime still granted the Nitehawks that single needed point to catch Kamloops, finally! And now, tonight, sitting at 55 pts, they host the Braves from Spokane in an attempt to pull away. Game time is 7:00pm at Beaver Valley Arena.
Two home'n'homes and a tonne of turkey have the Nitehawks currently sitting atop the KIJHL. Technically, they are tied with Kamloops at 55pts, but 2 games in hand and 2 more wins gives them the nod for top spot.
It started in Nelson on Dec 16th. Kamloops had a 2pt lead on BV in the standings but had been slipping. Nitehawks invaded the NDCC and came out with a 4-3 win on goals by Martin, Spear(2), and Calvin. Mike Vlanich hauled in 1st star for the game. The venue shifted to BV for the second half 2 nights later on Dec 18th where Craig Martin stole the show netting all 4 of the Nitehawk goals and 1st star in another 4-3 BV win.
Kamloops loss to Princeton on Dec 16th and gave BV top spot, but only temporarily as Kamloops won on the 17th while BV sat idle. The 18th proved to be bitter sweet for the Nitehawks. Their win gave them what they thought was going to be the lead throughout the holidays, but Kamloops managed a single point in an OT loss to Chase giving them the league lead at the break.
With Kamloops not playing until Jan 6th, the Nitehawks had a chance to pass and put some serious distance between them and anyone else. Unfortunately, I think the turkey is still weighing heavy. Dec 29th in Castlegar was their chance to take the lead but were outworked in the 1st period but picked things up in the final 2. Sadly, the push by the Rebels in period 1 was enough to seal the win as Ryan Edwards had the only BV tally midway through the second in a 3-1 loss. The loss also marks the first time BV has lost since November 5th (also to the Rebels), a string of 13 straight wins.
Dec 30th once again had the venue switch to the Beaver Valley Arena and the second half versus Castlegar. As they had the previous night, BV was outworked and outplayed in the first period but managed to escape with the game tied on a late ppg by Craig Martin. BV picked up play in the 2nd and took the lead on a goal by Mason Spear only to be answered unassisted just :08 seconds later on a defensive miscue. Justin Niminiken pushed BV into the lead just before the midpoint of the game and the Nitehawks looked to be taking a 2 goal lead but had it called off due to a "high-stick" (dont get me going on the officiating, we could be here all night). So, a 1 goal lead it was, but a lead is a lead until another defensive zone giveaway resulted in a Rebel goal in the last minute. The third period would yield no goals although BV pushed hard and had several quality chances to ice it but were unable to finish. Off to OT we go with BV pushing hard once again when against the flow and yet another defensive giveaway, Tyler Jones gets his second of the game and the game winner as BV loses 4-3.
The loss in overtime still granted the Nitehawks that single needed point to catch Kamloops, finally! And now, tonight, sitting at 55 pts, they host the Braves from Spokane in an attempt to pull away. Game time is 7:00pm at Beaver Valley Arena.
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