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Nitehawks look to extend five-game win streak

Beaver Valley Nitehawks begin 3-in-3 weekend, face Coyotes, Leafs and Border Bruins
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The Beaver Valley Nitehawks will look to extend its five-game winning streak when it plays the Osoyoos Coyotes on Friday and the Nelson Leafs on Saturday at the Hawks Nest, before heading to Grand Forks for a return tilt with the Border Bruins.

The Hawks play a Coyotes team that has struggled this season, with just one win in six games. For the Nitehawks, little is known about the Okanagan Division team only that in the non-crossover year last season, the ‘Yotes led their division with a 32-11-2-2 record and have historically been a KIJHL powerhouse.

“At this stage of the game, I think we really focus on what we’re doing,” said Nitehawks head coach Terry Jones. “That to me is the best approach, just focus on our game and our game plan, systems, and try to just keep getting better. I know that generally they have had a pretty good team throughout the years. They play hard, and it’s a good solid organization, so we expect it will be a tough game.”

There is no mystery, however, to the Nelson Leafs. The Murdoch Division leader sports a 7-1-0-0 record, two points ahead of B.V., who lost to the Leafs 3-2 on Sept. 15, but have won five straight since then.

“We know them pretty well, we know a lot of their players, they’ve got good size, they play hard, their power play has been excellent, (Ryan) Piva’s had a great start, so we know more about them and how we have to play to be successful,” said Jones. “Again I think it comes down to discipline. It’s always the key.”

Piva leads all skaters in points in the Kootenay Conference with 9 goals and 18 points in seven games, while Bradley Ross tops all Nitehawks in points with 11 (6G, 5A), while Angus Amadio has seven goals and 10 points in eight games.

The Leafs Caiden Kreitz has logged the most minutes in goal going 6-1 with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Uncannily, Nitehawks goalie Noah Decottignies sports the exact same 2.01 GAA, with an even better .923 save percentage and a 4-1 record.

Discipline was indeed key for the Nitehawks when they faced the Border Bruins a week ago in a 7-3 victory. Grand Forks racked up over 100-minutes in penalties in the game, while the Hawks kept their cool for the most part and went shorthanded just five times in spite of the Bruins’ effort to antagonize.

This year’s mandatory-cages rule continues to cause controversy around the league and on social media. While lauded by many, for others, the full-face protection has emboldened players and given them a false sense of invincibility.

“I honestly believe that the lack of accountability with a half visor on and having to answer the bell when you do something stupid is appallingly apparent,” Nelson coach Mario DiBella told the Nelson Star after his player Michael LeNoury was speared by Summerland’s Ethan Grover last week. “Suddenly, guys who would not play in that manner are seven-feet tall and hiding behind that cage.”

The numbers, however, don’t necessarily reflect a rise in penalty minutes. Last year the Hawks had racked up 149 minutes in penalties in its opening eight games, compared to 119 this season. Also, the 3-5-0-0 Border Bruins, the most penalized team in the Kootenay Conference, accumulated 289 pims in eight games this year, but that prolific figure still doesn’t beat their 2017 eight-game total of 296 pims.

“I haven’t noticed, to be honest, huge ramifications as a result of using the cages and shields,” said Jones. “I felt that on Friday against Grand Forks, it did surface more than anything else because these guys are frustrated with the game and they’re looking to try and fight. But you can’t really fight, the guys are wearing cages. So you have to forget that part of the game exists anymore.”

So far, the Nitehawks have been doing a great job of maintaining their discipline on the ice. B.V. is the second least penalized team in the Kootenay Conference going shorthanded 33 times with a 78.79 per cent penalty kill. Their power play is second only to Kimberley, capitalizing on 13 of 49 opportunities for a 26.53 per cent success rate.

The Nitehawks will look to keep that success going this weekend, and with the Trail Smoke Eaters on an extended road trip, seats should be at a premium at the Beaver Valley Arena on Friday and Saturday. So far this year, the Hawks and Smokies games have gone on the same nights leaving fans conflicted and frustrated.

“It is too bad, the crowds have been decent even with the overlaps,” said Jones. “This particular season there’s nine overlapping games. You can’t assess blame, the crossovers really pigeon-hole where we can put games. In the future, we have to volunteer to do the schedule otherwise we’re up against the Smoke Eater machine, and we don’t want to do that at all, we want both teams to be free, because there’s lots of hockey fans that want to go to both games. So it’s something that we’ll definitely work on in the future.”

Beaver Valley hosts the Coyotes on Friday and the Nelson Leafs on Saturday with the puck drop at 7:30 p.m. at the Hawks Nest. B.V. travels to Grand Forks on Sunday for a 2 p.m. game versus the Border Bruins.

Nitehawks Notes: Hawks forward Reese Tambellini is still out with injury, while defenceman Kody Stewart is day-to-day. Nolan Corrado may also be out for a fighting major assessed versus the Border Bruins last week.



Jim Bailey

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