The Beaver Valley Nitehawks’ lethal triumvirate of Dallas Calvin, Dan Holland, and Connor Brown-Maloski wielded absolute power over the Castelgar Rebels in KIJHL action in Beaver Valley Friday night.
The line accounted for 12 points on the night, including a six-point night, four goals and two assists, from Dallas Calvin. Torrid doesn’t adequately describe the scoring pace of the 18-year-old Trail native who has registered 14 points in his last three games, giving him 14 goals and 23 assists on the year.
It was only fitting that Calvin’s hat-trick goal proved to be the winner, as he finished a pretty passing play from Nick Perez and Holland on the power play, to give the Hawks a 4-1 first period lead.
The Hawks opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 14:02 when Brown Maloski sent a long break away pass to Calvin, but the puck jumped over the streaking winger's stick and slid the length of the ice. But, Calvin astutely chased it down and blasted the rebound off the backboards over a stunned Rebel netminder Jordan Gluck.
Castelgar replied 30 seconds later when Jamie Vlanich tied it on a neat pass from Aaron Brewer, but the Hawks would retake the lead when Calvin notched his second on the night after a nice set up from Brown-Maloski and Perez.
The trio would combine for the third goal as Brown-Maloski finished a play from Calvin and Holland, and after Calvin made it 4-1, Holland would get in on the scoring sending a nice pass from Perez over the shoulder of Gluck to give the Hawks a 5-1 lead early in the second.
However, a second period let down seemed inevitable as the Rebels quickly cut the lead to 5-3 on goals by Aaron Petten and Erik Alden. Castlegar fired 20 shots at Hawk goalie Zack Perehudoff in the second period alone, but the steady netminder weathered the storm, stopping 38 of 41 shots in the game.
Calvin notched his fourth goal midway through the third on a break away, as the Hawk defence tightened up, limiting the Rebels to just seven shots on goal in the third.
Not to be overshadowed, Perez had a big night with four assists to give the 20-year-old 42 points on the season and vaulting him into ninth spot in league scoring and first among defencemen. The California native has also been on a tear of late, counting nine points in his past three games.
The important win brings the Hawks within two points of the second place Rebels in the Murdoch division standings and just six points back of Nelson who beat Spokane 3-1 Friday.
The Nitehawks travel to Castlegar tonight to finish the home-and-home with the Rebels at the Castlegar Rec Complex at 7:30 p.m.