The Beaver Valley Nitehawks play just one of their next five games at home this Sunday when they host the Grand Forks Border Bruins.
Following a 71-shot barrage in a 12-3 demolition of the Bruins at the Hawks Nest on Saturday, the Hawks play a home-and-home with the embattled Bruins beginning tomorrow night in Grand Forks.
Coach Terry Jones is looking at the upcoming games as an important chance to tweak a Nitehawks game that has suffered just two losses in its last 14 matches.
“(Until Saturday) We haven’t been blowing anybody out all year long, so it’s not like that, but we’ll have an opportunity to work on our game and fine tune our power play and things like that.”
The 7-28-1-3 Bruins are out of playoff contention, with 13 games to play they sit 28 points back of Spokane in the Neil Murdoch division.
Looking past this weekend, on the horizon looms away games against much tougher opponents like the 100-Mile House Wranglers and the Doug Birks division leading Kamloops Storm on Jan. 23-24, and a mid-week game versus the Nelson Leafs before returning home Jan. 30 to face Spokane.
The Hawks will be without top defenceman Andrew Miller and forward Jace Weegar likely for the remainder of the regular season, but hope to have them back for playoffs.
Defencemen Reid Anderson, who has six points in the last two games, and veteran Walker Sidoni, five points in three games, have stepped it up for the Hawks providing stability on the back end along with an added offensive punch in Miller’s absence. Tyler Hartman is also hot, counting four goals against the Bruins on Saturday, to give him 11 on the year for 25 points.
Currently B.V. sits five points up on Nelson and Castlegar, tied for second with 50 points, with their final eight games going against division rivals.
The Hawks host Grand Forks at 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Beaver Valley Arena.