Nighthawks goalie picks Bemidji State University

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This article was published 27/11/2023 (903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Niverville Nighthawks goaltender Raiden LeGall had a hard choice to make in camp this season.

Try and stick it out with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Everett Silvertips, or come back to Manitoba to continue his hockey career in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), to try and nab a NCAA scholarship.

LeGall appears to have made the right choice, committing to Bemidji State University last week.

“Being a kid in Canada, you always dream of playing in the WHL,” LeGall said.

“I had a tough decision to make. I ended up deciding I’m going to play college hockey instead, and it seems to be the right one.”

Any player who signs with a WHL club is ineligible to play NCAA hockey. LeGall said while choosing his hockey future was about looking forward to the future, the option to play in Niverville this season was a a big positive to remaining in Manitoba.

“I really enjoy it here,” LeGall said.

“It seems like everyone cares… We can go play a game in Winnipeg, and we can see tons of fans in Niverville colours. The coaches and all the staff care about you and that was something important to me.”

LeGall, a 2006-born goalie from Morden, has been outstanding to start the season. He has a record of 6-4-1, while posting a 0.933 save percentage, good for fourth in the league.

“I put in a lot of work over the summer, so it’s nice to see it paying off,” LeGall said.

It was a off-season filled with on-ice work for LeGall, who wanted to get on the ice with veteran junior players to get used to the speed of the next level of competition. He was outstanding last season for the Pembina Valley Hawks in U18 play, notching a 0.942 save percentage with three shutouts.

“It really helps, being a goalie, getting used to those shots,” LeGall said.

“Once you’re used to them, it makes it a lot easier.”

LeGall said he has visited Bemidji State University, which is located in Minnesota, noting the small campus size, good hockey and academic culture, and closeness to home appealed to him.

“I saw a lot of similarities from (Bemidji) and Niverville,” he said.

“It seems like all the coaching staff really cares about the players. It’s a beautiful city, right off the waterfront.”

While LeGall knows where he’ll be suiting up after leaving the Nighthawks, he has big-time goals for his time in Manitoba.

“A championship is goal number one for us here in Niverville,” he said.

LeGall and the rest of the Nighthawks will be in action over the weekend, playing three games in four nights at the Niverville Rec Centre. A game against Neepawa finished after press time Nov. 22, with games against the Winnipeg Blues and Dauphin Kings set for Nov. 24 and 25 respectively. Puck drop for both is at 7 p.m.