LeGall will backstop hungry Niverville Nighthawks squad

A great starting goaltender can make all the difference in a hockey season, and the Nighthawks looked to be in tough when Raiden LeGall left the team this off-season.

Needing to move on from the 2006-born netminder appeared all but certain when LeGall was drafted to the United States Hockey League (USHL), but the Morden-born goaltender is back in the Nighthawks fold, looking to lead a team with ambitions to take the next step into Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) contention.

LeGall was brilliant for Niverville last season, posting a 0.920 save percentage while picking up 20 wins on the season. He was named to the MJHL’s all-rookie team and earned a commitment to Bemidji State, an NCAA division one program for hockey.

“It’s a big boost for the group, having a goaltender of that magnitude back in our line-up,” Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst said.

LeGall appeared in Niverville’s final pre-season game, playing the first half of a game against the Steinbach Pistons Sept 14. He allowed one goal while stopping 18 shots in front of an inexperienced Niverville team playing only half of their anticipated starting line-up.

“We’re not in the days where we’re worried if we can contend with Steinbach, we know we can compete with them,” Hirst said.

Niverville has made the playoffs in their first two seasons, but were quickly eliminated in the first round both times, including a sweep by their cross-highway rivals the Pistons last season.

It’s clear the team is looking for more on the ice, firing head coach Kelvin Cech mid-way through the season despite holding onto a playoff spot. Hirst was hired on as the interim replacement before taking over as the permanent coach this summer, with Mike McAulay kept as the full-time general manager.

Hirst is hoping to deliver the franchise’s first playoff series win and an appearance in the league semi-finals this season.

“I think with the players we’ve added and the returning players we’re getting back here, not just getting into the playoffs is a goal, but competing in the playoffs is,” Hirst said.

“Getting into the top four, that’s where we’re striving to be.”

Niverville is the only franchise in the MJHL with a dedicated head coach, as most bench bosses around the league are also their team’s general managers. Hirst said he’s delighted to be just the head coach, so he can just focus on working and improving the team’s current players.

“We had a really good training camp,” he said.

“The compete, the resiliency, the consistency has been really good with the guys.”

Not only do the Nighthawks have a separate head coach, they have added Tyler Anderson as a full-time assistant coach. Anderson played over 100 games in division one of the NCAA with Lake Superior State University.

Hirst is excited about what the defensive core playing in front of LeGall will look like this season. While the status of Kaycee Coyle is still up in the air after he was also drafted to the USHL, McAulay has been busy this off-season, making sure to add players from across the country to bolster their line-up, which will also feature recent NCAA division one commit Avery Laliberte.

“I think we got better, and also we’re just another year older as a franchise but also another year older as our young guys got drafted and developed,” Hirst said.

The Lorette-born Laliberte was Niverville’s first-ever draft pick and has thrived. Hirst said the 17-year-old has come into the season ready to compete at a higher level after committing to Northern Michigan earlier this week.

Laliberte should be a key piece for a revamped group of defenders. The Nighthawks added Parker Carrier and Luke Wagner via trade this offseason, with Hirst noting 2005-born player Jase Konecsni is set to take a leap this year as well.

“We’re going to be a little bit tougher to play against in our own defensive zone,” Hirst said.

“Just a little bit of teaching and tutelage… Our back end is very promising.”

A key loss was Nathan Brown, who is now playing for the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta division of the B.C. Hockey League. Because Brooks left the Hockey Canada-affiliated Alberta Junior Hockey League last season, they were able to acquire Brown without paying any compensation to the Nighthawks.

Steinbach’s Ty Paisley, who played for the Pistons and helped them to an MJHL championship in 2022, is also playing in the BCHL, suiting up for the Salmon Arm Silverbacks last year, notching 11 goals and 11 assists. He’ll be playing for Prince George to start the season, before heading to the University of St Thomas next year.

Niverville has roster flexibility heading into this season, with two of their eight spots for 2004-born players still open.

The Nighthawks open up their season at home, when they host the Winnipeg Freeze Sept. 20. They’ll be on the road Sept 22, taking on Waywayseecappo to round out their opening weekend.

Audio broadcasts of Niverville’s games are available at cerebralmedia.mixlr.com, with paid video broadcasts on flohockey.com.