The Nighthawks put on an offensive clinic at the rink on Thursday, overwhelming the Ninjas with relentless pressure and a staggering 31-shot barrage in the first period alone, en route to an 8-5 victory. From the opening faceoff, it was clear the Nighthawks came to play. Hudson Smith (#74) set the tone early, netting an even-strength goal at 4:53 of the first period with assists from Rylan Brown (#3) and Devon Tchir (#25). The Ninjas, however, showed they wouldn’t go quietly. Owen Bourque (#20) answered back with a beautiful setup from Riley See (#61) and Jarrod Gourley (#98) to tie the game at 2:40. The period ended with a flurry of action as Shea Spofford (#94) gave the Ninjas a 2-1 lead at 0:26, assisted by Noah Wilson (#97) and Dave Laroche (#47).
The second period saw the game’s intensity rise even further, with both teams trading blows in a back-and-forth battle. Brett Olson (#23) tied the game for the Nighthawks early, before Laroche (#47) quickly restored the Ninjas’ lead. A crucial turning point came at 5:47 when the Ninjas were assessed a minor penalty, opening the door for the Nighthawks’ relentless power play. Jackson Krochak (#21) wasted no time, burying a shot at 5:41 to tie the game once again. The Ninjas, however, refused to fold. Spofford (#94) notched his second goal of the night at 4:14, giving the home team a 4-3 lead. But the Nighthawks, showing their resilience, struck twice in the final minute of the period. Krochak (#21) tied the game at 0:54, setting the stage for a wild third period.
The third period was all Nighthawks, as they poured on four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach. Eric Clague (#36) scored at 8:42, followed by Tyler Kutschinski (#10) at 7:06 and Logan Zaichkowsky (#39) at 2:55. Krochak (#21) completed his hat trick with a goal at 0:50, capping off the Nighthawks' dominant performance. The Ninjas managed a single goal in the period from Palmer Strang (#86) at 6:02, assisted by Ben Thomson (#17) and Riley See (#61), but it was too little, too late. Despite the tough loss, Ninjas goalie Dave Laroche (#47) faced a relentless onslaught, while the Nighthawks' Hudson Smith (#74) earned the win in net. The game was marked by a Game Misconduct penalty to the Ninjas at 3:05 of the second period for Laroche, which hampered their ability to slow down the Nighthawks' attack.