Beaver Valley Nitehawks double up Fernie in opening match
Published 5:00 pm Sunday, September 20, 2026
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The Beaver Valley Nitehawks rose to the occasion and defeated the Fernie Ghostriders to open a new era in the BC Hockey Conference Junior A league on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the B.V. Arena.
Nitehawks defenceman Crimson Chittick’s first goal proved to be the game winner in a 4-2 victory over their division rival Ghostriders. The Mayerthorpe, AB native scored on the power play on a set up from Connor Drake and Jackson Rendall to give B.V. a 3-1 lead with 2:19 remaining in the second period.
The BCHC season started on Thursday, Sept. 10, but Saturday’s match was the first for B.V. in the new league, with a new team.
The Richmond Sockeyes hosted the Delta Ice Hawks and officially opened the league’s inaugural Junior A season on Thursday, Sept. 10, marking the first regular-season game in BCHC history.
It was the first of 550 regular-season games to be played across British Columbia in 2026-27, with each of the BCHC’s 22 member clubs playing a 50-game schedule leading into the 2027 BCHC Playoffs.
“The excitement around the start of this season has been building all summer,” said Sarah Smith, BCHC Director of Brand Strategy and Communications. “In working with our teams, you can feel the energy in every community, and we’re seeing that reflected in the way clubs are connecting with their fans.”
Castlegar product Julian Knelson opened the scoring for the Nitehawks with a deflection off a David Ross shot 12 minutes into the opening frame.
Ethan Watkins tied it 2:19 into the second period, but Nitehawks forward Rendall tallied his first of the campaign with a power play goal at 14:37 from Chittick and Ryan Neufeld to give B.V. a 2-1 lead.
The Spokane product Rendall is a key addition to the B.V. line up, coming to the Nitehawks from the Braves after putting up impressive numbers last season with 13 goals and 31 points in 27 games.
Fernie’s Carter Singleton cut the lead to one, 1:24 into the third, as the teams traded scoring chances until Fernie pulled its goalie in the final minute.
With just three seconds remaining, Brock Robertson fired the puck into the empty net for the 4-2 final.
Nitehawks goalie Kayd Mercier was solid in net, stopping 31 shots, while Kael Svenson made 26 saves for Fernie. B.V. went 2-for-5 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Nitehawks went 3-for-4 through the exhibition season, with two wins over the Nelson Leafs and a split against the Grand Forks Border Bruins.
The Hawks will travel to Grand Forks to face the Border Bruins on Tuesday at Jack Goddard Memorial Arena with the puck drop at 7 p.m.
The Border Bruins are coming off two losses on the weekend, including a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Kimberley Dynamiters and a 4-0 loss to Fernie.
Beaver Valley then travels to Kamloops on Friday, Sept. 25 to play the Storm and Merritt on Saturday, Sept. 26 for a match against the Centennials at 7 p.m.
Games can be watched on flohockey.tv.