For the second time in eight days, the Niverville Nighthawks travelled to Dauphin to face the Kings—and for the second time, the Nighthawks came out with a win.
Energized by a lethal power play, as well as a hat trick from Marlen Edwards, the Nighthawks skated to a 5–1 victory, extending their winning streak to 14 games and improving their record to a league-leading 38–2–1.
Niverville’s last loss came on December 10, a 3–2 setback against Portage. The Nighthawks are now just two wins shy of matching their longest franchise winning streak, a 16-game run that lasted from October 15 to December 5.
Edwards and the Niverville power play were the story of the night, combining for four goals with the man advantage. Edwards factored in three of those tallies, recording his second hat trick since being acquired by the Nighthawks on January 6.
With his four-point afternoon, Edwards has now piled up 12 goals and 19 points. He’s riding a five-game goal streak and a nine-game point streak. He has appeared on the scoresheet in every game he’s suited up as a Nighthawk.
After a scoreless first period, Niverville opened the scoring just over a minute into the second period on the power play. Hayden Wheddon found Edwards at the top of the crease, and Edwards buried the chance past Hunter Bauer to make it 1–0.
It was already the Nighthawks’ third power play opportunity of the game, as the Kings continued to test the MJHL’s top-ranked power play unit.
Wheddon’s assist extended his point streak to 11 games. Following a three-point afternoon, he now sits atop the league scoring race with 68 points.
Dauphin’s penalty troubles continued, and Edwards struck again. After some beautiful puck movement, Aaron Krestanowich sent the puck down low to Merik Boles, who one-timed a pass into the slot, where Edwards unloaded a one-timer that beat Bauer under the glove to double the lead.
Just 53 seconds later, the Nighthawks struck once more. Dawson Zeller’s pass from behind the net found Loik Leduc just on top of the crease. Leduc went to his backhand, slipping the puck past Bauer for his nineteenth goal of the season to make it 3–0.
Midway through the period, Niverville faced some adversity of its own, taking consecutive boarding penalties. Dubinsky stood tall during the sequence, turning aside every Kings chance to preserve the three-goal cushion.
The game marked the return of Dubinsky to the Nighthawks crease as the 20-year-old from Ardrossan, Alberta made his first start since January 15, when he earned a 4–2 win over the Selkirk Steelers prior to suffering an injury.
He was sharp, stopping 29 of 30 shots in his return.
Late in the period, the Nighthawks were awarded their sixth power play of the game—the fourth of the period—and made it count once again. After all five skaters touched the puck, Wheddon finished the play at the side of the crease to push the lead to 4–0.
The sequence began with Jaden Mah holding the puck in at the blue line before feeding Krestanowich at the left point. Krestanowich sent it down low to Boles, who quickly found Edwards in the slot. Instead of shooting, Edwards spun and found Wheddon for the finish and their third power play goal of the period.
With less than two minutes remaining in the period, Parker Rolston took a tripping penalty, giving Dauphin a late power play. However, the best chance came shorthanded for Niverville. Tyler Bernier broke in alone, only to be denied by a big save from Bauer.
The Kings’ discipline issues carried into the third period, as they took a pair of penalties just over three minutes into the final frame, giving Niverville a full two-minute five-on-five advantage. Once again, Edwards made them pay, completing his hat trick on a perfect pass from Wheddon to make it 5–0.
Dauphin eventually broke through late in the game during their own five-on-three opportunity. With just under eight minutes remaining, Ty Pratte, after breaking his stick moments earlier, grabbed a new stick from the bench, moved into the right circle, and snapped a shot blocker side to beat Dubinsky on the Kings’ twenty-seventh shot, cutting the deficit to 5–1.
That goal was the only blemish on an otherwise strong night for Dubinsky, who earned his league-leading twenty-fifth win of the season and improved his record to 25–2–0–1.
Niverville finished the day four for nine with the man advantage.
With the victory, the Nighthawks improved to a perfect 5–0 on their seven-game road trip, adding to an impressive 19–0–1 away from the CRRC. The five-goal performance also pushed Niverville past the 200-goal mark, giving them a league-high total.
The Nighthawks have two games remaining on their road trip. They visit Winnipeg on Tuesday to face the Monarchs before heading to Winkler on Friday night to take on the Flyers. Niverville returns home next Sunday when they welcome the East Division-leading Virden Oil Capitals to the CRRC.