Two of the MJHL’s hottest teams collided Sunday afternoon at the CRRC in Niverville—and when the dust settled, the Dauphin Kings had the upper hand.
The Nighthawks entered the matchup riding a franchise-record six-game winning streak to start the season, while the Kings had won five straight of their own, surrendering just four goals during that span.
With both sides riding a wave of momentum, something had to give.
The opening period saw the two teams trading chances, with goaltenders Austin Dubinsky (Niverville) and Bryson Yaschyshyn (Dauphin) making big saves to keep the game scoreless.
The deadlock was finally broken late in the first, when Loik Leduc delivered a cross-crease pass to Evan Panzer on the power play, who redirected the puck past Yaschyshyn to establish a 1–0 Nighthawks lead.
Dauphin had a golden opportunity to respond before the period ended, when Niverville took back-to-back penalties, including a double-minor for headbutting to Luke Wagner, giving the Kings an extended five-on-three.
Though they couldn’t convert before intermission, it didn’t take long in the second period to capitalize. Just 27 seconds in, a Madden Murray shot redirected to Havryil Simchuk at the side of the crease. He tucked it in to tie the game.
Dauphin took control from there.
Early in the third, Cam Jansa fired a quick shot through Dubinsky’s legs to give the Kings their first lead of the afternoon.
Niverville struggled to generate much momentum in the final frame, and when they did Yaschyshyn stood tall.
A beautiful individual effort from Murray extended Dauphin’s lead midway through the period, as he moved around a Nighthawk defender at the blue line, skated in on Dubinsky, and outwaited the sprawling netminder to make it 3–1.
Ash Mitchelmore and Quinten Fisk added late markers to cap a four-goal third period and seal the Kings’ sixth straight win.
After the game, Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst didn’t sugarcoat his team’s performance.
“Credit the Dauphin Kings,” Hirst said. “They came into our building and put the work boots on and kicked us to the ground. We didn’t have a response in pace or compete.”
The Kings had six power play opportunities on the night, capitalizing once with the man advantage. Hirst says the number of penalty kills was a big factor in the loss.
“You can’t play shorthanded in this league and expect to win every night,” he added. “Ultimately we had too many passengers on a bus going in the wrong direction tonight—and if that happens, you aren’t going to win.”
The Winnipeg Monarchs will be making their way to Niverville for a meeting on Wednesday. Hirst says that his team will have to learn from the loss.
“It’s a reset for our guys,” he said. “We start the season 6–0, which is a good start, but you can’t look at the record from the past. You have to show up on game day and put the work in.”
Statistically, the Kings had the upper hand throughout the contest. They outshot Niverville in all three periods and finished with a 35–29 advantage in shots on goal. Dauphin went one-for-six on the power play, while the Nighthawks converted once on three opportunities.
The four goals allowed in the third period were the most the Nighthawks have given up in a single frame all season.
Despite the loss, Loik Leduc extended his point streak to seven games with an assist on Panzer’s goal.
Dauphin’s defensive dominance continues to be a story. The Kings have now allowed one goal or fewer in each of their last six victories.
Sunday’s tilt marked the beginning of a five-game home stand for the Nighthawks. They’ll look to bounce back on Wednesday night when the Monarchs make their first visit the CRRC. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.