Two of the MJHL’s top teams collided Saturday night at the CRRC, and fans were treated to an exciting matchup. In the end, the Niverville Nighthawks outlasted the league-leading Selkirk Steelers 3–2 in overtime.
In the first meeting of the season between the two clubs, the Nighthawks came out flying, controlling much of the play in the opening frame with a 22–9 shot advantage. Despite the early onslaught, Selkirk goaltender Ethan Sawyer kept his team in the game with a sensational first-period performance.
Overall, the Nighthawks outshot the Steelers 51–32.
Niverville finally broke through on a power play near the midway point of the period. Steelers forward Kayden Turner was assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind after a dangerous collision with Nighthawks captain Adam Vigfusson, who had to be helped off the ice and did not return.
Luke Mackenzie, who took Vigfusson’s place on the top power play unit with the Nighthawks captain out, capitalized on the man advantage, knocking home a loose puck in front to give Niverville a 1–0 lead.
The Nighthawks extended their lead early in the second period with a beautiful three-way passing play. Calyb Moore found a streaking Merik Boles moving through the slot. Boles quickly sent a feed across to Hayden Wheddon just below the left circle, and he lifted a shot over a sprawling Sawyer to make it 2–0.
Selkirk pushed back in the third period, showing why they sit atop the MJHL standings. The league’s leading scorer, Rohan Guevarra, drove hard to the net, forcing a rebound that Remy Hlady buried past Austin Dubinsky to cut the lead in half with just over eight minutes to play.
A pair of Niverville delay-of-game penalties gave Selkirk a two-man advantage late in the frame. After a sequence of key saves from Dubinsky, Hlady collected the puck behind the net and fed a pass out front to Steelers captain Owen Branson, who tapped it from the crease to tie the game 2–2.
The Nighthawks had a chance to regain the lead late in the third period with a power play opportunity of their own after a tripping call against Evan Mayer with just over a minute left in regulation. But were unable to convert.
In overtime, another tripping penalty—this time to Lincoln Ponce—gave Niverville a second chance with the man advantage.
And this time, they made it count.
Thomas Phillips tried to thread a pass to a streaking Dawson Zeller, but the puck caromed off a Selkirk defender’s skate and snuck past the outstanding Sawyer, sealing a 3–2 overtime victory for Niverville. The goal was Phillips’s first of the season.
Niverville head coach Dwight Hirst was far more pleased with his team’s performance Saturday night compared to what he saw in their previous outing against the Winnipeg Monarchs on Wednesday.
“The team responded in the right way tonight,” said Hirst postgame. “I thought we had a lot of opportunities tonight, but their goaltender Sawyer stood on his head.”
Hirst praised his penalty killers for weathering the late Selkirk push.
“I thought our PK did a great job when we went down on five-on-three to give us a chance to get into overtime and win at home.”
He also commended his team’s depth after losing Vigfusson early in the game.
“When you lose a guy like Adam Vigfusson in that situation, especially early on, you don’t really replace a guy like him, but it is a testament to the depth we’ve got upfront that guys can step into that role and contribute.”
The Nighthawks won’t have much time to celebrate their win, as they’re back in action Sunday afternoon at the CRRC against the visiting Neepawa Titans. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.