Two of the MJHL’s top teams collided Wednesday night in Niverville, and the Portage Terriers came out on top, earning a 3–2 victory and handing the Nighthawks just their second regulation loss of the season.
Portage’s win extended their streak to nine consecutive games, while Niverville saw its 19-game point streak come to an end.
Both teams traded scoring chances in a high-tempo opening frame, but it was the Nighthawks who were able to capitalize and jump out to the early lead.
At 8:16, newcomer Renat Nhanieiev notched his first goal as a Nighthawk after Loik Leduc delivered a beautiful no-look backhand pass from just above the crease to a wide open Nhanieiev who tapped it in.
Four minutes later, Leduc’s magic struck again, spinning off a defender in the Portage zone and sliding a perfect feed to Parker Rolston, who tapped home his third of the year to make it 2–0.
The strong start wasn’t enough to carry through the full 60 minutes, however.
The second period swung the momentum dramatically. Niverville took three penalties in the first 10 minutes, giving the Terriers extended time on the man advantage—and they seized it.
While on the power play, the top line of Portage took over. Trevor Hill worked the puck down low to Rhett Platt, who took the puck to the net and wrapped it around goalie Austin Dubinsky to cut the lead to 2–1.
Just 68 seconds later, Platt was once again involved, this time setting up Jonah Lemoine in front, who redirected the puck between the legs of Dubinsky to tie the game.
Portage outshot Niverville 13–7 in the frame and dictated most of the play.
Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst noted that his team struggled to adapt despite adjustments.
“I thought tonight we were second to the puck too many times,” Hirst said. “We made some adjustments after the first period, but for some reason it just kept going against us.”
The third period tightened up, with chances limited until the final minutes. With under four minutes remaining, Leduc nearly regained the lead for Niverville, cutting hard to the net, but Terriers goaltender Mitchell Kathler sprawled out, using every inch of his 6’1 frame to make a crucial stop with his left pad.
That save turned out to be a game-changer.
Less than a minute later, a rebound off a Drayden Uhrina shot sat loose beside Dubinsky. Platt poked it free to Hill at the top of the crease, who fired home his twenty-second of the season, giving Portage the 3–2 edge, and ultimately the win.
After the game, Hirst emphasized both the learning opportunity and the quality of the opponent.
“They came in and they beat us, it’s as simple as that,” Hirst said. “It’s a learning opportunity for everyone. Where we are in the standings, you’re going to get the best from every team every night.”
Hirst also credited the Terriers’ execution.
“Hats off to Portage. Every time you play them, you know you’re going to get a hard effort, and they executed what they had to do properly to get the win.”
Niverville drops to 24–2–1 while the Terriers improve to 22–6–1, moving them into second place in the East Division, just four points behind the Nighthawks.
Niverville now turns its attention to another tough divisional opponent, the Winkler Flyers, who come to the CRRC on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.