The Niverville Nighthawks continued their impressive run, handing the Selkirk Steelers a 4–1 loss in a marquee matchup between the top two teams in the MJHL’s East Division. The Nighthawks extended their winning streak to six games and moved within a single point of first place in the standings.
Heading into the game, both teams had been having tremendous starts. Niverville was riding a five-game win streak and boasted 11 wins in their first 12 contests, while Selkirk led the league with 12 victories in 15 games.
On Tuesday night, something had to give—and it didn’t take long for the visitors to seize control.
Midway through the first period, Nighthawks forward Ryken Arran was hooked while on a breakaway, earning a penalty shot. Arran made no mistake, beating Steelers goaltender Ethan Sawyer blocker-side for his second goal of the season to give Niverville a 1–0 lead.
Late in the period, the Nighthawks’ top line struck on the power play. Adam Vigfusson worked the puck to Hayden Wheddon down low. Wheddon slid a pass through the slot to a waiting Merik Boles, who buried a glove-side shot on Sawyer to make it 2–0 heading into the intermission.
Selkirk had a golden chance early in the second to cut the deficit when Evan Mayer found himself alone in front, but Niverville netminder Austin Dubinsky sprawled across the crease to rob him with a desperate arm save.
That stop proved pivotal. Moments later, Calyb Moore had his shot stopped by Sawyer, but Kole Mears snapped home the rebound home for his third goal in two games to extend the Nighthawks’ lead to 3–0.
Tensions flared soon after when a fight broke out between Niverville’s Dawson Zeller and Selkirk’s Carson Brooks. The incident led to both players receiving game misconducts. An instigating penalty to Brooks gave Niverville another power play.
It was a costly penalty, as rookie Jaden Mah found some space in the right circle before ripping home his first MJHL goal to make it 4–0.
The Steelers finally broke through in the dying seconds of the second period, when Wyatt Witham beat Dubinsky with less than a second remaining to make it 4–1 after two periods.
The third period remained scoreless, sealing a statement victory for the Nighthawks, who improved to 12–0–1.
Despite surrendering four goals, Sawyer was sharp in net for Selkirk, stopping 46 of 50 shots on the night.
At the other end, Dubinsky continued his strong play, finishing with 34 saves on 35 shots to earn his tenth win in 11 starts.
The Nighthawks now return home for a six-game stretch at the CRRC, beginning this coming Saturday, November 1 against the Northern Manitoba Blizzard. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.