The Niverville Nighthawks erased a third-period deficit to defeat the Waywayseecappo Wolverines 4–2 on Tuesday night, completing a two-game sweep in a home-and-home set and extending their winning streak to seven games.
After beating the Wolverines by a more comfortable a 6–2 margin on Saturday at the CRRC, the Nighthawks were forced to grind out a tighter contest in the rematch.
The Wolverines opened the scoring late in the first period. Moments after Niverville goaltender Austin Dubinsky made a spectacular save on a two-on-one to keep the game scoreless, Waywayseecappo broke through. Aidan Herring found Mikey Thomas streaking into the zone, and Thomas snapped a blocker-side shot from the top of the right circle to give the visitors a 1–0 lead.
Niverville answered before the intermission thanks to an end-to-end rush from Loik Leduc. Picking up a loose puck behind his own net, Leduc carried it the length of the ice and wired a wrist shot over the glove of Mariko Bercier for his twenty-first goal to tie the game.
The second period saw the Nighthawks kill off three penalties and surrender the lone goal of the frame. Max Collyer manoeuvred between his own legs to slip around a defender in the Niverville zone and lifted a shot over Dubinsky with just over five minutes remaining to restore the Wolverine lead.
Niverville pushed back in the third.
Just past the midway point of the final frame, Evan Panzer sprung Leduc on a two-on-one with Dawson Zeller. Leduc slid the puck across to Zeller, who ripped a shot bar-down from the left circle to even the score at 2–2.
The momentum swung quickly. Only 40 seconds later, Marlen Edwards moved into the Wolverines’ zone but ran into his own player John Scott at the blue line. The puck found its way to Kole Mears, who moved to the top of the right circle before ripping a shot blocker-side to give the Nighthawks their first lead of the game.
John Scott sealed the win late with an empty-net goal, taking a pass from Tyler Bernier at centre, skating around a defender and depositing the puck into the open cage.
Dubinsky finished with 26 saves on 28 shots to earn his fifth straight victory and league-leading thirty-second win of the season.
The two points were crucial for Niverville in the standings. The Nighthawks now sit seven points ahead of the second-place Steinbach Pistons with four games remaining, though Steinbach holds a game in hand.
Mears’s winner marked his fourth game-winning goal among his 15 tallies this season.
Niverville returns to the CRRC on Friday night to host the Winnipeg Monarchs in their final home game of the regular season before heading out on the road for their last three contests.