The top two teams in the MJHL squared off Tuesday afternoon in Niverville. And when the final buzzer sounded, it was the Nighthawks who emerged victorious—again.
Following this matchup with the Steinbach Pistons, the Nighthawks have now extended their unbeaten run to 11 straight games. This one with a 4–0 shutout in front of nearly 900 fans at the CRRC.
The opening period started cautiously, with both teams feeling each other out. Shots were just 3–0 in Niverville’s favour halfway through the frame when a fortunate bounce turned the tide.
Forward Kole Mears flipped the puck in from the red line for what looked like a routine dump-in. Instead the puck bounced awkwardly at the top of the crease and skipped past Pistons goaltender Chris Quizi, stunning the visitors and electrifying the home crowd.
That goal opened things up and both teams began to get chances.
The Nighthawks doubled their lead late in the first period. With just over two minutes to go, Adam Vigfusson and Hayden Wheddon broke in on a two-on-one. Vigfusson fed Wheddon, who quickly returned the pass, and Vigfusson tapped it in to make it 2–0.
The play had started at the other end, where Wheddon blocked a shot to spring the rush—something that Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst says epitomizes his team’s mindset this season.
“Probably the biggest improvement I’ve seen in our club since the beginning of the season is the players’ commitment to defence first, then creating offence off that,” says Hirst.
The Nighthawks carried their momentum into the second period, continuing to pressure Steinbach and carrying much of the play to start. But Quizi was sensational, coming up with some massive saves to keep his team within striking distance.
Midway through the frame, Vigfusson struck again. After Jaden Mah kept the puck in at the blue line, he worked it down low to Merik Boles, who centred to Vigfusson in the slot. The Nighthawks captain wasted no time, firing home his second of the game and eighth of the season to give Niverville a 3–0 advantage after two periods.
That same line connected again early in the third. Vigfusson spun away from his check behind the Pistons’ net and slid a perfect pass to Boles in front, who outwaited Quizi and tucked home the Nighthawks’ fourth goal to seal the win.
“It’s another game where we were able to keep one of the top teams in the league off the scoresheet, which is good for us,” Hirst says. “It just keeps pushing home that our guys are committed to playing defence and doing what’s needed to be successful.”
Goaltender Austin Dubinsky was rock-solid once again, turning aside all 26 shots he faced to record his first shutout of the season. The 20-year-old from Ardrossen, Alberta leads the MJHL with 14 wins and has allowed just four goals in his last five games.
With the victory, Niverville improves to an impressive 17–1–0 . Still, Hirst says the focus remains on the team’s approach, not the streak.
“It’s more about the process than it is about trying to keep a streak going,” he explains. “It’s about how we continue to do what we do best to make the opponent’s job difficult when they play against us.”
The Nighthawks will look to continue their strong play as they wrap up their six-game homestand this coming Saturday, November 15, when they host the Northern Manitoba Blizzard at the CRRC. The same two teams opened the homestand on November 1, with Niverville coming away with a 6–2 victory. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.