In what has been a gruelling stretch of games, the Niverville Nighthawks showed their resilience on Sunday night, battling through fatigue and adversity to secure a 1–0 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Blues.
After playing seven games in just 13 days, including a tough divisional battle against the Winkler Flyers less than 24 hours earlier, the Nighthawks could have been forgiven for looking tired.
Despite the demanding schedule, they came into Winnipeg and found a way to dig deep and deliver a big road win.
The Blues, on the other hand, came into the game well-rested after playing just three times in the past eight days. They were coming off an important road win against the Dauphin Kings on December 6, followed by a 4–2 defeat to the Winnipeg Monarchs past Friday night.
Both teams welcomed back some important pieces to their teams. Blues head coach and GM Josh Gratton was back behind the bench for the first time since helping Team Canada West win silver at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge. For the Nighthawks, Mike Aulay, GM and director of scouting, also did Niverville proud, bringing home a silver medal himself and serving as director of operations for that same squad.
On the ice, the Nighthawks came out firing in the first period, dominating possession and controlling play. They were awarded an early power play but were unable to solve Blues goalie Kannen Kirkwood, who stood like a wall in the crease all night long.
Despite outshooting the Blues 16–4 in the first period, Niverville couldn’t break the deadlock.
As the game progressed, both teams traded chances in a tightly contested second period. Niverville continued to press in the third but still couldn’t break through Kirkwood. Winnipeg had a few looks of their own, with Ben Chornomydz stood tall for the Nighthawks, making several key saves when called upon to keep the game scoreless.
Nothing could be decided after 60 minutes, sending the game to overtime.
Just a minute in, Adam Vigfusson thought he had scored the game-winner after driving to the net and putting the puck past Kirkwood. The referee immediately waved it off, ruling that the puck had been kicked in.
With the clock ticking down and a shootout looming, Loik Leduc carried the puck into the Blues’ zone, circled the net, carried the puck to the left circle, and found Thomas Phillips in the slot. Phillips then dropped a pass to a wide-open Dawson Zeller, who ripped a shot past Kirkwood’s glove to give the Nighthawks a 1–0 victory.
When all was said and done, the Nighthawks outshot Winnipeg 46–17.
Chornomydz’s performance was not surprising, as the 18-year-old continues to be rock solid for Niverville. He turned aside all 17 shots he faced, earning his first career shutout and improving to a perfect 7–0 on the season. Chornomydz has not allowed more than two goals in any of his seven starts this season.
For Zeller, the overtime goal was his second extra time winner of the season. He had the game-winner against the Portage Terriers back on October 1 and has now extended his point streak to five games, notching two goals in seven points in that span.
With the win, the Nighthawks improve to an impressive 26–2–1 on the season, continuing their dominant run in the MJHL. The team has now won three of their last four games.
The Nighthawks’ busy stretch isn’t over yet. They’ll head to Portage on Wednesday to face the Terriers, who handed Niverville a 3–2 loss last Wednesday. The Nighthawks will then return home on Friday for a date with the Selkirk Steelers, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m at the CRRC.
On Saturday, the Nighthawks travel to Winnipeg to face the Monarchs in their final game before the Christmas break.