Niverville Nighthawks glide into MJHL final

For four games, the Waywayseecappo Wolverines battled above their place in the standings during the Manitoba Junior Hockey League semi-finals, but finally faltered in game five.

The Niverville Nighthawks finished 40 points ahead of Waywayseecappo in the standings, but could only manage narrow victories and a loss until game five, a 7-0 drubbing on home ice April 10 to send them to the MJHL finals.

There was no drama to be had in the game, with Calyb Moore scoring the winning goal just 30 seconds into the first period, followed up 90 seconds later by Marlen Edwards to double the lead.

“Wayway did a really good job of playing a defensive style and clogging up the middle and bringing the series into the mud to start it out,” head coach Dwight Hirst said after the game.

“As the series went on, I thought we stuck with our process and how we do it and what we do. Playing every second day in this series really wore on them as a team and it helped us as a team because we have so much depth up and down our line-up.”

When Moore struck 15 seconds into the second period to make the score 4-0, the game was all but over.

“It can be really deflating for a team when you come out that fast that early,” Moore said.

“It really shuts them down and kind of be a killer to end that game early. Those are the ones you want.”

Hirst said the coaching staff emphasized the need for a strong start in the morning skate on the day of game five.

“You want to punch someone in the nose and water their eyes and I thought that’s what we did tonight,” Hirst said, comparing a hockey game to a mixed martial arts fight.

“We came out in the first couple minutes and we punched hard and we kicked hard right off the bat. We grabbed the steering wheel and never got out of the driver’s seat.”

The 7-0 score in game five was the outlier in a “grind” of a series according to 2008-born defenseman Jaden Mah.

“They were very pesky, I’ll give them that,” Mah said.

“They can really work hard in the corners and battle, but we just somehow took over.”

Mah is from Niverville, and relished in seeing the massive fan support coming out to the arena. The game was a complete sell-out, with many people crowding along standing-room only sections.

“I love seeing the town coming out and enjoying our games and supporting us,” Mah said.

“It was really nice seeing everyone here today. I can’t wait to see how many people come out to watch and support us (in the finals).”

The Nighthawks are playing West Division champions Virden in the semi-finals, after the Oil Capitals knocked off Steinbach in six games. Winning their series a game earlier will give the Nighthawks a slight rest advantage heading into the finals, which will begin April 17.

“It’s been a cumulative season just to get to this point and now that we’ve got to the point to play for the Turnbull Cup, it’s what we projected and what we wanted to become back in September,” Hirst said.

“It’s finally nice to see that we’re here now.”

The team enjoyed some time off the ice after clinching the series April 10.

The Nighthawks dominated the Oil Capitals this regular season, including a incredible 11-2 victory Dec. 7. Across four games, Niverville out-scored Virden 23-6.

The Oil Capitals had played the night before the Dec. 7 game, with Niverville coming off a 4-3 loss in Steinbach Dec. 5 to end a long winning streak. The Nighthawks scored six goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.

“We know there’s a tough task ahead of us, (the Nighthawks) dominated us at times in the regular season,” Virden head coach Tyson Ramsay said in a video posted to the MJHL’s social media following their win over Steinbach, noting his team did manage a 2-1 win the last time they visited Niverville.

“They’re really structured, they’re really deep, they’re similar to us… It’s going to be tough, but we’re excited to give ‘er a go.”

Both the Nighthawks and Oil Capitals have not won the Turnbull Cup before, with Virden falling to Steinbach in the finals in 2018 and 2023. Niverville, which joined the league in 2022, had not won a playoff series before this year.

The teams will go back and forth for each game of the series, with Niverville hosting game one April 17. Game three will be April 21 and game five April 25. If a game seven is needed it will be in Niverville April 29. All games in Niverville start at 7:30, with games in Virden beginning at 7 p.m.

Game broadcasts are available on FloHockey.com.

GAME FOUR

The Nighthawks put themselves in position to win the series in game five thanks to a 3-0 win in Waywayseecappo April 8.

Merik Boles and Marlen Edwards, who had been setting up teammates throughout the opening eight games of the playoffs, finally found the back of the net themselves, with Adam Vigfusson nabbing the insurance empty netter with just under three minutes to play in the third.

Boles pulled the puck from the half-wall and took it straight to the slot on the powerplay to open the scoring midway through the second period. Edwards gave the team some breathing room in the third, hustling up the ice to capitalize when a two-on-one rush chance pass was fanned.

Vigfusson leads Niverville in points and is tied for the league lead with nine goals so far this post-season.