Edwards pair gives Niverville Nighthawks Centennial Cup victory on opening night

Marlen Edwards showed his Centennial Cup experience, nabbing Niverville’s first and last goal at the national championships, powering his team to a 5-4 national championship win over the host Summerside Western Capitals May 7. Edwards suited up for Northern Manitoba at last year’s nationals.

The Nighthawks broke up a set play in overtime, with the Capitals trying to spring a forward after winning the opening faceoff. Edwards was the closest man to the breakout pass, and picked it off, backhanding a shot into the net for a Niverville victory, flapping his arms like his team’s namesake in celebration.

“I was reading the eyes of (the defender) and I could tell by watching him during the game they like to swing the middle,” Edwards said in a post-game interview during the game broadcast on HNLive.

“Obviously, taking the middle away from them is probably the key part to all of it.”

Edwards converted on a nice rush chance in the first period to open the Nighthawks’ account for the tournament, leading the play over the blue line and ripping a wrister into the back of the net.

The goal was set up beautifully by Cole Mears. Instead of reaching behind him to catch a tough breakout pass, angled his skate so the puck would bounce off the blade and right into the path of a streaking Edwards.

“You can’t have any game back,” Edwards said.

“Every game means everything. We’ve just got to play hard. We just can’t let any games go.”

The tally came seven minutes after Simon Mullen opened the scoring for the host Capitals, with Austin Dubinsky stopping several strong chances early.

Dawson Zeller made it 2-1 with a powerplay one-timer from Lorette native Thomas Phillips just as the period expired. The Caps tied it early in the third period, but Adam Vigfusson led another rush, spotting a cutting Hayden Wheddon back-door, with a tape-to-tape pass through traffic, where Wheddon just needed to keep his stick on the ice to convert into the back of the net.

A powerplay goal after Parker Rolston was whistled for holding in the offensive zone tied the game 3-3. The Capitals appeared to take a 4-3 lead on another powerplay, when a puck bounced off the post behind Dubinsky and laid in the crease. Dubinsky fell onto his back right as a Capitals player fished it out of the jersey where it bounced into the net. Referees appeared to rule that Dubinsky had covered the puck and disallowed the goal.

Seven minutes into the third period another puck was laying behind Dubinsky, after a nice deke in tight that the goaltender just got a piece of and Aaron Krestanowich was ready to clear it from the line.

Summerside took a 4-3 lead when Jordan Shaw took advantage of a lucky break, jumping out of the penalty box straight into a breakaway, where he slipped a backhand-forehand deke past Austin Dubinsky to give the hosts a late lead. Adam Vigfusson responded quickly, hammering a one-timer against the grain of the goalie’s slide from the low point on the powerplay.

The opening game of the Centennial Cup was the first action for Summerside since they lost to eventual league champions Turo 3-2 in game seven of the MHL semi-finals April 16. It is the fourth time the Capitals have hosted the Centennial Cup, with the team losing in the final twice and winning in the previous three times they’ve hosted.

Both games in Niverville’s group went to overtime during day one of the championship.