Niverville Clippers clinch first in HTJHL’s West Division
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The Niverville Clippers are certainly heading into the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League post-season on a hot streak.
The Clippers haven’t lost in 2025 and have cruised their way to clinching first place in the league’s West Division. That streak includes victories over the first and second place teams in the East Division, as well as a win over second-place Macdonald in the West.
Team captain Teo Lambert said the key for Niverville’s improvement this season has been a renewed focus on their defensive zone play.

“We’re good off the rush, but we also know when to dump it in and to go chase and hit into the board,” Lambert said after a 9-1 blowout over Grunthal
“We can do our nice fancy plays sometimes, but we know how to turn the switch and turn to grit.”
This is Lambert’s last eligible year to play junior hockey.
“Coming into this year it was do or die, simple as that,” he said.
“We’ve got to win it, simple as that. I don’t want to get second.”
Lambert has played four seasons in the HTJHL, including a brief stint with St Adolphe in the 2020/2021 season. The league has grown significantly post COVID-19, introducing a division format this season.
“I’m excited for the divisional round, we get some nice hockey in,” Lambert said.
“Hopefully the boys can turn it up. We just need everybody to be on the same page… Don’t let your foot off the gas.”
This year saw players across the league choose the HTJHL over junior B leagues. Lambert is no stranger to that move, playing a season with St Boniface in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League in 2022/2023 before returning to junior C.

The Clippers are one of those teams that benefitted the most from higher-tier players choosing the HTJHL, picking up players at forward, defense and goalie before the season started to bolster their line-up.
“It’s not too much hockey, it’s just enough to balance work, school, whatever it is,” Lambert said when asked what makes the league so appealing to players.
“I love it, it’s a great place to play.”
This weekend marks the final regular season games in the HTJHL schedule, with the only remaining playoff race between Red River and Landmark in the West Division. Springfield will finish first in the East Division.
Each division will have a play-in round, with the fourth and fifth-place teams battling in a best-of-three to see who will face the top seed. The second and third place teams will face in a five-game division semi-final, with the winners advancing to a seven-game in-division final before the championship.