Niverville Nighthawks sweep to MJHL championship

Any doubts the Niverville Nighthawks were a cut above the rest of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League this season were put to rest in the league finals.

The Nighthawks dominated the West Division champion Virden Oil Capitals, defeating them in four straight games, sweeping their way their first championship.

“It doesn’t even feel real,” team captain Adam Vigfusson said after a 6-2 game four victory.

“To do it with this group of guys, I don’t even know what to say. It’s the best feeling in the world and I’m so proud of this group. We love Niverville. Niverville is the best place to play junior hockey, so to bring it home for them is unreal.”

The Nighthawks, which only joined the league in 2022, put together another strong performance in game four, bouncing back after giving up an early goal to Dyson Drake, scoring four consecutive times to clinch the victory.

Two of those goals came off the stick of Marlen Edwards. The team’s trade deadline pick-up had just three goals in the play-offs heading into game four, but came alive in Virden, striking twice on the powerplay to lead Niverville to victory.

“We needed all the guys to buy in,” Edwards said after the game.

“We came in here with a positive mindset and we really had it in our heads we were going to win this game tonight,”

The Nighthawks went 3/3 on the powerplay in game four, capping off a dominant special teams performance across the entire final.

“We’re just talking lots out there,” Edwards said on the team’s powerplay success.

“It all starts in practice. Everyone’s dialed in on our structure. There’s a lot of communication out there too, which is key to a successful powerplay.”

The 1-1 game tying goal came after Aaron Krestanowich activated from the point, taking the puck to the half-wall before cutting towards the slot and slipping the puck to Edwards, who unleashed a wrist-shot past Virden netminder Mickey Gross. The Oil Capitals swapped goaltenders from normal starter Braxton Burdeny in game four in an attempt to spark a series comeback.

The crowd reaction to Edward’s goal in the first was incredible. Hundreds of the 1,300 fans inside Tundra Oil and Gas Place were visitors from Niverville and exploded after the marker. Every Nighthawks goal almost sounded like the game was inside the Niverville Resource and Rec Centre.

Two fan buses were filled to the brim and made the three-and-a-half hour drive to Virden, with plenty of other fans travelling on their own to see their club hoist the Turnbull Cup.

“There was a lot of class from our organization tonight to get a fan bus for our volunteers that work our home games all season,” head coach Dwight Hirst said.

“It shows the lengths everyone’s gone to in our organization to make this day happen.”

The Nighthawks went 7/17 with the man advantage and a perfect 19/19 on the penalty kill in the series, chipping in a short-handed goal as well. Hirst said he emphasized special teams in their morning meeting before game four.

A key insurance goal in game four came off the stick of Kole Mears, who popped out of the penalty box after serving a charging minor and scored on the ensuing breakaway to put the game completely out of reach.

“We said we’re going to get a minimum of two goals off our powerplay tonight, and we got three,” Hirst said.

“I’m so proud of our penalty kill. I don’t know the last time there was a team went to the finals and the penalty kill was 100 %.”

The Nighthawks looked determined to finish the series off in Virden and not let any hope spring forward in game four.

“It’s a very mature group, it’s a very accepting group. They were accepting the pressure we put on them,” Hirst said.

“Not the hockey pressure, but the conditioning, the showing up at practice everyday… The same messaging all year really came through.”

Vigfusson said he knew Niverville was a potential championship-winning team in November. When Steinbach ended the Nighthawks’ early season 17-game winning streak, they bounced back with an incredible 11-2 victory over Virden in their next game.

“That there showed me we had what it takes and everything was going to work out,” Vigfusson said.

Niverville dominated in the goaltending battle, with Austin Dubinsky getting named the league’s playoff most valuable player. He even chipped in with an assist in the game four win.

“You couldn’t script it any better for us,” Dubinsky said.

“A lot of pressure, but I don’t think that really fazed us. It made us better all year.”

The Nighthawks were out-shot in every game of the final, with Dubinsky standing tall after his team took control on the scoreboard.

“I can’t say thank you enough to those guys (his teammates),” Dubinsky said.

“My job’s big, but they score, they do everything. There’s a reason why we went as far as we did this year.”

After a celebratory weekend, the focus will now shift to the Centennial Cup. The Nighthawks will play other top teams from across the country at the national junior A championship.

The Nighthawks will look to turn a dominant Manitoba season into an even more successful one at nationals.

“I think this is a Centennial Cup-winning team we have here,” Hirst said.

“This is probably going to be the strongest Manitoba junior hockey team going for the Cup in over 12 years, since Portage won it when they hosted it back in 2014. This group, they’re very resilient, they’re very accepting and the best part: They’re happy for each other’s success.”

The Centennial Cup will begin May 7 in Summerside P.E.I., with games available through Hockey Canada. Niverville will play the hosts on the first night. Manitoba will have two teams play at nationals, as Flin Flon, which play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, winning their championship on the same night as Niverville.