Nighthawks fly into Centennial Cup semi-finals

The Niverville Nighthawks chances of winning the Centennial Cup took a massive step forward May 12 in Summerside, P.E.I.

Across the modern history of the tournament, no team has lifted the championship trophy without first winning their five-team group and earning a bye straight to the semi-finals. The Manitoba Junior Hockey League-winning Nighthawks did just that a day before their final game, defeating Alberta champions Canmore 6-4 to move to 3-0 with eight points, four points ahead of any team with games left to be played.

"It's huge for the program, it's huge for the families, it's huge for the MJHL to have a team represented in the semi-finals," head coach Dwight Hirst said after the game.

Team captain Adam Vigfusson stepped up, netting a hat trick for his team to give them a early second period 4-1 lead they managed to hold through a late Canmore surge. He got the game going with a bang, converting on a two-on-one pass from line-mate Hayden Wheddon.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Centennial Cup May 11

Featuring games between the Flin Flon Bombers and Greater Sudbury Cubs, Thunder Bay North Stars and Rockland Nationals and Truro Bearcats and Toronto Patriots.

Steinbach Pistons back on top of MJHL’s attendance race

There was little doubt the Steinbach Pistons would be back on top of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s attendance chart during their first full season inside the Southeast Event Centre, but the team basically lapped the field this season.

With a reported average above 1,800 for the regular season, they were more than 1,000 fans per game ahead of their closest competition, Virden. The Oil Capitals averaged 745 per game. Virden drew the most fans in the league in the past two seasons, as Steinbach played home games out of the roughly 500-seat HyLife Centre in La Broquerie while the SEC was under construction.

Every home game this season the Pistons welcomed more than 1,000 fans into the building, with an additional re-scheduled “away” game against the Blues on a Monday afternoon packed with 2,000 students.

The team reported a total of more than 68,000 fans walked through the door across the entire season, a new all-time high for the franchise.

Nighthawks’ Vigfusson announces USports commitment, picks up community award

Niverville Nighthawks captain Adam Vigfusson will continue his hockey career in Canada.

The 2005-born forward from Gimli announced his commitment to York University in the days following Niverville’s Manitoba Junior Hockey League victory.

Vigfusson led the league in playoff points, posting 10 goals and nine assists across 13 games.

He was also named the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s RBC Community Award recipient May 5, as he was preparing with his team to start the Centennial Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.

MJHL NOTES: Neepawa Titans extend head coach/GM Pearson

The Neepawa Titans have stability behind the bench, as the Manitoba Junior Hockey League franchise announced they were extending the contract of current head coach/general manager Ken Pearson.

Pearson is from Neepawa and jumped straight from playing for his hometown team to assistant coach in 1994/1995.

“Neepawa is a special place, and I’m grateful for the trust the organization and community have placed in me,” Pearson said in a Titans news release.

“We’ve made great strides, and there’s still so much potential here. I’m excited to continue building a program our town can be proud of.”

Flin Flon Bombers look to salvage Centennial Cup with playoff charge

Half a second isn't exactly a long time in a hockey game, but that was the difference the Flin Flon Bombers needed as they defeated the Greater Sudbury Cubs for their first win of the Centennial Cup May 11.

After Flin Flon took a 4-1 first period lead, the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League champion Cubs battled back to tie the game in the second. In the closing moments of the frame Reid Arberry led a three-on-two rush up the ice, wristing a shot from the top of the face-off circle that hit the back of the net just before the final buzzer sounded.

Arberry's marker would hold up as the game-winner in a 6-4 victory for the Bombers, their first at the 2026 Centennial Cup in Summerside, P.E.I.

"I heard (head coach Mike Reagan) yelling from the bench, I think I heard 'three,' when I crossed the blue line area and decided to take one more step and fire it on net and found it far side," Arberry said.

Niverville’s Dubinsky named finalist for CJHL top goalie award

Austin Dubinsky has a chance to add yet more hardware to his trophy case.

The Niverville Nighthawks goaltender was named the league’s top regular season goaltender and playoff most valuable player as he backstopped his club to a Turnbull Cup championship. He’s now up for the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s top goaltender award, competing against other to goalies from the nine other junior A CJHL leagues across Canada.

Dubinsky lost just five games this season, with a 34-3-1 record in the regular season and a 12-1 record in the playoffs.

He’s up against Flin Flon’s Charlie Tritt (SJHL), who was traded from Humboldt this season, Leamington’s Tre Altiman (OJHL), Kemptville’s Rylan Donovan (CCHL) and Longueuil’s Mathis Lacroix-Goulet (LHJAAAQ).

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1996: Sproule shows stuff at Goldeyes spring camp

He’s big. Very big. At six-feet, four-inches and 220 pounds, Giroux native Dean Sproule is the largest pitcher at the Winnipeg Goldeyes 1996 spring training camp.

The 22-year-old hurler is one of 13 pitchers at the main camp trying to earn a spot with the defending Northern League champions. Sproule knows it’s a long shot, but is thrilled with the opportunity to show his stuff to manager Hal Lanier and pitching coach Bob Kipper.

Lanier is the former National League Manager of the Year with the Houston Astros, and Kipper had an eight-year pitching career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Eleven of the pitchers in camp received previous invitations to attend spring training. The other two, Sproule and 19-year-old Rodney Spek of Gladstone caught Lanier’s attention at a one-day open camp on May 11 at Winnipeg Stadium, the Goldeyes home field. These two were picked out of seven pitchers to attend the two-week main camp.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: Centennial Cup May 9

Featuring photos from three games at the Centennial Cup at Summerside, P.E.I., including Niverville vs Thunder Bay, Flin Flon vs Toronto and Summerside vs Rockland.

AS I SEE IT COLUMN: We’re all Habs fans now

Thanks to the outstanding goaltending of Montréal’s Jakub Dobeš – who did what has never been said of Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, which is singlehandedly stealing a series-deciding playoff game that his team had no right winning – the Canadiens advanced to the second-round of the NHL playoffs as the only hope to end Canada’s 33-year Stanley Cup drought.

The Habs were the last Canadian-based NHL team to win Lord Stanley’s cup, back in 1993 when Whitney Houston topped the music charts and the X-Files ruled TV.

The Habs are an interesting franchise. When they visit the Jets – and any other Canadian city – local hockey fans are sometimes irked by all the Canadiens jerseys in the stands. Locals want everyone to support their NHL team but the Habs are an original six team and the winningest hockey club in league history.

They are a storied, fabled franchise. They do pre-game ceremonies with more emotion and heart than any pro sports franchise on earth. In North American team sports, only the New York Yankees (27) have more league championships than Montréal (24).

DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: CFL’s new playoff system does have positives

When I first read about the CFL’s new playoff format, I didn’t know what to think.

Starting in 2027, the top two teams in both conferences will play a page playoff game, with the winner advancing to a semi-final and the loser playing the winner of a 3 vs 4 qualification game, setting up the semi-finals. The system is similar to the Brier and Scotties curling tournaments.

There’s certainly been a strong reaction across fans of the league to the change, as should have been expected, but my reaction was a lot different than the rule changes announced late last year.

There are certainly negatives to the new plan. Eight of the nine teams in the league will make the post-season in the new system, which is way too many. But I think most years having six teams make the playoffs, as is the case in the CFL currently, is probably too many to begin with.

Niverville dominates Thunder Bay, moves to 2-0 at Centennial Cup

The Niverville Nighthawks may have started their second game at the Centennial Cup at 10 a.m. on their body clocks, but the Manitoba Junior Hockey League champions were still dancing All Night Long.

The team has made the Lionel Ritchie 80s anthem their goal song this season, even making a custom cardboard cutout of the singer to display at their home games after goals. Despite starting their game in the morning May 9, the Nighthawks managed to get it to play seven times over the loudspeakers at Credit Union Place in Summerside, P.E.I. during a dominating win over the Superior International Junior Hockey League champion Thunder Bay North Stars.

The Nighthawks scored three goals in a six minute span in the first period to turn a 1-1 game into a 4-1 advantage, en route to a 7-2 blowout they never looked in danger of losing. Niverville out-shot Thunder Bay 41-17 in the contest.

"That's been the motto for us all season, not to get too high, not to get too low," Nighthawks head coach Dwight Hirst said when asked about his team's strong response to the equalizing goal.

Junior Pilots off to nationals after provincial success

The Junior Pilots volleyball club is continuing a strong run of form, with teams set to participate at upcoming national championships.

The club’s 18U team girls team, coached by Kyla Zacharias, rounded off a five-season run of medal finishes at provincials, starting with a bronze medal in the 2022 14U championships and ending with a silver medal this season.

“This team is nothing short of elite,” Zacharias said in a news release.

“We are so proud of this group. The ability to work with athletes who are not only talented but solid in character — on and off the court — is incredibly rewarding.”

Brett Howden powers Vegas into second round of NHL playoffs

Brett Howden has become one of the Vegas Golden Knights’ key contributors, as the Oakbank forward was tied for the team lead in goals following their first-round series victory over the Utah Mammoth.

Howden had no goals through three games, but came alive with his team down 2-1 in the series, finding the back of the net in three straight Vegas wins to clinch the series.

“I just try to put pucks to the net,” Howden said in a post-game five news conference.

“Sometimes they go in, and sometimes they don’t but right now they’re going in.”

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."