The Niverville Nighthawks wrapped up their pre-Christmas schedule in convincing fashion Saturday night, rolling to a 5–1 victory over the Winnipeg Monarchs at the Hockey For All Centre.
After having a pair of games postponed during the week due to province-wide blizzards, the Nighthawks showed no signs of rust, coming out flying against the Monarchs and dictating the pace from the opening faceoff.
Saturday’s contest marked the second meeting of the season between the two clubs. The Nighthawks also earned a narrow 3–2 win over the Monarchs on October 15 at the CRRC.
Winnipeg entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, including two victories over the Winnipeg Blues and an impressive 4–3 win against the Winkler Flyers, but they were unable to keep that momentum going against the top team in the MJHL.
Niverville wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Less than two minutes into the opening period, Dawson Zeller struck after Parker Carrier held the puck in at the blue line. Kole Mears fed Loik Leduc in the left circle, who sent a cross-ice pass to Zeller for a one-timer that beat Monarchs goaltender Austin Ball to make it 1–0.
The Nighthawks continued to pressure throughout the period, not allowing the Monarchs to get anything going offensively. The Monarchs recorded their first shot of the game just past the midway point of the period, and shots finished 18–4 after one.
The teams traded chances late in the period, with Austin Dubinsky coming up with a big save on Monarchs forward Carson Legault. Moments later, Ball robbed Adam Vigfusson with a glove save on a chance from the right circle.
Before the period ran out, though, the Nighthawks doubled their lead. Calyb Moore notched his eighth of the season, showing some great eye-hand coordination to knock down an Evan Panzer pass before beating Ball blocker-side, giving Niverville a 2–0 lead.
Winnipeg made things interesting midway through the second period. Carson Legault led an odd-man rush and dropped the puck to Ian Lavallee, whose shot from the top of the left circle slipped past Austin Dubinsky to make it 2–1.
Just when it appeared the Monarchs would head into the third down by one, Niverville’s top line took over. In the final 30 seconds of the period, Vigfusson, Merik Boles, and Hayden Wheddon generated multiple chances before Vigfusson tucked in a wraparound attempt at the buzzer. After a brief review, the goal stood, restoring the Nighthawks’ two-goal cushion.
Niverville put the game away in the third. Following a faceoff win in the Monarchs zone, Leduc collected the puck in the slot, dangled around a pair of defenders, and snapped a shot past Ball.
Later, while short-handed, Thomas Phillips blasted a point shot past Ball after another offensive-zone faceoff win, marking Niverville’s fifth shorthanded goal of the season to round out the scoring.
Both goals came off key faceoff wins in the offensive zone by the Nighthawks. Final shots on goal favoured Niverville 43–18.
Heading into the Christmas break, the Nighthawks boast a stellar record of 27–2–1 through 30 games.
The MJHL now pauses for the holiday break, giving the Nighthawks some well-deserved time off. Niverville will return to action with a pair of home games, beginning with a marquee divisional showdown against the Steinbach Pistons on Saturday, January 3, featuring the top two teams in the East Division. The homestand wraps up with a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Winnipeg Blues on January 4 at the CRRC.