The Nighthawks went 51-6-1 during the regular season, finishing atop the Manitoba Junior Hockey League standings. They lost just once in the playoffs, going 12-2 to capture their first Turnbull Cup and punch their ticket to nationals.
Niverville rolled through the round robin of the Centennial Cup unbeaten, beat Toronto Patriots in the semifinals, and clinched the championship with a win over Summerside Western Capitals.
This historic climb to Junior A supremacy came in just four seasons.
“It seems like it just was built in pieces. There are two players that suited up for inaugural season in Hayden Wheddon and Merik Boles that have stuck with it and continued to grow with the program. And then there's players that we were able to list and recruit like Adam Vigfusson. And then you start to have success as a program it also becomes a little more attractive for other players,” said McAulay.
So, we were able to pick up a player like Dawson Zeller for the last couple of years. I mean, Austin Dubinsky came to town with nothing more than just a tryout. He wasn't guaranteed anything and I wasn't even sure whether we were going to keep him. When he first came, we were going to take the two best goalies and we'll go from there. He came in and squeezed a couple people out for a job and was working his tail off behind Raiden LeGall. Then, Raiden LeGall leaves for the Western League, and the Austin Dubinsky era starts. And I think that's the first CJHL goalie of the year that's come from Manitoba.”
A couple of members of the Winnipeg Jets staff live in Niverville, athletic therapist Brad Shaw and massage therapist Allen Pritchard, both were thrilled with the team’s success.
“It was definitely something special for our quick growing community. To go from not having a junior team (or a facility to host one) five years ago,” said Shaw.
“To winning it all in that short of a time frame is a testament to a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make the franchise competitive and ultimately very successful.”
Pritchard has known McAulay for almost a lifetime, the two go back to their school years in Carmen, Manitoba and has been following the Nighthawks journey since their inception.
“You could see the chemistry in this group, how they were built from the ground up. It was special, and special for this community, to have hockey in this town, even when I moved here, hockey was important to a lot of the people,” said Pritchard.
“But I think the whole dynamic of this town changed when they got a junior A team, and then I don't think anyone in this town will realize how special this was and how quick they did it, because they've just been competitive since they got here, so you know, I think this town is probably pretty spoiled with getting a championship so quick, and then getting a Centennial Cup.”
So many emotions and thoughts go through the heads of those who finally achieve their goals and there just isn’t time to fully appreciate all the little things that go into winning a championship. The Nighthawks won the Manitoba Junior Hockey League title on the road and the national title in PEI, truly the best moment was coming home to share it with the community of Niverville, which is what the team did last Tuesday at their home arena.
“To see the amount of people that turned out on Tuesday when we had that community party and what it meant to them, and just seeing the different watch parties as we were kind of going through the tournament now, just that joy, right?” said McAulay.
“Just the pride and in the work that these guys have put in and it's almost a sense of relief as well, like work so incredibly hard over the course of this year, whether it's on the ice or on the track and they put everything they had. I mean, a lot of players on our team had options to go elsewhere and the core group just stayed together, and they wanted to do something special.”
McAulay talked to a lot of people during the celebration with the community, but one conversation stood out.
“Yeah, you know what it was a volunteer. Like he sat down and he had served a couple times in the military. And he was dealing with some post-traumatic stress disorder. And he was kind of glued to his house for the longest time. And getting involved with the Nighthawks and becoming a volunteer is kind of got him out of his house a lot,” said McAuley.
“But it's kind of gave him a whole new purpose. So, he actually came over and he thanked us for helping him kind of get over a little bit of hump and then feel like he's part of something.”
The Nighthawks will not be resting on their laurels as preparation for the defence of their titles has already begun. That being said, expect them to look back at what they have accomplished often throughout the summer.
“I imagine the Niverville Fair (June 12-14) will be electric. Give them (the players) a reason to come back and be part of the parade and different things like that. But you just hope that they stay in touch. It all happened so fast and everybody disbands back to their homes, but you hope that the experience that they had and the camaraderie and just the pure sort of love for their teammates will kind of draw them back and the community,” said McAulay.
“And we've got a golf tournament that's coming up that we really hope that some players can come back for. Just enjoy some time off now with your family and friends and get back to training, it's going to be a quick turnaround.”
