The Niverville Nighthawks secured a 4-1 victory over the Virden Oil Capitals in the opening game of the McMunn and Yates Turnbull Cup Finals on Friday, April 17, 2026. Played at a sold-out Niverville Community Resource and Recreation Centre, the win marks the first championship finals appearance in the four-year history of the franchise.
Forward Loik Leduc led the Nighthawks’ offensive effort with two goals in the victory. Dawson Zeller and Thomas Phillips also added goals for the team, while Austin Osiowy scored the lone goal for the visiting Oil Capitals.
Nighthawks goaltender Austin Dubinsky, recently named the league’s goaltender of the year, turned aside 30 shots to anchor the win. The team also dominated on special teams, converting on all three of their power play opportunities and successfully killing off all five penalties they faced.
This series guarantees that a first-time champion will claim the league title this year, as neither Niverville nor Virden has previously won the cup. The Nighthawks enter the finals following a highly successful regular season where they finished with a league-best record of 51-6-1.
The best-of-seven series continues with Game 2 on Sunday, April 19, in Virden. The teams return to Niverville for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 21.
