The Dauphin Kings came out with a lot of intensity on Friday and they held a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes, but they once again couldn’t hold on.
In a shootout thriller, it was the Niverville Nighthawks that got the best of Dauphin in a 3-2 final.
Just 1:58 into the game, Mason Smith scored in his third straight contest as Dauphin took a 1-0 lead, a lead they held for nearly 16 minutes before Brendan Bottem scored his 20th of the season to tie it for the Nighthawks.
Just 62 seconds into the second while on the power play, Owen Wareham picked up his own rebound and beat Dane Couture as the Kings took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.
Turning the puck over at Niverville’s blue line early in the third period, the Nighthawks went the other way as Josh Paulhus scored his 27th of the season to tie the game up. No goals were scored the rest of the way.
In the shootout, Paulhus was the lone player to score as the Nighthawks earned the extra point.
Dauphin’s single point paired with Waywayseecappo’s regulation loss means Dauphin is now just a single point behind the Wolverines for the fourth and final playoff spot in the MGEU West Division. Cole Sheffield was tremendous for Dauphin has he made 39 saves in the tough defeat.
Dauphin and Niverville now meet on Sunday afternoon in Niverville.
