The Pembina Valley Hawks playoff run is still perfect.

Karsty Nicolajsen and Makenzie McCallum scored 3:52 apart late in the second period and captain Mackenzie Hutchinson added an empty net goal 1:36 remaining as the Hawks defeated the Westman Wildcats 3-0 Wednesday night in Hartney in game one of the Manitoba Female "AAA" Midget Hockey League final.

"It was a great start to the series," said Pembina Valley head coach Dana Bell. "We set our game plan up on Tuesday night at practice and the girls come out and they were in fifth gear for 60 minutes. Probably one of the best playoff games I've seen this year from them. They stuck to the game plan and they pushed hard for 60 solid minutes."

Halle Oswald made 34 saves in the series opener and recorded her fourth shutout of the post-season.

"She's definitely in the zone right now," said Bell. "She's playing phenomenal hockey. She's recovering rebounds, she's controlling the puck well and she's very focused."

The best-of-five series continues Friday in Morden.

"It doesn't get easier," said the Hawks bench boss. "They're down one in the series so they're going to push back hard. But in the same sense, if we stick to our game plan and play like we have been, I think good things will happen for us for sure."