Hawks take stranglehold on Murdoch Division Final
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Playing with a lead or coming from behind, the Beaver Valley Nitehawks know how to win.
For the second game in a row the Hawks needed overtime to defeat the Nelson Leafs.
Blake Sidoni beat Devin Allen in the Nelson nets at 9:33 in the second extra period to give Beaver Valley a 3-2 victory over the Leafs in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Friday night at the NDCC Arena.
The Nitehawks take a 3-0 stranglehold on the best-of-seven Murdoch Final with Game four Saturday right back in Nelson.
Nelson opened the scoring when a turnover at the Beaver Valley blueline gave the Leafs a two-on-one with Dale Howell and Sawyer Hunt.
Howell slipped nice saucer pass Hunt ripped into the Beaver Valley nets past goalie Tallon Kramer.
Beaver Valley struck twice in the second, two minutes apart to take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Darren Kramer tied the game before Blake Sidoni put the Hawks ahead.
Nelson scored the only goal of the third period to tie the game a few minutes into the frame when Howell converted his team high fourth goal of the playoffs.
The shots were even at 29-29.
BLUELINES: The game, attracting 780 fans, was the sixth time of the 2017 KIJHL playoffs the Leafs have been forced into overtime. Nelson is 3-3 during the playoffs. . . . Dale Howell led the Leafs with two points Friday. . . . Tallon Kramer, once again stellar between the pipes for the Hawks, was in goal to win his seventh straight playoff game. . . . A luck fan from Nelson split the $800 50-50 jackpot Friday. . . .There will be no five-peat for the Selkirk Saints. The Castlegar-based squad lost 6-1 Friday to Trinity Western Spartans in BCIHL playoff action. The Saints had won the past four BCIHL titles.
