Hunt scores twice to spark Leafs past Braves; Hawks, Bruins break even in feisty contest
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Sawyer Hunt scored twice to spark the Nelson Leafs to a 6-2 trashing of the Spokane Braves in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Saturday night in the Lilac City.
Hunt, who came to Nelson in an off-season move from the Kimberley Dynamiters, scored twice in the second period to snap a 1-1 tie.
The win allowed Nelson to gain a split during a two-game road swing to open the 2016-17 KIJHL season.
Nelson lost 3-1 Friday in Fruitvale to defending Murdoch Division champion Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
David Lenzin, 16-year-old Ryan Piva, Dale Howell and Sam Weber also scored for Nelson, which outshot the Braves 41-36.
Hunt, Lenzin and Zach Morey all finished the game with two points.
Jason Sandhu registered the win in goal for the Leafs.
Nelson plays its home opener Friday when the Braves pay a return visit to the NDCC Arena.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Tight defence on display in Boundary City
The two teams combined for 86 shots but could only muster two goals as Grand Forks and Beaver Valley played to a 1-1 tie Saturday in KIJHL action in the Boundary City.
Jaxen Gemmell scored the tying marker five minutes into the third to pull the Hawks into the draw.
Chad Grambo had scored in the first period to give the Border Bruins the early lead.
Anthony Galliart was a busy man in the Bruins net as Beaver Valley fired 48 shots at the Grand Forks net.
The contest, the home opener for the Bruins, was a feisty affair between the two division rivals as there were no less than 127 minutes in penalties handed out by referee Ross Macdonnell.
Beaver Valley now leads the Murdoch Division with three points.
Castlegar is winless in two starts after dropping a pair of Kootenay Conference games in Golden (5-2) and Kimberley (4-3).
