Injury bug catching up on Leafs as Buds drop weekend set
By Bruce Fuhr
For the second straight game the Nelson Leafs witnessed a case of hockey robbery first hand.
Kristian Stead stopped 26 shots in the final 28 minutes, including 10 in extra time, to power the 100 Mile House Wranglers to a 4-3 overtime victory in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Sunday afternoon at the NDCC Arena.
Jayden Syrota notched the winner past Leaf goalie Joey Karrer on a slick move to the net with 1:49 remaining in the second overtime period to lift the Wranglers to the road victory.
The loss was the second in as many days for the Green and White.
Saturday, it was the Michael Lenko as the Revelstoke goalie stopped 43 of 45 shots to backstop the Grizzlies to a 3-2 win.
“I’m really proud of my guys,” said Wrangler coach and GM Dale Hladun.
“We’re pretty banged up so this was a huge win of us.”
Fighting the injury bug just like the Leafs, 100 Mile House took a 3-1 five minutes into the third period on Brady Ward’s second goal of the game.
However, the Leafs, playing with basically two lines and four defencemen, kept pecking away at the Wranglers and were rewarded when Darnel St. Pierre scored an unassisted marker.
Nelson, out shooting 100 Mile House 18-8 in the period, kept up the pressure and got a lucky break to tie up the contest with 85 seconds remaining.
A point shot directed at the 100 Mile House net by Austin Seaman deflected off the skate of Wrangler Stephan Egan past Stead into the net.
Nelson had chances win the game when the home side was handed a pair of power play chances.
The first came when Syrota was penalized for delay of the game for shooting the puck over the glass.
The second chance arrived compliments of the Ward boarding penalty.
But both times the Wranglers packed the box allowing Stead clear access to the shooters.
“You’ve got to give their goalie credit, he made some big saves when he needed to,” said Leaf coach Dave McLellan.
“We missed a couple of great chances to put it away.”
“But we did the right thing,” McLellan added. “I’m happy with that but our power play has got to click a little better than that.”
Brett Harris scored a first period goal on the power play to give the Wranglers a 1-0 lead.
Robson Cramer, also on the power play, tied the game in the second before the visitors took the lead.
“We’re happy with getting the point considering the lineup we have,” McLellan explained.
“We’re telling the guys we’re preparing for the playoffs and resiliency is a huge thing for a team and we showed that today and even last night where we were able to battle back.”
Nelson played the game with only 14 skaters after another roster player —Nolan Percival — went down Saturday with an upper body injury.
“We are very worried about the team, especially our defence where we’re playing really only three or four guys for the past two months,” McLellan admitted.
“It’s tough and it’s starting to ruin the continuity within our group. And it’s tough playing back to back, where we just didn’t have the legs we normally have in overtime,” he added.
Nelson has a few days off before playing a home-and-home series against Spokane Braves beginning Saturday at the NDCC Arena.
Game time is 7 p.m.
BLUELINES: Saturday Michael Lenko faced 45 shots as the Grizzlies edged Nelson. The Leafs, trailing 3-0 with eight minutes remaining in the game, struck for two quick goals 30 seconds apart by Michael Rand and Austin Lindsay. Jeff Bochon and Tyler Chavez Leech, with a pair, scored for Revelstoke. . . . Leaf netminder Adam Maida was in goal for the loss against Revelstoke. . . . Nelson hopes to have forward Dylan Williamson and defenceman Patrick Croome back in the lineup soon as well as forward Blair Andrews. . . . The weekend losses drops Nelson five points behind Murdoch leading Beaver Valley. Nelson is 3-4-0-2 since the beginning of December. . . . Wranglers Dale Hladun said the franchise in 100 Mile House has been one of the best kept secrets in the KIJHL. The club had a crowd of more than 1,000 for a game during the Christmas break and averages more than 350 per game. With the win, 100 Mile House went from fourth to second in the tight Doug Birks Division of the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference.
