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Karran nets hat-trick to power Leafs past Thunder Cats

The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
September 24th, 2017

Jack Karran scored a natural hat-trick to spark the Nelson Leafs to a 6-3 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League victory over the Creston Valley Thunder Cats Saturday night in the East Kootenay City.

Karran scored the final three goals of the game for the Heritage City squad to secure the Leafs win.

Nelson, unbeaten in four games and first overall in the Murdoch Division, won for the second time in as many nights on the road.

The Leafs opened the weekend with a 5-0 shutout of the Spokane Braves Friday in the Lilac City.

Sawyer Hunt opened the scoring for the Leafs 11 seconds into the game.

Ethan Land, on the power play and Jackson Zimmermann increased the margin to 3-0 with goals less than two minutes apart in the second frame.

Liam Plunkett got the home side on the scoresheet midway through the frame.

However, Jack Karran restored the three-goal advantage before Ronnie Wilkie gave the Thunder Cats hope heading into the second-period intermission with a late goal in the frame.

Karran, now with five goals this season, scored twice in a span of 16 seconds in the third to secure the victory for Nelson.

Creston Valley outshot the Leafs 33-23 in the game.

Quinn Yeager was solid in the Leafs net to register his first win of the season.

Nelson leads Grand Forks Border Bruins by one point in Murdoch Division standings.

The two teams hook up Friday in the Boundary City as Nelson concludes its three-game road trip.

Grand Forks faces the Braves Sunday in Spokane.

Saturday, September 30, Nelson returns home to host Creston in a Kootenay Conference rematch at 7 p.m. in the NDCC Arena.

LEAF NOTES: The three-goal game for Jack Karran, who finished with four points Saturday, moves the Grande Prairie native into a tie with Jackson Zimmermann as the top goal scorer on the Leafs — each with five goals. . . . Zimmerman has a four-game goal scoring and points streak, totalling seven points during the streak. . . .Sawyer Hunt leads Nelson in scoring with eight points. . . .. Revelstoke Grizzlies and Summerland Steam currently lead the KIJHL overall standings, each with 10 points. Nelson is second at nine with Kimberley, Grand Forks and Kelowna tied for fourth with eight points.

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