Leafs bounce back against Bruins to maintain top spot in Murdoch Division
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Good teams have a way of bouncing back after a tough loss.
And the Nelson Leafs are one of the better teams in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
Jackson Zimmermann scored twice and Josh Williams won for the 13th time this season in the nets sparking the Leafs to a 4-1 victory over the visiting Grand Forks Border Bruins Saturday night at the NDCC Arena.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Leafs and keeps the Green and White on top of the Murdoch Division standings.
Nelson, dropping a 9-3 decision to defending KIJHL Champion Beaver Valley Nitehawks Friday in Fruitvale, remains two points ahead of the red not Castlegar Rebels, winners of eight straight games.
Despite being outshot 12-9 in the opening frame, it was the Leafs netting the only goal in the period as Zimmermann, scoring for the first time in four games, combined with Logan Wullum to beat former Nelson goalie Quinn Yeager in the Grand Forks nets.
Wullum was seeing his first action since November 24 after serving a three-game suspension.
Nelson outscored the Bruins 2-1 in the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission.
Ryan Piva and Zimmerman sandwiched goals around Logan Klatt’s marker for the Bruins.
Nelson added some insurance in the third period on the power play when defenceman Brendan Makay, scoring for the third time this season, combined with Leaf Captain Sawyer Hunt and Nicholas Wihak.
Nelson finished the game out shooting the Bruins 39-31.
The Leafs head out on the road Friday for a date in Sparwood against the Fernie Ghostriders. The game is being played in Sparwood due to the shutdown of the Fernie Memorial Arena being due to the ammonia leak in October that killed three workers.
Saturday, the Leafs host the Castlegar Rebels in what promises to be a showdown of two Murdoch Division heavyweights.
The Rebels have won two straight over the Leafs after Nelson opened the season winning the first two games between the two West Kootenay rivals.
Game time is 7 p.m.
LEAF NOTES: The assist by Nicholas Wihak game the Leaf center three points during the weekend. Wihak has registered four points in the last four games. . . . Ryan Piva and Leaf Captain Sawyer Hunt also finished the game with two points. . . . Hunt leads the Leafs in scoring with 29 points, three in front of Ryan Cooper. Cooper, who leads Nelson in goals with 13, snapped a three-game points streak with an assist Saturday. . . . Nelson netminder Josh Williams has dropped to third spot in KIJHL goalie stats with a 1.87 average. Tanner Douglas of Castlegar tops the standings with Levi Mitchell of Creston second. Both goalies have played less games than Williams.
