Leafs even season record by stopping North Okanagan 3-2
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Nelson Daily Sports
The Nelson Leafs climbed back to the .500-mark by holding off the North Okanagan Knights 3-2 in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League action Sunday at the Nor-Val Centre in Armstrong.
A goal by Patrick Martens less than two minutes into the third snapped a 2-2 to spark the Leafs to the victory.
Nelson, 10-10 on the season, won its second game in three starts during a road trip into the Shuswap Division of the KIJHL.
Saturday Connor McLaughlin scored three times to spark the Nelson Leafs to a 3-1 victory over the Eagles at the Recreation Center in Sicamous.
Nelson opened the trip with a 6-3 loss Friday to Revelstoke.
Martens scored on the only shot of the period for Nelson as North Okanagan took the play to the visitors. The Knights out shot the Leafs 13-1 in the period and 32-14 in the contest.
However, goalie Marcus Beesley, playing his third consecutive game, was equal to every shot by the Knights to power Nelson to the victory.
Cody Abbey, with this first marker of the season, opened the scoring on the power play for the Leafs.
William Kapp tied the contest in the second before another unlikely goal scorer, captain Taylor O’Neil with his second of the season, scored to restore the lead for Nelson.
Doug Chadwick scored a power play goal before the period concluded to send the teams into the 40-minute break tied at 2-2.
In Sicamous, it was Beesley once against coming to the rescue for the Leafs as the Eagles held a 35-22 advantage.
Despite the lopsided play it was Nelson holding period leads to 1-0 and 2-0 thanks to McLaughlin’s goal scoring.
Gavin Currie had two assists while Abbey registered his first point in six games, assisting on McLaughlin’s second goal of the contest.
Friday at the Forum in Revelstoke, the Grizzlies exploded for five goals on special teams en route to doubling the Leafs.
The Grizz scored four consecutive times with the man advantage — two late in the first period and a pair to start the second — to grab the easy win.
The final special teams tally came with Revelstoke playing short-handed.
Marcus Dahl opened the scoring for Nelson before the Leafs ran into penalty troubles. With Riley Henderson serving a cross checking minor Garett Kemmler got the home side going.
Brooks Christensen put Revelstoke in front for good with another power play marker with nine seconds remaining in the frame.
Reid Blinkhorn and Dylan Rota scored power play goals just over two minutes apart to start the second to give the Grizz a commanding 4-1 advantage.
Nelson cut the margin to 5-3 on goals by McLaughlin and Connor Enright before period ended but could get no closer.
Devon Hascarl added a short-handed tally for Revelstoke with time running out in the third.
The Grizzlies out shot Nelson 42-33, including a 25-3 advantage in the second period.
ICE CHIPS: The three goals Saturday gives Connor McLaughlin, riding a four-game point streak, the team lead with nine. . . . Gavin Currie still leads Nelson in scoring with 23 points, eight in front of Colton Schell and McLaughlin. . . .Friday Leaf minor hockey grad Adam DiBella registered no points against his hometown team. . . . The Leafs, fourth in Murdoch standings, are 2-1 in the month of November after closing out October with a 5-4 record. . . .Nelson closes out a five-game span of games away from home Friday in Fruitvale against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. The Hawks lead the season series 2-0. . . .Next home game is Saturday against Grand Forks at 7 p.m.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
