Leafs put a wrap on KIJHL season with awards banquet
By The Nelson Daily Sports
It’s a season that ended too soon, but a season that saw many a fine young hockey player better with age.
The Nelson Leafs officially concluded the 2012-13 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League season with its annual team awards banquet Tuesday.
Highlighting the evening was the two-award showing of netminder Brett Soles.
The Cranbrook native, who started the season with 12 consecutive wins, finished the campaign as the go-to netminder for most of the six-game playoff series against Beaver Valley and was name the Leafs playoff MVP.
Soles also topped the rookie-of-the-year category.
Linden Horswill, solid game in and game out for the Green and White all season, won the team MVP award while best defenceman award went to Calgary rearguard J.J. Beitel.
Most Sportsman was won by Bryce Nielsen while most spirited went to defenceman Kyler Wilkinson.
Other awards went to Aaron Dunlap, unsung hero; hometown minor hockey grad Matt MacDonald was named the player’s choice award while coaches’ choice went to Matthew Naka.
Captain Colton Schell finished the season as Nelson’s leading scorer while Cam Weir was the scholastic winner as he combined classroom with his on-ice workmanship.
The banquet attracted more than 150 people as Nelson was eliminated from the playoffs for the third straight year in the first round.
Will he or won’t he
Leaf head coach Frank Maida was non-committal after Nelson’s final game of the season.
Fresh from the sting of coughing up a 3-0 third-period lead the Nelson skipper had not had time to contemplate his future.
“I don’t know . . . I haven’t made that decision,” was Maida’s response to the question about another season with the Green and White.
Cyclone Taylor in the cards?
Nelson is awaiting news from B.C. Hockey regarding its big to host the 2014 Cylcone Taylor Cup.
The Leafs submitted the proposal days before the deadline.
The Cyclone Taylor Cup is a four-team tournament that crowns the B.C. Junior B Champion.
The Cyclone Taylor Cup serves as the BC Hockey Championship for Junior B Hockey.
The tournament includes champions from the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL), and the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) along with the host team.
Nelson lost out to host the tournament to Fernie in 2011.
It has been rumored that Beaver Valley submitted a bid to host the tournament in 2014.
