Red-hot Leafs continue to roll, edge Rockets 4-3
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Bet you can’t guess which is the hottest team right now in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League?
Defending KIJHL Champion 100 Mile House Wranglers?
Wrong.
Current KIJHL leaders, Osoyoos Coyotes or league powers Creston Valley Thunder Cats, Kimberley Dynamiters or Beaver Valley Nitehawks?
Wrong again.
The Nelson Leafs won for the fifth straight time Saturday night at the NDCC Arena, edging the Golden Rockets 4-3 to remain unbeaten in December.
Nelson fired 40 shots at the Rockets net, scoring just enough goals to get past the Eddie Mountain Division squad.
Leaf game star Dale Howell, Mason Mullaney and Logan Wullum gave Nelson a 3-1 advantage early in the second period.
Darlon Nordick narrowed the gap to 3-2 before the period ended.
In the third Alex Meeker scored the winner, unassisted, as Nelson continued to win the close games after losing five games in November by two goals or less.
Austin Pultz and Levi Lambert also scored for Golden.
Devin Allen stopped 19 of 22 shots to register the win in goal for the Leafs.
Nelson defeated Golden 4-0 in the only other meeting between the to teams this season.
The Leafs, improving to 14-14-0-0-2 for 30 points, failed to gain any ground in the Murdoch standings as division-leading Beaver Valley Nitehawks, second-place Castlegar Rebels and third-place Grand Forks Border Bruins all won games Saturday.
Beaver Valley stopped Creston 5-1, the Rebels scored four times in the third to outlast Fernie Ghostriders 7-5 and Grand Forks edged Spokane Braves 3-1.
Nelson takes to the road Friday to face the Braves in Spokane before travelling over the Kootenay Pass to meet the Kimberley Dynamiters Saturday.
The weekend games are the last before KIJHL teams break for the Christmas season.
Nelson returns from the holiday break to face Grand Forks December 30 in the Boundary City.
Next home game is the traditional New Year’s Eve clash between the Leafs and Beaver Valley.
Puck drop is 2 p.m.
