NOTEBOOK: Leafs hit with more defensive casualties
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Healthy defencemen on the Nelson Leafs are getting to be as extinct as honest politicians in Ottawa.
The Leafs lost two more rearguards during the weekend, increasing the number of injured defencemen to four — and five if you include Walker Sidoni resting comfortably in sickbay earlier this season.
Team captain Tyler Parfeniuk and rookie Julian Davis, who just decided to make Nelson his winter home, both were lost during Saturday’s 6-3 loss to the Kelowna Chiefs.
Leaf head coach Frank Maida said both players are on the injury list with lower body injuries. Maida did not give an estimated time of arrival.
Blake Arcuri and Riley Henderson are the other two defenceman out of the lineup.
Leafs pull off second deal for Chiefs’ Spring
The sudden departure of healthy defenceman forced the Leaf coaching staff to pull off a cash deal for Eric Spring of the Kelowna Chiefs.
This is the second time in five months the Chiefs have traded to the Nelson Leafs. During the summer, then coach and GM Chris Shaw traded Adam Wheeldon to the Chief for Branden Redschlag.
In 13 games this season Spring scored three times while adding two assists.
Dawson tallies for Junior marker
Maida was pleased with the performance of Nelson/Kaslo Midget Rep winger Colton Dawson during the three-game road swing into the Okanagan Conference.
Dawson scored his first ever Junior Hockey goal Friday against the Princeton Posse. He was also the game’s third star.
Unlucky in hockey
If the Leafs didn’t have back luck the team would have no luck at all.
Friday, despite holding a wide margin in shots, Nelson ran into a hot goalie in the form of Phoenix Logan-Hill. Logan-Hill stopped 37 of 39 shots the Leafs fired.
Saturday, a player who scored two times in five games lights the Leafs up for a four-spot in a 6-3 loss.
Nelson snapped its five-game winless streak Sunday in Osoyoos with a 4-3 win over the Coyotes.
Finally a home game
Nelson concludes six-game road trip Thursday in Fernie
Nelson travels to Fernie Thursday to meet the Ghostriders.
Saturday, the Leafs play for the first time in weeks at home as winless Grand Forks Border Bruins come to town. Game time is 7 p.m. at the NDCC Arena.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
