Leafs double Storm, run winning streak to five games
By Bruce Fuhr
Brett Soles didn’t have a lot of work to do during the first 40 minutes of Saturday night’s Kootenay International Junior Hockey League game against the Kamloops Storm.
Soles saved his best saves for the third period, stopping all but one shot to power the Leafs to a 4-2 decision over the Kamloops Storm at the NDCC Arena.
The win, the fifth straight for the Green and White, allows Nelson to remain in top spot in the Neil Murdoch Division, four points in front of the idle Castlegar Rebels.
Castlegar hosts Kamloops Sunday in the Sunflower City.
“The boys kept it easy for me through the first two periods . . . I only had 13 shots,” Soles said from outside the Leafs dressing room. “In the third Kamloops came out hard and was battling but we managed only to allow them one goal in the third so it was good.”
Nelson controlled most of the play through the first two periods, but ran into a hot netminder in former Leaf Marcus Beasley.
Beasley, who was traded to Kamloops last season after failing to latch on with Prince George of the B.C. Hockey League, kept the game close as Nelson fired 30-plus shots at the Storm net through 40 minutes.
Still Nelson was able to beat Beasley three times on goals by Jacob Boyczuk, Colton McCarthy and Kevin Bow to lead 3-1.
In the third Nelson ran into penalty troubles allowing the Storm to cut the lead to 3-2 in the final two minutes.
But a seeing-eye empty net goal by Carsen Willans ended any hopes of an amazing comeback.
“Carsen’s goal was a relief because Kamloops was coming hard so that goal was big,” confessed Soles, who faced 14 shots int the period.
Austin Braid and Spencer Schoech scored for Kamloops.
Saturday’s win completes a six-game in nine-day stretch for the Leafs, a time frame that saw Nelson win five of the games.
“We’ve come together a lot more,” Soles explained when asked about the recent hot streak.
“We started only .500 but lately we’ve been battling hard and we’re winning games because of it.”
Nelson, finishing the month of October 8-3, host Beaver Valley Nitehawks Friday at 7 p.m. in the NDCC Arena. No doubt the Hawks will be looking for some payback after getting hammered by Nelson 10-3 last Tuesday.
The Leafs then face Sicamous Eagles Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
LEAF NOTES: Matthew Naka had an early night as the Leaf center got involved in a fight during the first period. . . . Defenceman Cole Arcuri missed is expected to be back in the lineup after recovering from an injury suffered earlier this month against Fernie. . . .New Leaf Kyler Wilkinson saw his first action for Nelson coming to the Heritage City franchise last week in a trade that saw Matti Jmaeff go to the Creston Thunder Cats.
