Leafs ride Captain Schell to 4-3 overtime victory over Rockies
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Don’t tell Leaf players the Columbia Valley Rockies are a seven-win Kootenay International Junior Hockey League team and are last in the Eddie Mountain Division.
Or that the Rockies got hammered 11-0 Saturday by Summerland Steam.
The Rockies played like a KIJHL championship contender, pushing the top team in the league to the limit before the Green and White skated off with a 4-3 overtime victory Sunday afternoon in Invermere.
Team captain Colten Schell busted out of a mini-scoring slump in a big way, netting the winner on the power play with three seconds remaining in the first overtime period.
Ironically the win came less than 24 hours after the Leafs saw its 11-game win streak snapped as Golden scored with one second remaining in the first overtime period Saturday.
And yes, the goal came on the power play.
After racking up 20 points in eight games, Schell was held off the scoresheet in both weekend road games in Kimberley and Golden.
But with the Leafs trying to keep ahead of Castlegar Rebels in the Murdoch Division race, the captain came through in spades scoring the winner on Columbia Valley netminder Stewart Pratt.
The win not only allowed the Leafs to finish the road trip with five of a possible six points, it also enable the Murdoch leaders to forget about squandering a 3-1 lead after two periods.
Despite out shooting the Rockies 13-8 in the opening frame, it was Columbia Valley holding a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes on a goal by Ryan Henderson.
Nelson picked it up Greg Nickel and Dallon Stoddart scored power play goals 61 seconds apart for the Leafs to give the visitors the lead.
Colton McCarthy made it 3-1 before the period ended.
But the Rockies took advantage of Nelson playing its fourth game in six days to score twice in the third to force overtime.
The tying marker coming off the stick of Nic Hooobanoff with 16 seconds remaining in the third period.
Nelson, regaining its two-point advantage in the Murdoch division over Castlegar after the North Okanagan Knights defeated the Rebels 4-3 Sunday in Armstrong, out shot the Rockies 49-32 making a winner out of goalie Brent Soles.
After playing eight games to start the month of November, Nelson now gets a bit of a rest with only three games in the next 12 days.
The Leafs return home to face division rival Spokane Braves Saturday at the NDCC Arena.
Puck drop is 7 p.m.
