Leafs run win streak to seven with pair of home-ice victories
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The weekend may have not gone according to the game plan sketched on the drawing board in the team dressing room, but don’t look now but the Nelson Leafs have reeled off seventh straight wins.
Nelson outlasted a pesky Beaver Valley Nitehawks squad 7-6 in overtime Friday before blasting Golden Rockets 7-3 Saturday during a pair of Kootenay International Junior Hockey League home games at the NDCC Arena.
The streak improves Nelson’s record to a sparkling 13-1-0-1 mark, and a nine-point lead over Beaver Valley in Murdoch Division standings.
Nelson opened the weekend against the always tough Nitehawks and appeared to have the game in the bag after building a 6-3 lead early in the third period after Kalem Hanlon scored on the power play.
However, the Hawks picked away at the lead, scoring twice in the final two minutes — Paul Leroux’s second of the period and Nolan Corrado — to send the game into extra time.
But Shawn Campbell was able to rescue the two points for the Green and White, scoring a powerplay goal seconds into overtime.
Michael LeNoury, Keenan Crossman, Emery Neilson Ryan Piva and Jack Karran also scored for the Leafs.
Leroux finished with four points for Beaver Valley, including three goals, and Corrado, scoring twice, led the Hawks. Luke Recchi scored the other goal for Beaver Valley. Beaver Valley outshot the Leafs 28-27.
C.J. Wedenig, undefeated in five games this season, was in goal to earn the win for Nelson as starter Caiden Kreitz was absent from the bench after suffering an upper body injury. Charles Curiston served as back up for Wedenig.
Saturday, Nelson broke open a close 2-2 contest, outscoring the Rockets 5-1 in the third period to send the Eddie Mountain squad to its seventh loss of the season.
Logan Wullum, Kaleb Comishin, Piva, his second of the game, David Sanchez and Tyler Nypower scored for the Leafs. Karran also scored for Nelson. The Leafs finished the game scoring four times on the power play while out shooting the Rockets 46-24.
Nelson completes its October homestand — where the Leafs play seven of its 10 games at home — this weekend with a pair of major tests for the franchise.
Friday, Nelson welcomes the top team in the KIJHL, Kelowna Chiefs, for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The Chiefs, winners of seven straight games, lead the KIJHL with an impressive 14-0-0-0-1 record. The only blemish on the record was a 5-4 overtime loss to Princeton Posse.
Saturday, Nelson plays host to the defending KIJHL champs from Kimberley. The game is the first time the teams have met since the Nitros eliminated Nelson from the KIJHL playoffs in March.
BLUELINES: Tyler Nypower and Emery Neilson earned the Leafs Firefighter of the Game honours against Golden and Beaver Valley, respectively. Nypower registered three points, including two goals against the Rockets while Neilson was a force for Nelson on the penalty kill all game against the Nitehawks. . . . Keenan Crossman played his first game in more than a month Friday against Beaver Valley following a long stint on the injury list due to an upper-body injury. . . . Forward Scott Lancaster joined netminder Caiden Kreitz on the injury list for Nelson.
