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Desert Dogs double Leafs 4-2 in South Okanagan

The Nelson Daily Sports
By The Nelson Daily Sports
December 4th, 2010

By The Nelson Daily Sports

All season long it’s been a period here or a period there that has cost the Nelson Leafs a victory in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League standings.

Saturday night in Osoyoos it was in the second frame that most of the damage was done.

Thierry Martine and Brock Anderson scored goals in a 12-second span to lift the Desert Dogs to a 4-2 win over the Leafs at the Osoyoos Sun Bowl.

The loss gives the Leafs a weekend split in KIJHL action. Friday Nelson finally got one monkey off its back when Cody Abbey and Colton Schell each scored twice and Gavin Currie had three points to lead the Leafs to a 6-2 victory over the Murdoch Division leading Beaver Valley at the NDCC Arena.

In the South Okanagan City Nelson stayed with the Coyotes through the first 20 minutes. Despite being out shot 12-10 the Leafs finished the period leading 2-1 on goals by Cameron Dobransky and Connor McLaughlin. Dobransky finished the game with two points.

McLaughlin’s marker came with no time remaining in the period. Stefen Jensen had tied the game late in the period before McLaughlin scored.

However, in the second the Desert Dogs got the offence going with Martine, second in KIJHL scoring, evening the game before Anderson put the home side in the lead for good.

Matt Geurts added an insurance goal on the power play in period Osoyoos owned, out shooting Nelson 21-10.

Marcus Beesley, earning his second start of the weekend, took the loss in goal for Nelson.

Both teams struggled on the power play with Nelson scoring once in nine attempts while the Coyotes had 13 opportunities.

Friday, a four-goal second period, two of the markers coming in the latter stages of the frame, was the difference as the Leafs defeated the Hawks for the first time in four meetings.

Nelson has yet to get a win against the other Murdoch power this season, the Castlegar Rebels.

After a scoreless first period, Nelson took the lead on goals by Abbey and Schell. Beaver Valley tied the game as Ryan Edwards scored twice in a span of 41 seconds. One marker came on the power play.

However, Currie scored on the power play with two minutes left in the frame, and Schell added his second of the game 78 seconds later to give Nelson the lead for good.

Abbey, on the power play, and Connor McLaughlin scored third period goal to ice the contest. Beaver Valley out shot Nelson in the contest by a 23-18 count, including a 12-6 barrage in the second period.

Leaf netminder Beesley out dueled Mike Vlanich in the battle of the backstoppers to register the victory. It was the first loss in four games against Nelson for the Beaver Valley goaltender.

ICE CHIPS: Next home game for Nelson is Sunday, December 12 against Grand Forks. The Leafs travel to Kimberley Friday and Fruitvale Saturday. . . .Nelson finished the month of November with a 7-3 record. . . .The Leafs, jumping into third spot in the division ahead of Spokane Braves with a 16-13 record, also improved to 8-10 against Murdoch Division opposition. Nelson trails division-leading Beaver Valley and Castlegar by 10 points. . . . Nelson’s leading scorer, Gavin Currie, continues to score in bunches. Friday was the Abbotsford product’s 12th multiple-point game of the season. Currie, who had one assist Saturday, has accumulated more than two points in 10 of his last 15 games. . . .Cody Abbey is finally starting to get in the groove after spending most of the season on the injured list. The Kaslo native has registered points in four of the past five games. . . .Braeden Hikichi was back in the lineup Friday after missing last week’s game against Castlegar due to sickness.

sports@thenelsondaily.com

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