Too much Rebels for Leafs to handle as Castlegar posts 5-3 in Sunday afternoon KIJHL tilt
By The Nelson Daily Sports
For the second time in less than a week the Nelson Leafs squandered a two-goal lead against a divisional rival.
Castlegar Rebels rallied from a 3-1 deficit to score four straight goals en route to a 5-3 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League victory Sunday afternoon at the Arena Complex in the Sunflower City.
The game is the second consecutive time the Rebels have defeated the Leafs in a key Murdoch heavyweight matchup in the past three weeks and allows Castlegar to close to within two points of the Leafs in division standings.
Castlegar bounced Nelson 6-1 in the Heritage City prior to the Christmas holiday break.
Not only do the Leafs have the Rebels breathing down their backs, but the Beaver Valley Nitehawks — that other divisional rival to steal a victory from the Green and White — are also tied with Castlegar in the hotly contested Murdoch Division.
Fresh from a 6-2 pasting of the Fernie Ghostriders Friday, Nelson continued to shine on the ice Sunday in Castlegar taking a 2-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on goals by Linden Horswill and Bryce Nielsen.
The goals came in a span of 26 seconds.
Castlegar cut the margin to 2-1 on a Bryan Lubin goal late in the first period.
But James Sorrey, with his fifth point in the past three games, restored the advantage with a marker early in the second frame.
The deficit, however, did not deter the host club, which continued to push at the Leafs and goalie Marcus Beesley.
The Rebels, out shooting the Leafs 34-22 in the first 40 minutes, were rewarded when Braydon Horcoff and Lubin tied the game in the second.
Diego Bartlett then snapped the 3-3 tie with the winner midway through the third.
Jamie Vlanich, finishing the game with three points, secured the win with an insurance goal on the power play as Castlegar continued to pressure the Leafs, out shooting Nelson 14-5 in the third for a 48-27 game advantage.
Jordan Gluck once again was in goal for the Castlegar win over Nelson.
The Leafs continue its five-game road trip this weekend in the Okanagan with three games against Chase Friday, Kamloops Saturday and North Okanagan Sunday.
Next time the Leafs play at home is Friday, January 18 when Columbia Valley Rockies invade the NDCC Arena.
Meanwhile the Rebels play in Grand Forks Thursday before hosting Creston in a home-and-home series beginning Friday in Castlegar.
Beaver Valley Nitehawks, which blasted Revelstoke Grizzlies 8-2 Sunday in Fruitvale, travel to Spokane Saturday before hosting Grand Forks Sunday.
Against the Grizzlies, Beaver Valley scored five times on special teams — including four power play goals.
Dan Holland, Dallas Calvin with a pair, Walker Sidoni, Connor Brown-Maloski, Derek Lashuk, Sam Swanson, Kurt Black.
The Revelstoke game marked the return to the Nitehawks of Ryan Edwards to the lineup of the KIJHL club.
The Trail native started the season with the Hawks but decided to join the BCHL club in October.
However, for some reason Edwards decided Junior A wasn’t to his liking and left the Smokies without permission in December.
Edwards was quickly put on the suspended by the Smokies.
