Leafs continue winning ways, score road victory against Rebels
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Look who’s won four straight Kootenay International Junior Hockey League games?
First guess, a team that was struggling mightily in November.
Sawyer Hunt and Aigne McGeady-Bruce each had two points sparking the Nelson Leafs to a 5-4 KIJHL victory over the Castlegar Rebels Friday night in the Sunflower City.
The victory was the fourth consecutive win for a Leafs team that lost eight of 10 games in November.
The difference was special teams as well as a three-goal second period for the Leafs that turned a 1-1 tie into a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes for the Green and White.
Nelson finished game with a pair of power play markers along with a shorthanded tally by Dale Howell during the two-goal in just over a minute explosion by the Leafs in the middle frame.
Hunt, McGeady-Bruce, Alex Meeker, Howell and Jack Karran scored for the Leafs.
John Moeller, Kirkland Spencer, Daniel Petten and Everett Hicks replied for Castlegar, which had won nine of 10 games since the start of November, including two wins over Nelson.
Billy Gorn won for the third time in the Leaf nets since coming to Nelson at the December roster deadline. Gorn was lights out for the Leafs, outshot 34-25 in the game.
The win pulls Nelson to within a point of third-place Grand Forks and two in back of second-place Castlegar in Murdoch Division standings.
Grand Forks lost a heartbreaker, 3-2 in overtime to Beaver Valley Nitehawks in the Boundary City.
Blake Sidoni scored on the power play in overtime to secure the win for the Hawks.
Grand Forks has lost three straight games.
Nelson returns home Saturday to face the Golden Rockets at 7 p.m. in the NDCC Arena.
Golden dropped a 2-1 decision Friday in Spokane to the Braves in overtime.
