The Beaver Valley Nitehawks pulled out a character win in a gutsy 3-2 victory over the Fernie Ghostriders on Friday in Fruitvale.
Adam Redding scored the game winner with 2:14 left in the second period, when he wristed in a rebound on a scramble in front of Fernie goalie Nick Kunyk to give B.V. a 3-1 lead.
Fernie led the series 3-0, but back-to-back 3-2 wins have the Nitehawks in a position to tie the series with a victory in Fernie Saturday.
Ollie Clement opened the scoring just 23 seconds into the opening frame for a 1-0 Nitehawks lead finishing off an attempted wrap around by Redding. But the Ghostriders Eli Nielson beat B.V. goalie Connor Stojan with a quick shot high glove to tie it with 39 seconds left in the period.
B.V. forward Nathan Simm was awarded a penalty shot 4:46 into the second period, after being hauled down on a breakaway. Simm went wide right, cut in front and snapped a shot between the pads of Kunyk for a 2-1 lead.
After Redding made it 3-1, the Nitehawks found themselves two-men down late in the second, and Fernie’s Kaden Slobodian scored with five seconds left to bring the Ghostriders within one.
But Beaver Valley played disciplined and defensive hockey in the third, keeping Fernie’s chances to a minimum, and letting Stojan make the saves when he had to.
A packed Hawks Nest was on their feet as the scoreclock counted down, and Fernie, with their goalie pulled, tried desperately for the equalizer. Nitehawks top scorer Clement carried the puck into the Fernie end and killed off the remaining seconds for the Nitehawks victory.
Stojan made 35 saves, while Kunyk stopped 30 in the Fernie net. Fernie went 1-for-5 on the power play, and B.V. 0-for-4.
B.V. will travel to Fernie Saturday (March 30) for Game 6 in the best-of-7 Kootenay Conference final, with the puck drop at 6 p.m. PT.
Game 7 is scheduled to go in Fruitvale at the B.V. Arena on Monday, April 1 at 7 p.m.