The Beaver Valley Nitehawks salvaged a pair of points from its three-game weekend with a 4-1 victory over the Braves in Spokane on Sunday.
Following a big win against the Fernie Ghostriders in its lone game on opening weekend, Beaver Valley had a tough schedule in Week 2 with games against the Columbia Valley Rockets, Nelson Leafs and Spokane Braves.
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In a wild match, the Hawks fell to the Rockets at home on Friday 8-6, then lost a close 3-2 tilt to the Nelson Leafs Saturday. However, on Sunday, the Nitehawks bounced back as forward Reece Tambellini scored twice and B.V. netminder Noah Decottignies stopped 36 shots for the Hawks second win of the season.
The pace of play was quick and even through two periods, and with time winding down in the middle frame Hawks’ defenceman Paul Leroux notched his first of the season on the power play when he wired a Bradley Ross pass by Spokane goalie Ben Waslaski to put B.V. up 2-0 for what proved to be the game winner.
The victory lifts the Hawks to 2-2-0-0 good for second spot in the Neil Murdoch Division behind Nelson who has won four straight to start the season.
Ryan Crisalli put the Nitehawks on the board with a power-play goal at 4:42 of the first period on a set up from Ross and Quaid Anderson.
After Leroux’s goal made it 2-0, Spokane ramped up the pace in the third firing 21 shots at the B.V. net. However, Tambellini counted goals two and three of the season just over three minutes apart to give B.V. a 4-0 lead.
A Spokane goal from Nate Wilson with 7:53 remaining spoiled the shutout bid for Decottignies, who has been solid in net for B.V. with two wins, a 2.02 GAA, and a .928 save percentage. The Braves outshot Beaver Valley 37-29 and went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Beaver Valley was 3-for-4 with the extra man.
Saturday’s game against the Leafs in Nelson was a spirited affair and decided by a penalty-shot late in the second period. With the score tied 2-2, Nelson forward Jackson Zimmerman was slashed while breaking in all alone on Decottignies and awarded a penalty shot. The Stettler, Alta. native walked in and fired a high shot that beat the B.V. goalie for what proved to be the eventual game winner.
Nelson got into penalty trouble early with a warm-up violation, then back-to-back penalties to Easton Jolie and Alex Erichuk put B.V. on a 5-on-3 power play. However, bad timing for Beaver Valley saw Jolie step out of the box and hit Ryan Piva with a breakaway pass. Piva made no mistake scoring his sixth goal of the season to give the Leafs the lead at 12:56 of the opening period.
Piva, a Trail native, is entering his third season with the Leafs and has been impressive in the early going.
“I think part of it is confidence,” Leafs head coach Mario DiBella told the Nelson Star. “He’s grown into his body, he’s a great listener, he asks what he can do better all the time and takes those suggestions out on the ice and puts them to good use. He’s a fine young man and we’re lucky to have him. If he continues at this pace I think someone from the BC Hockey League will be knocking on his door.”
Jolie made it 2-0 at 9:03 of the first to put Nelson up 2-0, as the Leafs outshot B.V. 9-5 in the period. However, B.V. found it’s stride in the second with Nathan Ingram scoring his first of the season on a quick snapshot from left faceoff circle. Crisalli tied it up five minutes later with the teams playing 4-on-4 beating Nelson goalie Caiden Kreitz over the shoulder.
The Hawks had their chances to tie it in the third, but could not beat Kreitz or capitalize on a 5-on-3 man advantage, as Nelson held on for the 3-2 victory.
Nelson outshot B.V. 32-26, with both teams going 0-for-8 on the power play.
In Friday’s match, B.V. forward Ross scored twice and added two assists, but the Nitehawks couldn’t hold onto a 6-5 lead early in the third, falling 8-6 to the Rockets at the Hawks Nest.
The high energy, back-and-forth match saw the lead change seven times, and was ultimately decided by a Zachary Giabobbo power-play goal with 2:55 to play to make it 7-6. An empty netter with a minute to play iced it for the Rockets.
Jared Stocks had a big game for B.V. scoring twice and adding an assist and Brock Wallace also pitched in with three points on a goal and two assists. Tambellini also scored for Beaver Valley.
Jacob Romanowski got the start stopping 24 of 31 shots for the Nitehawks, while Ty Grant had 29 saves for the Rockets.
Beaver Valley is on the road this weekend and play the Kamloops Storm on Friday and the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Saturday.