The Beaver Valley Nitehawks take on the Nelson Leafs in a home-and-home tilt this weekend.
The Hawks split their two-game exhibition series against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats on Tuesday suffering a 6-4 loss at the Beaver Valley Arena, following a 9-4 win on Sunday.
B.V. coach Terry Jones expects to have his roster all but finalized following the games versus the Leafs this weekend. The Nitehawks have a strong contingent of returning players, but will need four or five rookies to round out its roster.
Nelson dropped both it’s opening exhibition games to KIJHL champion Revelstoke Grizzlies 4-1 and 4-2, however, Leafs head coach Mario DiBella has a good mix of returning veterans and rookies, and looks to repeat as Murdoch Division regular season champs.
“I think there’s two things to winning,” DiBella told the Nelson Star. “One is players can’t be afraid to win. The other is winning is a habit, as is losing.
“The Leaf culture the last few years has been a winning culture. I think our veterans, particularly the 20 year olds, are going to make sure the rest of the kids in that room understand what the expectations are from each and every one of them.”
Beaver Valley visits Nelson Friday with the puck drop at 7 p.m., while Nelson is in Fruitvale at the Hawks Nest on Saturday at 7 p.m.