In a thrilling and entertaining Game 4 match up the Beaver Valley Nitehawks eventually prevailed beating the Nelson Leafs 2-1 in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in the Neil Murdoch division final.
Jacob Boyczuk took a Sam Swanson feed at the top of the slot, and wired it over the glove of Leafs’ goalie Patrick Zubick with one minute 24 seconds to go in the first overtime period to send a capacity Beaver Valley crowd into delirium.
After a scoreless first period, Trail native Jamie Vlanich would open the scoring at 17:03 of the second on a power play, sending a wrist shot from the point that made its way through traffic and over the shoulder of Hawks goalie Brett Clark.
However, the Nitehawks would reply on a PP of their own before the period was out, when Braden Fuller sent a quick pass from behind the net to Archie McKinnon who backhanded it through the pads of Zubick to tie it 1-1.
Nelson dominated the Hawks in the early going outshooting B.V. 12-6 in the first period, but the Hawks penalty kill helped B.V. seize momentum after killing off a Leafs’ two-man advantage midway through the second. The Hawks would take control in the third, firing 15 shots at Zubick who kept the Leafs in it. The Leafs would enjoy power plays late in the third and again in the overtime period when a delay of game call put Dallas Calvin in the box. But the Hawks would kill both penalties and pressured the Leafs, until Boyczuk iced it late in the extra 10-minute frame.
The Leafs went 1-for-8 on the power play, while the Nitehawks were 1-for-2, and outshot the Leafs 40-36 on the night. Game 5 goes in Nelson on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Read more about the Leafs and Nitehawk series in Thursday’s edition of the Trail Times.