Late in the third period of a must-win game, the Nelson Leafs had three minutes to save their season.
Nelson was trailing the Beaver Valley Nitehawks 3-2 when the team pulled goaltender Ryder Gregga to get an extra man. They had already come back from a three-goal deficit, and a tying goal would extend an unlikely playoff run just a little longer.
The Hail Mary lasted less than 30 seconds. A tumultuous season that featured a coaching change, more goaltenders than most teams use in multiple years, and Nelson's first losing record in nine years ended with a Nitehawks' empty-net goal.
“A lot of teams down 3-0, they are going to roll over and die," said Leafs captain Leighton Partington. "I'm just proud of the way we made it a game. It was a game right until very end. Empty netter, what can you do?”
Beaver Valley's 4-2 win Tuesday in Nelson swept the Leafs out of the playoffs in the first round.
Connor Stojan stopped 17 shots while Boris Hristov, Roan Crowe, Brock Robertson and Ollie Clement scored for the Nitehawks, who will face the Grand Forks Border Bruins in the next round.
Partington and Devon Barclay had the only goals for the Leafs, with Gregga making 29 saves.
“I’m proud of the guys today for not giving up when it's 3-0 and an elimination game," said head coach Gianni Mangone. "They never quit. We found a way to put a few in the net, and we were there. We were close.”
Beaver Valley took advantage of Nelson’s defensive miscues to score the game-opening goal with four minutes left in the first period.
An effective forecheck by the Nitehawks forced an error by the Nelson defence in their own zone. The puck went behind the net, where a Leaf tried to pass back to another player but gave it away to a trailing Hristov. He obliged by wrapping around the net to beat Gregga.
The Nitehawks gave Nelson a gut punch with 17 seconds left in the period. A fluttering pass across the slot by Connor Drake found Crowe, who backhanded the puck over Gregga for a 2-0 lead.
Beaver Valley went up 3-0 after a pinning the home team in its own zone to start the second period. Nelson managed to get the puck to centre ice but were dispossessed, and on the ensuing rush Robertson finished the play with a goal.
Nelson finally got on the scoreboard shortly after. Devon Barclay passed to Partington behind the net and he scored to give his team hope with half a game to play.
Mangone said Partington was the team's MVP throughout the season.
“Every night he gave it his 100 per cent effort. He's got a lot of talent that I think people push aside just because of how hard he works. That's what the first thing they see is. But it was an absolute pleasure coaching him. He's a great human being off the ice. His work ethic is hard to match, and just him as a person is awesome.”
The Leafs went on the power play midway though the third period and capitalized when Barclay whipped a shot by Stojan, cutting Beaver Valley’s lead to 3-2.
But there was no late-game heroics left to save the Leafs. Mangone pulled Gregga for an extra attacker, and shortly after Clement ended Nelson's season with a shot into an empty net.
“Momentum started coming our way," said Partington. "Obviously the empty netter, that hurts. But that's the way hockey goes.”
The loss puts a merciful end to a season that never seemed to favour the Leafs.
After a poor 2023-24 campaign, the Leafs made changes to their front office last offseason by letting go of their general manager and losing two assistant coaches.
The roster changes initially appeared to be good ones. The Leafs started the season hot, winning eight of their first 10 games.
But in that 10th game, Gregga was injured and wouldn’t return until the end of the regular season. A merry-go-round of goaltending followed, with Nelson playing six goalies before settling on rookie Jacob Armstrong who didn't get a start in the playoffs.
The offence dried up, and losses followed. In December, after a three-game losing skid that saw Nelson score just four goals on 139 shots, the team fired head coach and general manager Briar McNaney and replaced him with then-assistant coach Mangone who had never previously served in the top job.
Partington praised Mangone for how he led the team after McNaney's departure.
“Props to G. He took over halfway through and he put in so much time, the hours doing video, the hours on the ice, just unbelievable job by him and the buy in by these guys.”
The on-ice results, however, remained the same. Nelson lost seven games in a row, then suffered another seven-game slid in January.
The Leafs finished the regular season with a losing record and their fewest points in 20 years. That was still good for third place in the Neil Murdoch Division, but also 23 points behind second-place Beaver Valley and 31 points back of the Grand Forks Border Bruins.
Changes are already underway to ensure next season is different.
In January, the team announced the hiring of Dale Hladun as its new general manager. Hladun, who has extensive experience in the KIJHL, will be tasked with overhauling a roster that had the 17th worst goal differential, the 19th worst power play and the 16th worst penalty kill in the league.
The team also hasn’t made a decision on who will be its head coach. Mangone’s record was poor while he was in charge, but he took over a struggling team and also had no regular assistants to help on the bench.
Nelson can run it back with Mangone, who has yet to have a full season as a head coach, or try to find someone more experienced.
Mangone described the season as a learning experience for himself, and expressed gratitude to the Leafs organization for the opportunity. He also credited his players for helping him along the way.
“It's a testament to them and how mature they are and how they handle themselves. It's not an easy situation to get put into. But again, super thankful. Learned a lot, really proud of how we came out and played every game and sad to see it end.”
