Carsyn Crawford knew what the play called for, played it perfectly, and was still surprised by the result.
The Nelson Leafs were in overtime at home to the Sicamous Eagles on Friday when the visitors took a tripping penalty. That gave Nelson a 4-on-3, and the Leafs drew up a play that played the puck to their defenceman Crawford for a shot.
Crawford took the pass, but was being blocked. Instead he drifted to his right, waited a moment longer than the Eagles expected, and fired a winning goal into the top corner.
“I kind of took one more step out wider to get an angle but I couldn’t see the net, to be honest,” he admitted after the game.
Crawford's goal lifted the Leafs to a 3-2 win over the Eagles as Nelson continues to stay hot in the early season. Nelson (8-2-0) has the second-best record in the KIJHL, and is only one point back of league-leading Princeton.
Leafs head coach Briar McNaney gave Crawford his due for finishing a play exactly as it was scripted.
“That's a kid who listens to all the details, and he got rewarded for executing the system. Tip of the cap to him.”
Cale Nachai and Connor Hovelkamp also scored for the Leafs, while goaltender Ryder Gregga finished with 24 saves.
Josh Missfeldt and Hayden Evans replied for the Eagles (4-2-3), with Zach Veninsky stopping 30 shots.
Nelson opened the scoring on a slick shot by Nachai. The Leafs prevented an Eagles breakout at the red line and Nachai retook the zone. He was on a 2-on-1 but elected to whip a wrist shot from near the top of the faceoff circle for his first goal as a Leaf.
Gregga also made an early impression in his first home game. Shortly after Nachai's goal, Gregga stopped an Eagles breakaway followed by a dangerous rebound.
Nelson had two players in the penalty box for over a minute, but the Leafs blocked two shots and held on to emerge unscathed.
The second period began with a shaky moment for the Leafs. A teammate collided with Gregga, who had difficulty getting back up. He stayed in the game after being visited by the trainer and later in the period made a terrific save that denied what would have been a short-handed goal.
Last season Gregga helped lead the Kerry Park Islanders to an appearance in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey final, but was without a team after the league went independent. He was signed as a free agent by the Leafs earlier this month, and McNaney said he showed off some mental strength by staying in Friday's game after the collision.
“We have a good saying around here: ‘Are you hurt? Are you injured? Are you tired? Are you fatigued?’ And there's a difference. He said he was hurting. … I think his brain took over his body the rest of the game there, and obviously he produced a win for us.”
Nelson added to its lead during a 4-on-4. Hovelkamp took possession in his own zone and on the breakaway had all the time he needed to beat Veninsky’s left pad.
The Leafs were forced to defend another 5-on-3 in the final minute of the period. Crawford was assessed a cross-checking penalty and Nelson was also handed a bench minor after McNaney argued with the officials about missing at least one penalty that should have been called on Sicamous.
The Eagles had to wait until the third period to cash in. Missfeldt’s slapshot beat Gregga with one second left on the power play.
McNaney fell on the sword for his part in the goal and said he'd apologize to the team for the bench minor.
“I do feel like I'm a guy who usually keeps his composure, and tonight I definitely went over the line.”
Penalties continued to cost the Leafs. Shortly after Missfeldt’s goal, Leafs forward Kieran Christianson was called for high sticking. Evans wasted little time on the power play with a goal that tied the game at two.
Crawford agreed the Leafs needed to be more disciplined.
“We just have to stick to our systems and do the small things that we know how to do. Play our game and that’s how we were successful.”
Sicamous was inches from taking the lead after Ashton Gallagher’s shot beat Gregga but deflected off the crossbar.
Nelson’s Talin McLeod looked as though he was trying to pick a fight when he started a shift with five minutes left. He got away with what could have been a hooking call, was inches away from a high-sticking penalty, and moments later went hard into the boards and earned himself an ill-advised roughing penalty.
But the Eagles couldn’t capitalize, and neither could the Leafs who earned their own power play with 1:42 left before regulation ended
Leaflets: It's another three-games-in-three-days run for Nelson. The Leafs visit the Beaver Valley Nitehawks on Saturday before returning hosting the Revelstoke Grizzlies on Sunday.
