Defence can be overlooked in hockey, especially in a game where the winning team scores six goals.
So tip your hat then to Bhavin Serown and the rest of the Nelson Leafs’ blueliners, who on Friday put in one of their best performances of the season while allowing the offence to run wild in a 6-1 victory over the Castlegar Rebels.
Serown probably deserves to have one save marked beside his name on the scoresheet. In the first period, a giveaway led to Castlegar taking the zone and firing a shot that had Leafs goalie Karl Soneff out of position for the initial save.
A Rebels player went behind the net for what looked like a slam dunk wraparound that had a couple players prematurely celebrating. But Serown slid into the post at the last second to keep the puck out in a highlight defensive play that earned him a hug from Soneff.
“I thought Karl had the puck, and then I saw their guy coming around the back of the net and I was like, oh, I gotta get there,” said Serown. “So I just threw my body in front of it and it just hit something and it didn’t go in.”
If that puck goes in, Castlegar takes a 2-1 lead into the second period. Instead it stayed a tie game and Nelson never looked back, scoring the next five goals unanswered.
Crae Dawson, who also put on a show with a five-point game, said Serown’s play was a good example of how hard the defence has been working.
“It just goes to show sometimes you miss all those little things, but there’s more than just offence that’s been working. That’s one of the plays that shows it behind the scenes.”
Quinn Ramsay scored twice and Kane Kennedy, Seamus Boyd, Kieran Christianson, and Dawson added singles for the Leafs (17-15-2), who won their third straight game. Soneff meanwhile finished with 23 saves.
Evan Calder had the lone goal for the Rebels (18-14-3), with Ethan Lawczynski stopping 30 shots.
On a night where the team honoured their billet families and visiting parents, everything appeared to work for the Leafs. Their special teams killed off all six Castlegar power plays, and the Leafs also went 3-for-4 with the man advantage.
The offence meanwhile kept constant pressure on Lawczynski, and having bodies in the front of the net led to a variety of goals by deflection, tap-in or open nets.
“We played awesome,” said Serown. “Since I’ve been here, I think that’s probably one of the best games we’ve played as a team, which was unreal.”
The game started 4-on-4 and with some on-ice confusion as both teams were penalized before the puck even dropped.
Soneff was served an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for forgetting to wear a neck guard during warmups, while the Rebels earned a team penalty for delay of game after they came out onto the ice before the refs.
Castlegar took a 1-0 lead by capitalizing on a 2-on-1. Calder waited out a sliding Leafs defender who took away the passing lane before the Rebels forward whipped a shot that beat Soneff short side.
Kennedy put Nelson on the scoreboard late in the first. The Leafs were on a power play when Dawson’s point shot was deflected by Kennedy past a screened Lawczynski.
Boyd gave the Leafs their first lead of the game shortly into the second period. A power-play shot by Carsyn Crawford took a bounce and dropped perfectly for Boyd, who was in front of the net for a tap-in.
Quick work led to Nelson’s third goal. A pass from the neutral zone led to another slick dish from Dawson to Christianson who was waiting in front of the net for the score.
“I feel like we’ve been generating a lot of chances, and I think we’re continuing to do that,” said Dawson. “But we’re really focusing in practice on making sure every one of those chances count. I think it’s gone a long way, and that’s why we’ve been lucky to get a couple more goals than we have.”
Nelson got lucky with a fluky bounce before the intermission. A shot appeared to knuckle-puck against two players before it hit Lawczynski’s shoulder and went in for a 4-1 lead. Ramsay, one of the players who the puck caromed off, was credited with the goal.
Soneff got a rise out of the crowd in the first minute of the third period. A Rebels player appeared to have an open net to shoot at, but Soneff stacked his pads and slid across the net to make the save.
The rout was on shortly after. A battle in the corner was won by the Leafs and led to a cross-ice pass by Xaiden Bignell to a wide-open Dawson for the 5-1 advantage.
Leafs head coach Briar McNaney said the team has asked Dawson to play at multiple positions while it runs 11 forwards and seven defenceman, and he’s delivered.
“A lot of time and a lot of detailed work. And honestly, it all starts on the bench for him because he’s so engaged for the entire 60 minutes. The kid doesn’t take a second off.”
Nelson held off Castlegar during a 5-on-3, then promptly killed off another penalty before capping the win with one last goal.
The Leafs were on a power play and had numbers during a rush that ended with Ramsay tapping in the puck.
Leaflets: Defenceman Trey Schofield played forward for the last 10 minutes of the game as the team tried to help him get his first goal of the season. He deserved one for the obvious effort he put in during those shifts. … Nelson next plays the Columbia Valley Rockies on Saturday and the Chase Heat in a Sunday matinee.