The Nelson Leafs are atop the division to start the early KIJHL season.
Nelson beat the Golden Rockets 4-1, fell 6-2 to the Columbia Valley Rockies then capped a three-games-in-three-days road trip with a 7-2 win against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.
Sebastien Conne-Correnti, a Nelson native, scored his first KIJHL goal Friday in the win at Golden. Kane Kennedy, Rylan Konecsni and Caden Still also scored while goaltender Ryan Hicks made 30 saves.
Kanye Huang had the lone goal for Golden (0-2-1), with netminder Riley Deck stopping 31 shots.
Nelson had a tougher time one night later in Invermere.
The Rockies scored four unanswered goals in the first period and never looked back. Trae Lees, Jaxon Sperling, Ashton Sledz, Teo Fath, Ethan Cerone and Owen Ditzel each scored for Columbia Valley (4-0-0), with Jaiden Jakubowski stopping 37 shots.
Hicks let in four goals on 12 shots in the first 13 minutes of regulation for the Leafs. He was replaced by Devin Degenstein, who responded with 37 saves. Kieran Christianson and Kennedy meanwhile had Nelson's only goals.
The Leafs rebounded Sunday in Creston.
Christianson had a four-point game with a goal and three assists, while Degenstein got the start and finished with 32 saves.
Quinn Ramsay, Leighton Partington, Tyson Ziegler, Trey Schofield and Conne-Correnti also scored for Nelson.
Nelson chased Thunder Cats goaltender Brendan Smith with four goals on 12 shots. He was replaced by Jacob Burnside who had 23 saves. Liam Munro and Sanjay Chalupiak had a single each for Creston Valley (1-4-0).
The Leafs (4-1-0) lead the KIJHL in goals for with 23. Nelson next hosts a rematch against Columbia Valley on Saturday.
