The Nelson U13 Boys Selects earned the right to represent the Kootenay Columbia at the Provincial B Cup by winning a dramatic shoot-out against Kootenay South in the provincial playdowns held in Castlegar this past weekend.
The three-team round robin games started with Nelson up against Kootenay South. The tightly contested affair was scoreless at halftime.
In the second half, Nelson’s Guus Lammers took a free kick from the halfway line that Quinn Dawson ran on to, beating the defenders and fooling the goalkeeper with a clinical finish. However, Kootenay South came back ten minutes later with a goal on a breakaway to tie the game up.
Neither team could find the breakthrough winner in the final 15 minutes and the hard, physical contest ended up tied 1-1.
The second game was against an undermanned Kootenay East squad.
Nelson jumped on their opponents early with Bryce Twible scoring less than a minute into the game. A few minutes before halftime, Nigel Ziegler scored from just inside the penalty area to extend the lead to 2-0.
Knowing that goal differential would likely decide the playdown winners, Nelson came out strong in the second half and were rewarded when Ziegler struck again less than 10 minutes into the half. Dawson then added his second of the day and with time winding down in the game, Nelson was awarded a penalty kick when Darian Johnson was pulled down in the penalty area. Oscar Seagram calmly stroked the ball into the corner of the net to give Nelson a 5-0 victory.
However, the boys would need to await the outcome of the final game between their two opponents to see who would represent the Kootenays.
In a day when Kootenay South and Nelson matched each other evenly, it came as no surprise that Kootenay South defeated Kootenay East by an identical 5-0 score.
This meant the winner for the region would be decided by penalty kicks.
In a tension-filled atmosphere, the two teams traded attempts. After the first four shots for each team, it was 2-2 with Seagram and Twible scoring for Nelson. For the fifth penalty shot, Ziegler made no mistake drilling a hard shot into the corner of the net.
The hero for Kootenay South in the opening game stepped up, but Nelson keeper Parker Shaw-Lintz dove to his right to keep the ball out and the celebrations started for the Nelson boys team.
“It certainly was a dramatic victory,” said a relieved coach Paul Dawson. “Kootenay South is a strong, well coached side, and in fairness, they would also have represented the Kootenays well had they won. Penalty kicks are a little like a coin toss, and we came out on the lucky side today.
“Nigel was very confident and wanted to go fifth, and our goaltender Parker showed nerves of steel, not just in the penalties, but the entire day. I was impressed by the way some of our newer players, such as Stryder Scott and Juna Williams were so solid defensively, and by the leadership shown by some of our experienced rep players.
“Qualifying for the provincial championships in Powell River (in July) is a remarkable achievement and will undoubtedly prove to be a great experience for this group of boys.”