If the Nelson Junior Leafs are to have a successful post-season run, it will start with knocking off the Castlegar Rebels in the first round. This weekend the locals will get an opportunity to send a message to their Neil Murdoch rivals during a home-and-home starting tonight in Castlegar.
“It’s a playoff preview,” said Leafs sniper Patrick Martens. “We have to prepare like it’s the playoffs because we need to show them we are the better team. We need to scare them a bit this weekend.”
With only a few games left in the KIJHL regular season, the Rebels will finish second and the Leafs will finish third.
The regular season series between the two sides is all square. When the Rebels travel east for Saturday night’s game at the Nelson and District Community Complex it will likely be the game that settles that score.
“We can’t wait for them to make a move, we have to impose our will on them,” Leafs forward Brett Norman said about the strategy to beat the team that currently sits 14 points ahead of Nelson.
“It will be basically the same as the last time we played them. We have to be tight defensively and it’s going to be a battle. It always is against them.
Norman is looking forward to the weekend. “I love the intense games. The more intensity the better,” he said.
Saturday’s home game starts at 7 p.m. The Leafs also host Golden on Sunday at at 2 p.m.