The Kootenay Midget Ice notched their first two wins of the BC Major Midget League season over the weekend in a pair of thrillers against the Thompson Blazers.
Playing at the Cominco Arena in Trail on Saturday and Sunday morning, the regional Midget AAA team edged the Kamloops-based Blazers 3-2 and 6-5 to pick up all four points on the weekend.
Early Saturday morning the Ice jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods on goals by Kyle Hope, Brandon Sookro and Justin Post. The Blazers fought back in the third period with two goals, but Nelson Minor Hockey grad Adam Maida stood tall between the pipes to preserve the team’s first win of the season.
Riding the wave of momentum, on Sunday morning the Ice jumped out to a quick lead when Sookro scored 30 seconds into the game. Austin Tambellini, Nolan Percival and Brendan Smith helped build the lead to 4-1 after the first 20 minutes.
Percival scored his third goal of the season in the second period, but the Blazers cut the lead to 5-3 going into the break.
In the third period, the last place Blazers were not going down without a fight and with three minutes left tied the score at 5-5. Then with one minute left in the game, Post scored to give the Ice their second win of the weekend.
Sookro had a goal and four assists in the Sunday game and leads the team in scoring so far this season.
The Ice currently sit ninth in the 12-team league with a 2-8-0 record.
The midgets return to the Cominco Arena this coming weekend for a two-game set against the South Island Royals. The Ice will play at the Nelson and District Community Complex on December 1 and 2 against the Valley West Hawks from the Lower Mainland.
The Ice have six Nelson Minor Hockey graduates in the line-up: Sookro, Tambellini, Maida, Percival, Sam Weber and Michael Viala. Post and Brendan Smith are also listed as Nelson residents.