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Leafs sweep weekend games to take first place atop KIJHL

Nelson also traded goalie Quinn Yeager to Grand Forks
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A weekend sweep on the road has given the Nelson Leafs a big lead atop their division.

The Leafs edged the Border Bruins 2-1 in Grand Forks on Friday before beating the Rebels 2-1 in Castlegar on Sunday.

The wins not only give the Leafs (16-3-2) a seven-point advantage over the Beaver Valley Nitehawks for first place in the Neil Murdoch Division, but they also mean Nelson has the best winning percentage in the KIJHL.

On Friday, Justin Podgorenko and Jaiden LaPorte each scored while Josh Williams made 25 saves.

Ross King took the loss for Grand Forks (10-11-1) despite being called on to make 57 saves. His offence failed him, with Dalton Luce’s goal being the only one for the home side.

Before the game the Leafs traded rookie goaltender Quinn Yeager to Grand Forks in exchange for a player to be named or future considerations. Yeager had a 3-2-1 record with the Leafs, along with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage.

On Sunday, the Leafs used two first-period power-play goals to down the Rebels (12-7-1).

Nicholas Wihak and Logan Wullum each scored for Nelson, and Williams returned to net but had to make just 14 saves for the Leafs’ fourth-straight win.

Edward Lindsey had Castlegar’s only goal, with Tanner Douglas stopping 30 shots.

Nelson returns to the road Friday against the Golden Rockets. The Leafs don’t play a home game until Nov. 25 against Castlegar.



tyler.harper@nelsonstar.com

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Tyler Harper

About the Author: Tyler Harper

I’m editor-reporter at the Nelson Star, where I’ve worked since 2015.
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