If the Nelson Junior Leafs are going to replace the offensive firepower of the departed Colton McCarthy, the team is going to have to spread the goal scoring around. If that’s the case, the team got off to a great start on Wednesday night in Spokane.
The Leafs received goals from five different players and battled from behind twice to earn a 5-3 road victory south of the border.
The Braves opened the scoring seven minutes into the game when Alex Peltram scored the period’s only goal on Nelson starter Cody Boeckman.
Less than five minutes into the middle stanza, Aaron Dunlap tied the score. Then five minutes after that Sean Collins gave the home side the 2-1 lead.
As the Leafs most often do, the speedy team poured on the offense from that point on, firing plenty of pucks on Spokane goaltender Matt Zenzola.
Jacob Boyczuk tied the score with less than five minutes left in the period and then Linden Horswill gave the Leafs the lead with just over a minute to play before the second intermission.
With captain Colton Schell in the penalty box to start the third period, it was actually the Leafs who managed to tally when speedster Carson Willans notched a shorthanded goal.
With seven minutes left in the game, the Braves made it interesting with a Brycen Fisher goal to make it 4-3.
Matt Macdonald added the insurance with just over a minute left to seal the victory.
The win is a boost to the Leafs who lost leading goal scorer McCarthy to the Western Hockey League. The 16-year-old was called up to the Moose Jaw Warriors for the remainder of the season. McCarthy was in the Warriors’ line-up on Wednesday in a 5-2 loss to Saskatoon.
The Leafs next game is tonight at the Nelson and District Community Complex against the Creston Valley Thunder. The puck drops at 7 p.m.