The Nelson Junior Leafs dug themselves a four-goal hole they couldn't recover from on the way to their third straight KIJHL loss Saturday night against the Castlegar Rebels.
The Leafs actually drew first blood when Cameron Dobransky tallied on the powerplay two minutes into the game held on the Castlegar Complex ice. But after that it was all Rebels as they fired 17 first period shots on Leafs starter Andrew Walton.
Scott Morisseau got Castlegar on the board first with a powerplay marker of his own just under seven minutes into the period. Brenden Heinrcih then gave the Rebels a lead with three minutes left and snipped again with only 11 seconds remaining in the period to give his team the 3-1 lead.
The Rebels kept the pressure on in the second period with 20 shots on Walton, including two that gave Castlegar a 5-1 lead by midway through the frame.
Nelson's Nik Newman cut into the lead on the powerplay with 27 seconds left in the second.
Though they were once again outshot in the final period, the Leafs did manage to win the final 20 minutes 2-1 on goals by Matti Jmaeff and J.J. Beitel. But it wasn't enough as the Leafs dropped the contest 6-4.
The Leafs next action is this afternoon against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in Fruitvale.