Lucchini sparks Kootenay to first win of BCMMHL season by scoring twice, Rockets rebound in game two
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Jake Lucchini of Trail scored with three-minutes-plus remaining in the third period, snapping a 4-4 tie and lifting the Kootenay Ice to its first win of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League season, a 5-4 decision over Okanagan Rockets, Saturday at the NDCC Arena.
Unfortunately, the Ice could not duplicate the magic Sunday in the rubber match losing 7-0 to the Rockets.
Saturday, the Ice held period leads of 2-0 and 4-3 before Okanagan captain Josh Ellis tied the game beating Kootenay netminder Kimberley Newell four minutes into the final period.
However, with time running out Lucchini snapped home his second of the game to power the Ice to its first win of the season.
Nelson’s Brandon Sookro also scored twice for Kootenay with Riley Brant of Trail adding a single.
Justin Marreck scored twice and Harlan Orr had a single for Okanagan.
Sunday, Ellis scored the first goal of the game for the Rockets 58 seconds into the game — sliding a shot past Newell from the corner — and everything went south after that for Kootenay.
Newell, orginally from Vancouver but moved to Nelson during the off season, played both games between the pipes for Kootenay after goalie teammate Brett Soles was sick for most of the week.
The Ice ran into a red-hot goalie in the form of Harrison Whitlock, who slammed the door on the Kootenay shooters.
Whitlock was especially tough in the first period as Kootenay twice breakaways but were unable to beat Whitlock.
Mitchell Cook, with a pair, Marreck, Mackenzie Fernie, Parker Bowles and Drayden Larsen also scored for the Rockets, improving to 3-3-0 on the season.
Meanwhile, the Ice fell to 1-3 to remain last in the BCMMHL standings. Kootenay opened the season losing twice to the North Island Silvertips from Nanaimo.
However, Kootenay is only four points out of sixth spot in the 11-team league.
ICE CHIPS: Kootenay netminder Kimberley Newell accepted a hockey scholarship offer to Princeton University following a tour of some Ivy League schools. Newell, celebrating her 16th birthday last week and currently attending L.V. Rogers in Nelson, plans to graduate early from high school and head to the New Jersey-based university in the fall to begin studies in a degree in economics. . . . Seth Schmidt of Creston had two assists during Saturday’s win. . . .Jake Lucchini of Trail leads the Ice in scoring with four goals for five points. Brandon Sookro of Nelson is second with three markers. Schmidt also has three assists for Kootenay.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
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