Medeiros, Lucchini power Kootenay Ice past South Island Thunderbirds in BCMMHL action at the NDCC Arena
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Kootenay Ice bounced back from a previous night collapse to double the South Island Thunderbirds 4-2 in B.C. Hockey Major Midget League action Sunday at the NDCC Arena.
Justin Post of Nelson, Castlegar’s Darren Medeiros and Jake Lucchini of Trail scored in the third period to lift the Ice to its first win of the season against South Island.
Kootenay, which lost two earlier games against the Thunderbirds on Vancouver Island, coughed up a 3-0 lead Saturday to draw with South Island 3-3.
Sunday, it almost appeared as if the Ice would fall once again to South Island.
The visitors, trailing 1-0 in the first period, scored twice in the first and third periods to lead 2-1.
But led by team captain Jake Lucchini, who finished the game with three points, the Ice rallied to score the win.
Darren Medeiros opened the scoring on the power play as he tipped in a point shot from Will Lightfoot.
Kootenay finished the game with three special teams goals.
Saturday, the Ice looked like the better team, except for the final stretch.
Leading 3-0 entering the third period Nelson’s Brandon Sookro, Mitch Foyle of Frutivale and Lucchini Kootenay struggled allowing South Island to take over the game as the Thunderbirds scored twice on the power play.
Despite the struggle, Kootenay had a chance to put the game away but could not convert into the empty net as South Island pulled its goalie for an extra attacker.
Dodging the bullet, South Island scored with 51 seconds Cole Glover beat Kimberley Newell in the Ice nets for the tying marker.
The three points moves Kootenay into a tie for the final spot in BCMMHL standing, each team with 12 points.
The Ice, 3-3-2 since the Christmas break, travels to Coquitlam this weekend for a two-game set against Vancouver Northeast Chiefs.
ICE CHIPS: Nelson’s Cole Arcuri, who joined the Ice after spending the first half of the season with the Okanagan Hockey Association in Penticton, busted a skate blade and missed most of the first period Sunday before getting help for Nelson Leafs coach Frank Maida. The Leaf skipper loaned Arcuri a pair of skates from the Leafs. . . . Jake Lucchini finished the weekend with four points and now leads the team in points with 43 on 19 goals and 23 assists. Lucchini is ninth in BCMMHL scoring.
Comments