Rebels surge into Murdoch Division penthouse
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Thanks in part to a two-out-of-three win weekend, the Castlegar Rebels surged atop the Neil Murdoch Division as the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League completed its first month of the season.
The Rebels looked like world-beaters during the two wins, scoring a total of 15 goals against Grand Forks and Spokane.
However, it was the offence that dried up against visiting North Okanagan Knights Saturday at the Community Complex Arena in Castlegar as the Rebels lost 4-1.
Still Castlegar holds down a two-point lead over defending KIJHL champion Beaver Valley Nitehawks in Murdoch standings. Castlegar has played two more games.
The Nitehawks gained a split against the Nelson Leafs, with each team winning on home ice.
Beaver Valley took advantage of penalty problems by the visitors to skate to an 8-2 win Friday in Fruitvale.
Saturday night hockey took a back seat in a 5-2 victory by Nelson after a scary scene at the NDCC Arena when Brandon Butlin was taken off the ice on a stretcher following a hit near the Leaf bench.
Nelson is in third spot in the division, three points behind Castlegar with Spokane sitting in fourth, four points in back of the Rebels.
After splitting on opening weekend, Grand Forks has lost five straight to hold down the cellar in the division.
Rebels take two of three
Castlegar used special teams against the Bruins Thursday, skating to a 6-3 win.
The Rebels scored twice on the power play and three times shorthanded to double the Bruins.
Six different Rebels scored in the game — Tanner Johnson, Riley Ostoforoff, Braydon Horcoff, Jamie Vlanich, Aaron Petten and Stuart Walton.
After losing Friday to North Okanagan 4-1, Castlegar rang up nine and 47 shots on the Braves Sunday in the Lilac City — with four of the markers coming on the power play.
Kootenay Ice grad Darren Medeiros and Dylan Sibbald each scored twice for Castlegar with singles going to Johnson, Walton, Alex Dartnall, Brenden Heinrich and Diego Bartlett.
Walton finished with three points.
Hockey all but forgotten in Nelson
Hockey took a back seat with just over three minutes remaining in Saturday’s game at the NDCC Arena.
That’s when a collision near boards by the Leafs bench sent 17-year-old Brandon Butlin into convulsions, forcing the Nitehawks forward to be taken to local hospital by ambulance and the game to be halted with 2:45 remaining in the third period.
Butlin was held overnight at Kootenay Lake Hospital before returning home Sunday with a concussion.
Back on the ice, Linden Horswill scored twice and Colton McCarthy scored his seventh goal in six games to lead the Leafs to the bounce-back win. James Sorrey and Colton Schell also scored for Nelson.
Butlin and Ryan Edwards replied for the Hawks.
Friday in Fruitvale, Taylor Stafford scored three times and Edwards added three assists to spark the Hawks attack.
Arie Postmus, Brad Gaboury, Kurt Black, Luke Jones and Connor Brown-Maloski also scored.
McCarthy and Greg Nickel replied for the Leafs.
Bruins winless streak hits six games
After splitting its opening weekend against the defending KIJHL champs, Grand Forks has lost six straight, including a three-game sweep last weekend.
Castlegar doubled the Bruins 6-3 Thursday before Spokane blasted the Bruins 9-3 Friday.
North Okanagan made it three straight home losses Sunday by stopping Grand Forks 6-1.
Kublai Barlas and rookie Connor Gross lead the Bruins in scoring, each with three goals.
Tyler Wagner has scored twice in eight games for the Bruins.
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