The North Okanagan Knights lost a goaltending battle to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in a game that ended in a shootout Friday night, Jan. 20.
Nitehawks goalie Nathan Presley stopped 27 of 28 shots and all three shooters in the shootout to secure the win.
Meanwhile, Knights goalie Austin Seibel also had a stellar stat sheet, as he stopped 47 of 48 shots he faced.
Despite the loss, the Knights were disciplined on the night as they gave up zero powerplay opportunities to the Nitehawks. The Knights went 0-2 on the powerplay.
Nitehawks forward Ollie Clement got the scoring started 6:38 into the first period with a goal — his ninth of the season — that was assisted by Timothy Jozsa and Beau Manegre.
It took until the 13:06 mark of the second period for the Knights to answer back. Kevin-Thomas Walters scored his team-leading 19th goal of the season, assisted by Adam Bourgeois to time the game at one goal apiece.
There was no scoring in the third period; ditto for overtime.
In the shootout, Tag Bryson, Walters and Carson Devine were all stopped by Presley. Tyson Tokarz was the only Nitehawks shooter to score, but it was enough to secure the win.
The Nitehawks moved into a tie for second place in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Neil Murdoch division with the Nelson Leafs. Both teams have 41 points on the season, but the Nitehawks have the edge because they’ve played two fewer games.
Meanwhile the Knights, who have clinched a playoff spot, sit third in the Bill Ohlhausen division with 37 points in 36 games.
The Knights are back in action tonight (Jan. 21) against the Nelson Leafs at 7 p.m. The Nitehawks play Sunday against the Fernie Ghostriders for a matinée game at 3 p.m.
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