Twenty-four hours after suffering their first regulation-time defeat, the North Okanagan Knights returned to their early-season winning ways in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
The Knights rebounded from a 5-2 road loss to the Sicamous Eagles Friday to defeat the visiting Nelson Leafs 5-3 Saturday at the Nor-Val Sports Centre.
North Okanagan spotted Nelson an early 2-0 first-period lead before defenceman Lee Christensen and forward Kevin-Thomas Walters scored for the home team to tie things up after 20 minutes.
Christensen added his second of the game in the middle frame, giving him a team-leading eight points on the year, while fellow blueliner Cole Haberlack also scored to give the Knights a 4-2 lead heading into the third period.
Nic Bolin’s unassisted goal was the Knights’ fifth in a row before Nelson rounded out the scoring late in the game.
Sean Kanervisto made 27 saves to pick up his third win of the year.
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The night before, Kanervisto made 33 stops while Sicamous counterpart Cole Steinke made 36 saves for the Eagles in a wide-open contest.
After a scoreless first period, the Eagles scored three straight goals before Tyler Jamieson, with his first KIJHL goal, and Cade Enns, with his second, pulled the Knights to within a goal heading into the final 20 minutes.
It was the Eagles, though, who did the scoring in the third with a pair of markers, handing North Okanagan (4-1-0-1) its first regulation-time loss.
The Knights are second in the Bill Ohlhausen Division, one point back of the league’s only undefeated team, the Kelowna Chiefs (5-0-0-0).
The Leafs (0-3-0-3) and the Osoyoos Coyotes (0-7-0-0) are the league’s only winless teams.
North Okanagan continues a four-game homestand when they host the Princeton Posse (2-1-0-1) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Nor-Val Sports Centre. The Knights will entertain Sicamous Friday and the Beaver Valley Nitehawks Saturday.
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