The Beaver Valley Nitehawks split a pair of road games against the Kootenay Conference opponents on the weekend beating the Golden Rockets Friday 6-1 before falling 5-2 to the Columbia Valley Rockies (CVR) on Saturday.
The Nitehawks’ five game winning streak came to an abrupt halt on Saturday in Invermere, as the Rockies built a 3-1 second period lead and skated away with the 5-2 win.
Doan Smith’s second goal of the game and ninth of the season with two minutes and 56 seconds to play in the middle frame proved to be the winner, as Smith fired home a Ryan St. Jean pass to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead.
The win brings the 24-18-0-0 Rockies within four points of third place Fernie in the Eddie Mountain division standings, while the loss for the Hawks keeps them eight points ahead of Castlegar for first place in the Neil Murdoch division, with the Rebels having two games in hand.
Tyler Ghiradosi opened the scoring for B.V. at 15:22 of the first period, finishing a set up from Jace Weegar and Braden Fuller for his 15th goal of the season. However, the Rockies replied. After Ghiradosi was sent off for elbowing, Doan Smith beat Hawks goalie Brett Clark to make it 1-1 at 5:31.
Donoven Quintin then gave CVR the lead for good firing in a St. Jean pass at 4:07 to end the period with the Rockies outshooting Beaver Valley 14-12.
Smith’s was the lone goal in the second period despite the Nitehawks firing 15 shots at Rockies’ goalie Connor McKay.
Harrison Davies made it 4-1 CVR with 8:16 to play in the third, and Michael Pruss drew the Hawks within two with a power play goal with 4:29 to play in regulation, but an empty-netter from Quinn Sobus iced for the Rockies.
CVR’s leading scorer Michael Cardinal had three assists on the night to give him 37 on the season and 58 points to put him in a tie for third in league scoring.
On Friday, three-point nights from Devin Nemes and Allan Pruss launched the Hawks to a 6-1 victory over the Golden Rockets. Goals from Nemes and Kyle Hope made it 2-0 B.V. Heading into the second period, where Golden’s Stephen Gaughran got one back to make it 2-1, just 46 seconds in. But goals from Michael Pruss, Dylan Heppler, and Allan Pruss put the game out of reach heading into the third, where McKoy Hauk scored into an inexplicably empty net with 45 seconds to play.
The Hawks outshot Golden 42-21 with Tallon Kramer earning his eighth win of the season.
Beaver Valley return home this weekend for games against the Creston Valley Thundercats on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday they host the surging 19-20-0-4 Grand Forks Border Bruins that currently hold down third place in the Murdoch division standings.
