The Nelson Leafs have swept the Spokane Braves and will play the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in the next round of the KIJHL playoffs.
Tenzin Mint made 28 saves for the shutout as the Leafs beat the Braves 3-0 in Spokane on Tuesday to take the series in four games.
Tyler Pisiak, Tyler Badger and Reid Wilson each scored for Nelson, which forced Spokane goaltender Austin Madge to make 36 saves.
Nelson will next face the Nitehawks in the Neil Murdoch Division finals. Beaver Valley advanced with a four-game sweep of the Castlegar Rebels.
The Nitehawks won the division in the regular season by two points ahead of the Leafs. Nelson, however, won five of six meetings between the teams during the campaign.
Recent playoff history favours the Nitehawks. Beaver Valley has won seven straight series against the Leafs dating back to 2009-10, when the Leafs beat the Nitehawks during their run to the league championship finals.
