Brett Soles stopped 21 shots to earn the shutout and the Nelson Junior Leafs scored three third period goals Friday night to beat the Castlegar Rebels 3-0.
The former major midget goaltender stood tall in a goaltenders battle between himself and Rebels starter Connor Beauchamp that saw neither allow a goal for the first 40 minutes at the Nelson and District Community Complex.
Three minutes into the final period, Leafs rookie Colton McCarthy capitalized on the powerplay and scored his 10th goal of the season to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Two minutes later Matthew Naka increased the lead when he beat Beauchamp.
With the Rebels pressing for a miracle and Beauchamp pulled from the Castlegar net, Jacob Boyczuk sealed the win with an empty-net shorthanded goal.
The two teams lock horns again tonight in Castlegar.
