The North Okanagan Knights scored the first goal, but it was all downhill after that.
The Knights suffered their fifth straight Kootenay International Junior Hockey League loss as they fell 5-1 to the first-place Nelson Leafs Friday night at Nor-Val Sports Centre.
As has been the case in each of North Okanagan’s last three games, they got off to a terrific start. This time it was Mat Lambert potting his seventh goal, on the powerplay, to open the scoring for the 7-6-0-1 Knights.
It remained that way until the second period when the 11-0-1-1 Leafs responded with three unanswered snipes by Bryce Nielson (1st), Brandon Sookro (5th) and Travis Wellman (20th, shorthanded).
“We just have a momentary lapse,” said Knights’ head coach Shawn Webb. “You could just feel our bench do the ‘Oh no.’
“Losing can become a habit. That’s always been our fear when we started to slip on these games.
“We’re not fighting through it. We’re accepting it. The only thing that’s going to change this is us.”
Wellman (21st) and Darnell St. Pierre (2nd) completed the offence in the third period.
The Knights entertained the 100 Mile House Wranglers (6-7-0-2) Saturday at Nor-Val.
Webb was without forward Blaine Caton (Vernon Vipers) and Logan Mostat and Paul Biegel (Salmon Arm SilverBacks), who were called up for BCHL duty that night.
He called up Jagger Williamson and Cole Woodliffe from the Vernon Midget Tier 1 Vipers.
