Chris Stedile
Castlegar News
After winning two of their three games this past weekend, the Castlegar Rebels face off against Spokane for the first round of playoffs. Games one and two will be played against the Braves at the Castlegar Complex on Friday and Saturday.
To begin their final three games of the season, the Rebels took a short trip to engage the Beaver Valley Nitehawks yet again. Unfortunately, another loss was in store for the Rebels this time as well.
B.V. was well on their way before the first period ended, scoring three consecutive goals. Rebels’ Darren Medeiros managed to bang one past the goaltender before the whistle though, ending the first 3-1.
The second period wasn’t any kinder to the Rebels as they couldn’t get anything going and ended up being out-shot 17-9 and allowing another two goals.
The third period came and went just as quickly, with Castlegar’s Mike Bhatoa scoring one goal. The final score was 5-2.
Valentine’s Day showed a little love to the Rebels as the following night they defeat ed B.V. for the first time since September. In a tug-of-war game the home team came away with a 6-4 victory.
The opening period ended with a score of 1-1. Goals came from Hawks’ Kadrian Klimchuk and Rebels’ Ed Lindsey.
The next two periods were one-sided to say the least. The Rebels scored four unanswered goals, first from Konnor Madsen, then Ryan Rosich, Carson Wornig and back to Madsen.
The third was in B.V.’s favour but their effort wasn’t enough. Outshooting and outscoring the Rebels 3-1 in the final period only brought the final tally to 6-4, giving Castlegar the W.
The third and final game played out in Nelson against the Leafs. An inability to create and capitalize on opportunities resulted in the Rebels taking the game 4-1.
Though Nelson had a number of solid shots, Rebels goalie Austin Wells consistently foiled them.
The Rebels begin their best of seven against the Spokane Braves on Friday.
REBEL RUMBLINGS: Castlegar finished the season with a record of 30-17-1-4, good for 65 points, a .625 winning percentage, and second in the Murdoch division, ten points behind Beaver Valley … Yannis Soukas led the Rebels with 31 assists and 43 points, which left him 43rd overall in the KIJHL scoring race. Aaron Petten was Castlegar’s top sniper with 22 goals … The other first-round Neil Murdoch division series will see Nelson play Beaver Valley … Osoyoos won the league title with 87 points and an .837 winning percentage. Fernie was second with 78 points and Beaver Valley was third with 75 … Kimberley enters the playoffs as the league’s hottest team, winners of ten straight.