The success of the regular season has carried into the playoffs for the Castlegar Rebels, but not without a few heart-stopping moments.
Fresh off a weekend split against Beaver Valley that wound down the 2010-11 regular season, the Rebels stormed into the KIJHL playoffs Monday night, posting a 5-1 home-ice victory over the Spokane Braves on the strength of a three-point night from Stuart Walton.
His line with Anthony DeLong and Tyler Robinson was deadly in Game 1, scoring four of the five Castlegar goals, while captain Taylor Anderson added a single.
“Robbie [Robinson] is great in the corners, throws a lot of checks, DeLong really likes to shoot the puck and I just pass it around,” Walton said, “I thought we had a good game.”
Alex Ross made 28 saves for his first KIJHL playoff victory Monday night.
And despite the Rebels’ depth, it was an affiliate call-up who played the role of hero Tuesday night.
Jesse Knowler scored two-and-a-half minutes into overtime to give the Castlegar Rebels a 7-6 victory, and 2-0 best-of-seven series lead over the Spokane Braves.
Knowler, who skates with the Kootenay Ice of the BC Major Midget League, snapped a shot past the blocker of Braves goaltender Garrett Barr to give Castlegar the victory.
“I think that was the biggest one I’ve ever scored,” Knowler said.
“I just shot, looking for a rebound, and it went in.”
Sniper Ryan Aynsley scored a hat-trick for Castlegar in Game 2, while Diego Bartlett, Spencer Brodt, and Erik Wentzel also tallied for the Rebels.
After blowing 3-0 and 4-2 leads to the pesky Braves, Castlegar thought they had the game won when Wentzel converted on the power-play with 1:47 remaining in the third period.
But Spokane’s Uriah Machuga, who spent part of the fall with the BCHL’s Trail Smoke Eaters, sent the game into overtime with just 20 seconds left.
“They’re like last year, they never give up,” Aynsley said after the dramatic win.
The series now shifts to Spokane for Games 3 and 4 tomorrow night and Friday.
If necessary, a Game 5 would be Sunday evening in Castlegar at 5 p.m.