Silvertips sweep Kootenay Ice on Vancouver Island as BCMMHL opens new season
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Chase Lang, Hobin Zinck and Garrett Dunlop each scored twice as the North Island Silvertips rocked the Kootenay Ice 10-3 Sunday in B.C. Major Midget Hockey League action in Nanaimo.
The win, coming on the heels of a 3-1 decision by North Island over Kootenay Saturday, gave the Silvertips a sweep of the BCMMHL series.
“We played cautiously in Game one and we were focused on Team defense,” Ice head coach Mario DiBella told The Nelson Daily Monday.
“Kimberley Newell was fantastic in goal and our newest commitment Brandon Sookro played very well (scoring our lone goal Saturday).”
“Sunday we did not show up for the first period, and we were unable to dig ourselves out of the hole we created,” DiBella added.
Newell is only the second female in BCMMHL history to play in the league.
Lang and Zinck, scored in the first period of Sunday’s game, giving North Island an early 2-0 lead.
Jake Lucchini of Trail with his first of two goals of the game to cut the lead to 2-1.
But Davis Osborne and Dunlop scored before the end of the period to put the home side up 4-1.
North Island added a couple of goals in the second before putting the game away with a four-spot in the third.
Quinn Klimchuk of Castlegar scored the final tally for Kootenay.
Saturday, a second period goal by Dunlop past Kimberley Newell in the Ice nets proved to be the winner as North Island skated away with a 3-1 decision.
Nelson’s Sookro scored the lone goal for Kootenay to give the Ice a brief 1-0 lead.
“Our PP (power play) scored three times so I was pleased with the work we are doing there,” DiBella explained, assessing the first weekend for Kootenay on the long BCMMHL season.
“Our inability to make a solid breakout pass from our backend along with the inexperience of the majority of the first years in playing at this level provides a steep learning curve for the team.”
Kootenay is idle this week in BCMMHL play.
The Ice plays its home opener Saturday October 8 at the NDCC Arena in Nelson against the Okanagan Rockets.
Game time Saturday is 6:30 p.m.
Sunday the teams meet again with puck drop at 9:15 a.m.
sports@thenelsondaily.com
