Bruins beat Beaver Valley in OT, Friday
By Gerry Foster
The Grand Forks Border Bruins scored 42 seconds into the first overtime period to defeat the Beaver Valley Nitehawks 6-5 at home Friday evening. The Hawks are the reigning KIJHL champions who went on a roll last year by also winning the Cyclone Taylor Cup, emblematic of BC Junior B hockey supremacy, and then proceeded to dominate teams from Western Canada and Northern Ontario while claiming the Keystone Cup.
The largest crowd of the season was treated to a back and forth contest with the lead changing hands no less than five times. It looked like the Bruins were going to hang on for the win but the Nitehawks knotted the score at five on a late power play goal from Andrew Miller with just 2:26 remaining in regulation.
Max Newton was the hero for the locals as he notched his second marker of the game, set up by Lincoln Lane, to give Grand Forks their fourth win of the season. Newton is currently tied for the KIJHL scoring lead with Rainer Glimpel of Osoyoos; both players have 6 goals and 10 assists.
Michael Rand also scored a pair for the Bears. It was undoubtedly Rand’s best game of the season. In addition to his two goals he was very effective killing penalties and was flying all night. The Langley BC native was a 19 goal scorer last season for Grand Forks. Matt Lucero, with his sixth tally of the young season, and Coleton Dawson scored the other goals for the winners. Defenceman Steele Anderson chipped in with two assists. Mitch Foyle led Beaver Valley with a pair of goals; Kyle Hope and Jace Weegar joined Miller with the other scores for the visitors.
Only six minor penalties were called in the game which was played at a high tempo throughout. Jeremy McGregor was back patrolling the blue line for the Border Bruins after being sidelined for 7 games with a shoulder injury.
The next home games for the Bruins take place on the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend when Creston Valley Thundercats (Saturday at 7:00) and Revelstoke Grizzlies (Sunday at 2:00) visit Grand Forks.
