Nelson's Sawyer Hunt sparks Kimberley past Beaver Valley in Kootenay Conference Finals
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Sawyer Hunt’s goal with 32 seconds left in the game sparked the Kimberley Dynamiters to a 4-3 victory over the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in Kootenay International Junior Hockey League Kootenay Conference Playoff action Friday in Fruitvale.
The goal gives the defending KIJHL Champs a 3-0 stranglehold on the best-of-seven Conference Final Series.
Game four is Saturday at the Hawks Nest in Fruitvale.
Beaver Valley, leading for most of the game, squandered leads of 2-0 and 3-2.
The latter lead coming when Sam Swanson scored what appeared to be the winning marker with six plus minutes remaining in the third period.
However, Tyler Van Steinburg scored the tying goal with three minutes remaining in the third period setting the stage for Hunt, a Nelson Minor Hockey grad, to put a dagger into the Hawks hopes of rallying in the Kootenay Conference Series.
Kimberley out shot the Hawks 46-28 in the game, including a 20-6 margin in the third period.
Tanner Witt scored the other goals for the Nitros.
Allan Pruss and Dylan Heppler also scored for Beaver Valley, which lost the opening games of the series to Kimberley by scores of 6-1 and 4-2 in the Bavarian City.
Kimberley advanced to the Kootenay Conference Series with wins over Fernie Ghostriders and Creston Valley Thunder Cats while the Hawks won the Murdoch Division Crown with wins over Nelson Leafs and Grand Forks Border Bruins.
In the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference Final, 100 Mile House leads Summerland Steam 2-1 with Game four Saturday in Summerland.
