Bartlett sends Rebels into Kootenay Conference Final with overtime winner in Game seven of Murdoch Final against Beaver Valley
By The Nelson Daily Sports
This time is was Castlegar’s turn to win a Game seven playoff series against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
Still stinging from a crushing Game seven loss to the Hawks a year ago, the Rebels got to taste from the victory cup when Diego Bartlett put the puck past Beaver Valley netminder Jarrod Schamerhorn 15 minutes into the second overtime period to lift Castlegar to a 5-4 win KIJHL playoff win Wednesday night in the Sunflower City.
The goal by Bartlett allowed the Rebels to clinch the seven-game Murdoch Division slugfest 4-3 and advance to the Kootenay Conference Final beginning Friday in Castlegar against the Golden Rockets.
Before Bartlett scored, Schamerhorn was the difference in this game as Castlegar fired 54 shots at the Beaver Valley net.
Twice in the game Beaver Valley put the contest in Schamerhorn’s hand as the visitors held leads of 2-0 in the second period and 4-2 in the third.
Keanan Patershuk and KIJHL leading playoff scorer Ryan Edwards gave Beaver Valley the two-goal advantage in the second period.
But Stuart Walton and Jamie Vlanich, the latter scoring with 16 seconds remaining in the frame, tied the game for Castlegar.
In the third the Hawks once again took control on goals by Dallas Calvin and Arie Postmus four minutes into the period.
But Hunter Jenerou cut the margin to 4-3 midway through the period before Brenden Heinrich tied the game three minutes later to force overtime.
The first 10 minutes solved nothing before Bartlett, finishing the game with two points, sent the screaming Castlegar fans home happy with his fifth goal of the post season.
GAME NOTES: Castlegar out shot Beaver Valley 54-29 in the game to make a winner out of netminder Jordan Gluck . . . .Last season, Justin Niminiken scored in the dying minutes of the game to snap a 3-3 tie and spark the Hawks to a 5-3 Game seven win against Castlegar in Fruitvale. The Hawks went on to capture the KIJHL title. . . .Ryan Edwards finished the game with three points to increase his playoff lead to nine points over Garrett Kucher of Osoyoos. Edwards finished the playoffs with 13 goals and 11 assists. . . .Jamie Vlanich led the Rebels with four points in the game.
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