Blame it on the H1N1 flu virus infecting a number of players or the fact that some of the team’s strongest members are away helping out Junior A teams: whatever the reason the Nelson Leafs hockey team lost both their games last weekend.

While the team was only down one point in each game, playing short-handed they weren’t able to pull ahead in either game.

“We only had 14 skaters from a team of 22, so you can expect the guys would get tired on the ice,” said Leaf’s head coach Simon Wheeldon.

“Still, I’m pretty competitive and I hate to see us lose.”

On Oct. 30, the Leafs travelled to Kimberley to take on the Dynamiters, a team they defeated at home a week earlier.

But this time the Leafs weren’t able to get a goal in net, despite many attempts. The lone goal of the game came from the Dynamiters in the second period.

Judging by the declining number of shots on net by the Leafs made as the game wore on (they had 14 in the first period, then 10 and just four in the final third), the team was losing stamina.

Usually the Leafs keep the opposing team’s goalie busy throughout the game.

Still, Wheeldon said he thought his team played better than the Dynamiters.

“They should have won,” he said. “They just couldn’t get the puck in the net.”

Their game was a bit more consistent during the Oct. 31 home game against the Creston Valley Thunder Cats.

Leafs forward Connor McLaughlin made the only goal of the first period. In the second, the Cats game back with two goals before Gus Correale was able to even the score.

The teams went into the third tied 2-2. After that period ticked by scoreless, the game went into one period of overtime, where the Cats got the goal they needed to win the game.

“We got a bit sloppy towards the end,” said Wheeldon.

“But, I don’t have a lot to complain about. It was a really close game.”

He said that in the week to come, his focus for the team is for them simply to get healthy so he can get more players back on the ice.

At press time he wasn’t sure if the players away for Junior A games — goalie Billy Faust and forward Shawn Hochhausan — would be back for the next weekend’s games.

Coming up the Leafs have two games against their league rivals the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. Their home game is Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.