Colin Bell (centre), pictured here in a recent home game against Kelowna, scored the opening goal in the Coyotes’ 3-1 victory Tuesday night. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Osoyoos Coyotes eliminated the Kelowna Chiefs Tuesday night in the sixth game of their Okanagan Division final in Kelowna.
The final score was 3-1, but an empty-net goal by Cody Allen with two seconds remaining was cake icing for the Coyotes in an otherwise tight game and hard-fought series.
The game was the first in this series that a team has won in the other team’s arena. The Coyotes won the first two games of the series at the Sun Bowl Arena, but then lost the next two played in Kelowna.
A nail-biter 4-3 victory Monday night by the Coyotes again on home ice set the stage for Tuesday’s series-winning game.
The Coyotes next go on to play the winner of the other Okanagan/Shuswap series between Revelstoke and 100 Mile House.
With Revelstoke leading that series 3-2 games heading into Tuesday, the two teams were locked at 2-2 in a second period of overtime when the Coyotes declared victory Tuesday night. That game ended after 100 Mile House scored in the third period of overtime, tying the series 3-3.
In the Kelowna game, Colin Bell opened the scoring five minutes in on a power-play goal, assisted by Connor Onstein.
The second period remained scoreless while the Chiefs outshot the Coyotes 11-8.
Nearly six minutes into the third period, Kelowna’s Brett Witala tied the score.
Jackson Barrett put the Coyotes ahead again a minute and a half later, with Onstein getting his second assist of the night.
As the clock wound down towards the final minute in the period, Kelowna pulled goalie Joseph McLeod for an extra attacker and the Chiefs kept up the pressure.
Then, with just two seconds remaining, Allen fired the puck down the ice into the empty net to score unassisted.
A date for the conference final round has not yet been announced.
The Revelstoke-100 Mile House series continues Wednesday night with a seventh and deciding game in Revelstoke.
If 100 Mile House wins the series, Osoyoos would host the first two games, but the ice wouldn’t be available this weekend because of Atom Fiesta.
If Revelstoke wins, they could host the first two games Friday and Saturday, with the series returning to Osoyoos next Monday and Tuesday for games three and four, said Randy Bedard, Coyotes owner.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
