Rainer Glimpel of the Coyotes skates away after scoring against the Summerland Steam on Sunday at the Oliver Arena before a record crowd of 350 fans. The Coyotes were sent home with a 3-2 loss. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
The Osoyoos Coyotes handily beat the Kelowna Chiefs 5-1 last Wednesday in Osoyoos, but they were narrowly defeated by the Summerland Steam 3-2 in Oliver on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Coyotes traded two players with Princeton ahead of the trading deadline.
The Coyotes sent backup goalie Adam Jones and defenceman Jake Hryhoriw to the Posse in exchange for Princeton goalie Stephen Heslop and former Coyote Drew Carter, a forward.
The win and loss leave the Coyotes in first place in the Okanagan Division with 56 points, eight ahead of the second-place Summerland Steam.
The Coyotes are the only team in the division to have clinched a playoff spot. The Coyotes’ last regular season game is Feb. 21.
In last Wednesday’s game against Kelowna, Braeden Tuck and Carter Shannon both scored two goals each. The other Coyotes’ goal went to Colin Bell.
Tuck led off the scoring with the only goal of the first period, unassisted, late in the period.
The Chiefs tied the score at 1-1 in the final minutes of the second period on a power play.
Bell scored early in the third period, assisted by Shannon and Rainer Glimpel, to give the Coyotes a 2-1 lead.
Three quick Osoyoos goals then made it 5-1.
Shannon scored with seven minutes remaining, assisted by Daniel Stone.
Just over a minute later Tuck scored, assisted by Carter Robinson. And barely a minute later Shannon scored from Glimpel and Reid Wilson.
Sunday’s game in Oliver was a different story as the Coyotes blew a two-goal lead to lose 3-2.
Robinson got the only goal of the first period, assisted by Judd Repole and Tuck.
Midway through the second period, Glimpel scored on a power play assisted by Bell and Matthew Adams to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead.
Summerland scored twice in the last five minutes of the period to tie the score going into the third period.
The two teams battled with a tied score through most of the third period before Calvin Hadley of Summerland broke the tie with six minutes remaining.
As the third period entered its dying minute, the Coyotes pulled goalie Brett Soles for an extra attacker, but they failed to score.
The Coyotes play two games this weekend, facing the Spokane Braves at the Sun Bowl Arena on Saturday and then going to Armstrong Sunday for an afternoon game against the North Okanagan Knights.
The Braves have the second-lowest point total in the entire Kootenay International Junior Hockey League with only five wins in 38 games and the Knights are second from the bottom of the Okanagan Division with only 10 wins this season.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Coyotes netminder Brett Soles makes a spectacular save during Sunday’s game against the Summerland Steam in Oliver. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
