Judd Repole, pictured in a game a year ago, is one of the returning Coyote players off to a good start. On the weekend, he picked up a goal and two assists. Colin Bell, Daniel Stone and Carter Shannon are also doing well. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The Osoyoos Coyotes extended their regular season winning streak to three games on the weekend with victories in Kamloops and 100 Mile House.
They beat the Kamloops Storm 3-1 on Friday and went on to a 3-0 win over the 100 Mile House Wranglers on Saturday.
The Osoyoos Junior B hockey team is now tied with Summerland in first place of the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). Both teams have three wins and no losses.
Osoyoos and Summerland will have a chance to see which team is top dog when they do battle this Friday at the Summerland Arena.
The game will be the last in a stint of road games before the Coyotes finally get to play on home ice against Kamloops on Saturday.
In Friday’s game, there were no goals scored until nearly seven minutes into the second period when Judd Repole scored for the Coyotes on a power play, assisted by Jackson Glimpel and Daniel Stone. All three are returning players.
The Storm scored their only goal of the game on a power play with 6:05 remaining in the second period, ending the period in a 1-1 tie.
With 7:26 remaining in the third period, the Coyotes regained the lead on another power-play goal. This time it was Stone assisted by Colin Bell and Carter Shannon.
Kamloops gambled and pulled goalie Aris Anagnostopoulos in favour of an extra attacker with about two minutes remaining in the third period.
The gamble backfired, however, when Bell scored on the empty net, assisted by Shannon, to make the final score 3-1.
The following night at the South Cariboo Recreation Centre, Stone opened the scoring on a power play near the end of the first period. Assists went to Repole and Bell.
Late in the second period, the Coyotes again capitalized on a power play, with Mackenzie Wiens scoring, assisted by Bell and Repole, ending that period with Osoyoos up 2-0.
The final Coyote goal, with 4:52 remaining in the third period, was the only goal of the weekend scored by a rookie line. Sam Reinbolt got the goal and Colton Nikiforuk and Connor Onstein picked up the assists.
The two Coyotes’ victories were due in part to strong goaltending by Adam Jones, who was named the second star of Saturday’s game after earning his shutout.
In that game, the Wranglers actually outshot the Coyotes 29-20.
In Friday’s game, Jones faced 33 shots from Kamloops and only allowed in one goal on a power play.
It’s also clear, based on these two games, that the Coyotes can be effective on power plays. In both games, their record was two power play goals for five opposing team penalties.
Several veteran players lead the point totals for the Coyotes. Bell, with six points, four of them assists, is the only Coyotes’ player among the top 20 leading players in the league. He gained four points on the weekend – one goal and three assists.
He is followed closely by Stone, with five points, and Repole and Shannon with four each.
Saturday’s game against Kamloops at the Sun Bowl Arena gets underway at 7:35 p.m.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
