Jackson Glimpel shoots at close range to score the Coyotes’ fourth goal Friday night against the North Okanagan Knights. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Osoyoos Coyotes kicked off the playoffs with a resounding 8-1 win over the North Okanagan Knights in Friday night’s opener at the Sun Bowl Arena.
The Coyotes shouldn’t get complacent, but if the two teams are as unevenly matched in the next three games as they were in this one, Osoyoos could repeat last year’s four-game sweep of the Knights.
The first period saw the Coyotes score on a power play less than a minute into the game, but the period ended in a 1-1 tie after North Okanagan scored a power play goal of their own.
The Osoyoos goal went to Ryan Roseboom, who was recently named the team’s most valuable player. The assists went to Austin Steger and Daniel Stone.
But the tied score doesn’t tell the story of the first period. The Coyotes outshot the Knights 17-5 and they dominated most of the play. North Okanagan goalie Daniel Paul got a major workout.
Six minutes into the second period, Sam Reinbolt put the Coyotes ahead again, skating in and firing the puck past Paul. Connor Onstein and Hunter Johnson got assists.
A few minutes later Colin Bell made it 3-1 with a quick goal from the side that you could easily have missed if you blinked. Judd Repole and Cody Allen assisted.
Late in the period, Jackson Glimpel skated in and fired the puck at close range past Paul. Reid Wilson got the assist.
In the final minute of the second period, North Okanagan took a penalty and then in the final second they got another one. The buzzer sounded as the puck was dropped, but the Knights started the third period with two players in the penalty box.
They were still short one player when Bell scored his second goal of the night, assisted by Roseboom and Steger.
With the score now 5-1 for the Coyotes, the period was off to a bad start for the Knights and it only got worse.
In the space of just over three minutes, the Coyotes added three more goals.
- Cody Allen assisted by Reinbolt and Johnson;
- Roseboom’s second goal, from Repole and Allen;
- And Johnson from Bryson Cecconi.
To his credit, Knights goalie Paul played the entire 60 minutes facing a total of 54 shots.
Coyotes goalie Adam Jones made several good saves, but he only faced 18 shots in the entire game.
The two teams go at it again at the Sun Bowl in game two Saturday night, before going up to Armstrong on Monday and Tuesday.
Also in the Okanagan Division, Kelowna beat Summerland 3-2 in the series opener in Summerland. That series could be tougher for the Steam than they were expecting.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Sam Reinbolt fires the puck past North Okanagan goalie Daniel Paul to put the Coyotes head 2-1 in the second period in the opening playoff game Friday night. (Richard McGuire photo)
Riley Swiscoski (left) of the North Okanagan Knights manhandles Coyote Ryan Roseboom, who tumbles into Jeff Schlenker of the Knights. It was all part of the action in Friday night’s opening playoff game. (Richard McGuire photo)
