Judd Repole has a wide-open net to fire into when Revelstoke goalie Giovanni Sambrielaz found himself in the wrong place. This goal in the final minute of the second period was the third for the Coyotes in their 5-4 overtime victory. (Richard McGuire photo)
Fans were treated to an exciting hockey game Saturday night at the Sun Bowl Arena as the Osoyoos Coyotes defeated the Revelstoke Grizzlies 5-4 in overtime.
The win propels the Coyotes into second place in the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), one point ahead of Princeton and seven points behind the division-leading Summerland Steam.
Osoyoos has three games in hand over those rival teams.
The Grizzlies and Coyotes were fairly evenly matched, but the Coyotes played their strongest in the second period when Revelstoke took five minor penalties compared to one for Osoyoos.
In that period, the Coyotes scored the only two goals and also outshot the Grizzlies 17-7.
In the first and third periods, the Grizzlies outscored the Coyotes two to one and took a few more shots on the home team.
Revelstoke opened the scoring five minutes into the first period with an unassisted shorthanded goal by Cody Flann, his first of two goals in the game.
A minute later, Sam Reinbolt tied it up while the Grizzlies were still shorthanded. Connor Onstein assisted.
Late in the period, the Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead on a power play.
The second period saw the Coyotes turn the heat up on the Grizzlies as Revelstoke took penalty after penalty, twice briefly being two players short.
It wasn’t until very late in the period that Hunter Johnson put the puck past goalie Giovanni Sambrielaz on a power play. Onstein and Kaleb Comishin assisted.
A minute and a half later, with 50 seconds remaining in the period, Sambrielaz got caught in the wrong place, allowing Judd Repole to fire into the wide-open net, giving the Coyotes the lead for the first time.
Brandon Onstein and Nick Nordstrom got the assists.
Revelstoke again tied the score early in the third period, with Flann getting his second goal of the game.
Then, with less than five minutes remaining in the third, Carter Shannon scored on a power play to put the Coyotes in front 4-3. Cameron Welch and Repole got the assists.
With just 25 seconds left in the third period, Brandon Onstein took a head contact penalty and misconduct. Revelstoke also pulled Sambrielaz for an extra attacker. The gamble worked.
With just nine seconds remaining, Revelstoke’s Sho Takai tied the score 4-4, forcing the game into overtime.
Three minutes into the first overtime period, rookie Jackson Barrett scored the game winner for Osoyoos. Colin Bell and Connor Onstein assisted – Onstein’s third assist of the game.
The Coyotes have two games coming up this weekend. They play Friday night in Princeton and then return Saturday to the Sun Bowl Arena to host the 100 Mile House Wranglers.
Then on Wednesday, Nov. 29, they’ll host the Kelowna Chiefs. Both home games start at 7:35 p.m.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
