Sam Reinbolt (left) shoots from close range to score the Coyotes’ first goal in their game against Kelowna Saturday night. Reinbolt also scored a short-handed goal Monday against Summerland.(Richard McGuire photo)
A 6-4 loss to the Summerland Steam Monday afternoon ended a nine-game Coyote winning streak, but won’t make a difference to the final standings.
The Osoyoos Coyotes had already clinched first place in the Okanagan Division with a 2-0 win over Kelowna on Saturday, making it impossible for Summerland to finish any better than second place.
On Friday, when Summerland and Osoyoos also faced each other, the Coyotes won 4-1. Both games took place at the Summerland Arena.
With the Coyotes safely ahead at 73 points, Monday’s game offered the Steam little more than bragging rights as the season winds down.
Summerland took a 2-0 lead in Monday’s game with power play goals early in the first period and in the first minute of the second.
But a short-handed goal by Sam Reinbolt and later a power play goal by Colin Bell tied the score at 2-2 in the second period.
Ryan Roseboom assisted on both goals and Colton Rhodes also assisted on Bell’s goal
But two quick Summerland goals just 44 seconds apart at the end of the second period pushed the Steam ahead 4-2. The second of these goals was scored short-handed during a Coyote power play.
In the third period, Scott Robinson of the Steam scored his second power-play goal to make it 5-2.
The Coyotes tried to bounce back with goals by Judd Repole and Roseboom in the third period,
Bell assisted on both goals, while Ryan Allen assisted on Repole’s goal and Rhodes assited on Roseboom’s, which was scored on a power play.
With the score now 5-4 for Summerland, the Coyotes pulled goalie Adam Jones for an extra attacker in the final minute. It failed to help as Braden Eliuk of the Steam scored into the empty net with just five seconds remaining.
The Coyotes now just have two games remaining in the regular season.
They travel to Armstrong on Friday night to face the North Okanagan Knights and return to the Sun Bowl Arena Saturday to face the Kelowna Chiefs.
Playoffs begin the following week with the Coyotes facing either the Princeton Posse or the North Okanagan Knights, depending on which of the two teams earns a playoff spot. The Posse and Knights are tied at 30 points each, but North Okanagan has a game in hand.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
