They say there’s nothing in life that is guaranteed except death and taxes.
You can add the Osoyoos Coyotes being a contender in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) to that list.
Ever since the Coyotes joined the KIJHL back in the 2010-11 season – they captured the league championship in that magical inaugural season – they have become a model franchise that is the envy of the 20-team league.
Under the ownership of Randy Bedard and veteran coach and general manager Ken Law, the Coyotes haven’t had a single bad season over the past half dozen years.
Bedard does a superb job marketing and promoting the team and ensuring that the players become an integral part of the Osoyoos community each and every year.
He doesn’t interfere in the day-to-day hockey operations unlike some other owners at this level of competitive hockey
Law is a brilliant recruiter, judge of talent and coach and it’s no coincidence the Coyotes have become a model of excellence since he took over behind the bench and as general manager seven years asgo.
In that time, they’ve captured numerous division titles and appear well on their way to winning the Okanagan Division title once again.
With only seven games remaining in the regular season, the Coyotes have a seemingly insurmountable 10-point lead (60-50) on the Summerland Steam.
The Coyotes would simply have to fall apart not to win another division title and that’s not likely to happen as they have been one of the league’s hottest teams since the beginning of November.
Unlike in past seasons, the Coyotes actually began the 2017-18 season in rather sluggish fashion as they continued a trend of win one, lose one for the first 10 games of the regular season.
However, they have been red-hot for an extended period of time and sport a superb record of 29 wins, nine losses, one tie and one overtime loss heading into this week’s action.
It appears Kimberley – another perennial league powerhouse – are likely to claim the KIJHL regular season title as they have 64 points with only seven games remaining.
The Coyotes will want to continue their winning ways as they are in a heated battle with Revelstoke Grizzlies for the best record in the Okanagan-Shuswap Conference. Revelstoke currently sits with 61 points and also have a game in hand on the Coyotes.
Should the two teams meet in the conference final series – which is a distinct possibility – the team with the most points would have home-ice advantage in that series.
While the Coyotes don’t have a single player in the top 20 in league scoring, they do have an exceptionally balanced team with players like Judd Repole, Carter Robinson, Colin Bell, Carter Shannon and Hunter Johnson all averaging a point per game or better with 40 points or more.
The goaltending duo of veteran Liam Aitken and Daniel Paul have shared the load throughout the entire season and both have proven themselves to be among the league’s elite puckstoppers.
Paul has played 22 games and sports a terrific 2.28 goals against average, while Aitken has played in 21 games and sports a goals against average of 2.61.
After last year’s heartbreaking end to the season – where they literally came one second away from defeating Chase Heat and moving on to the KIJHL championship series – this year’s squad has enormous motivation for success with the playoffs less than a month away.
Osoyoos has the league’s best fans and more large crowds are expected as the Coyotes wrap up another fantastic season and begin what we all hope will be an extended playoff run that just might end with a much-deserved place in the league finals.
After so many heartbreaking losses during the playoffs over the past several seasons, the Coyotes’ players, coaches, owner and fans deserve another shot at a league title and here’s hoping it happens over the next two months.
It should be another thrilling and exciting ride for this exceptional KIJHL franchise.
