Hunter Johnson (left) and Sam Reinbolt make Kelowna goalie Tanner Marshall work hard in the second period. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Osoyoos Coyotes finished their regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Kelowna Chiefs Saturday, but the game didn’t count for anything.
The Coyotes had already clinched first place in the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) and the Chiefs had clinched third place earlier this month.
The game that really counted was in Princeton Saturday, where the Posse went down to defeat 4-2 at the hands of the North Okanagan Knights.
The victory for the Knights gives them a fourth-place finish and a playoff spot, where they will face the Coyotes in the first game of a best-of-seven series starting Friday at the Sun Bowl Arena..
The Coyotes were given a reminder that the series against North Okanagan won’t be a cakewalk. Last Friday, they tied the Knights 4-4 after coming from behind in the final minute and playing 10 minutes of scoreless overtime.
With the Osoyoos-Kelowna game not counting for anything other than statistics, Coyotes Coach Ken Law held back a number of his best players, giving his third and fourth lines a workout.
Tyler Holz, another returning Coyotes’ veteran who has been sidelined this season with an injury, was on the ice Saturday, wearing a temporary captain’s “C” on his jersey. He also played Friday against North Okanagan.
Hunter Johnson, Austin Cleaver and Cody Allen wore temporary assistant captains’ “A”s on their jerseys and the bench was thinner than usual.
The Coyotes opened the scoring five minutes into the first period when Connor Onstein spotted a loose puck in front of Kelowna goalie Tanner Marshall and skated up to flip it in. Cleaver assisted.
Kelowna scored the only goal of the second period on a power play, 11 seconds after they returned to full strength from a penalty of their own.
The teams remained tied for most of the third period.
With just 2:38 remaining, Carter Robinson scored, assisted by Evan Della-Paolera and Reid Wilson, to put the Coyotes ahead 2-1.
Della-Paolera took a penalty just after the goal for unsportsmanlike conduct leaving the Coyotes shorthanded going into the final minutes.
Moments later, Kelowna pulled goalie Marshall, giving the Chiefs six attackers to four for the Coyotes as they sought to tie the game.
It didn’t work. With 48 seconds remaining, Wilson scored on the empty net, assisted by Colton Rhodes, to end the game 3-1 for the Coyotes.
Friday’s game saw the Knights score first and then the Coyotes tied the game, a pattern that continued back and forth throughout the evening.
Cleaver had a good game for the Coyotes, scoring two goals and getting one assist. Cleaver’s second goal was scored on a power play with just 42 seconds left in the third period.
Wilson scored the first Coyotes’ goal late in the first period and he also assisted on Cleaver’s first goal in the second period.
The other Coyotes’ goal was scored by Bryson Cecconi.
Other assists went to Austin Steger, Daniel Stone, Jackson Glimpel, Ryan Allen, Onstein and Cody Allen.
The playoffs kick off Friday and Saturday with Osoyoos hosting North Okanagan at the Sun Bowl Arena for the first two games of a best of seven series.
Summerland hosts Kelowna the same nights to start their series.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Connor Onstein, to the right of the referee, spotted a loose puck in front of the net and flipped it in to score the Coyotes’ first goal Saturday night. (Richard McGuire photo)
Carter Robinson had a scoring opportunity in the second period, but goalie Tanner Marshall and Defenceman Ty Dornn of the Chiefs managed to thwart him. (Richard McGuire photo)
