Peter Michailides (right) fires in his second of two goals in Saturday’s game against the Crestion Valley Thunder Cats. (Richard McGuire photo)

The Osoyoos Coyotes squeaked out a 4-3 win Saturday over the Creston Valley Thunder Cats extending their winning streak to six games.

The Coyotes came close to blowing it as they took badly timed penalties, allowing Creston Valley to score all three of its goals on power plays. Two of those were scored when the Coyotes played two men short.

Saturday’s home-ice win follows a 3-0 victory in Armstrong Friday over the North Okanagan Knights and a 4-0 home-ice win last Tuesday against the Princeton Posse.

The Coyotes are now just one point behind third-place Princeton in the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

In Saturday’s game, the Coyotes took a 2-0 lead in the first period with both goals scored by Peter Michailides and assisted by Brandon Della Paolera and Bryson Garska.

Fortunes changed when the Coyotes took a team penalty for too many men on the ice, and just over a minute later Brax Klassen took a high-sticking penalty. Six seconds later, Colten Witter put the Thunder Cats on the board, scoring when the Coyotes were two men short.

Then in the second period, Klassen was in the penalty box again, this time for holding. Six seconds later, Elijah Havers took a tripping penalty, once again leaving the Coyotes two men short.

This time it took eight seconds for Creston Valley to capitalize, as Thunder Cats Captain Tyler Witzke tied the game.

Less than two minutes later, with Havers still in the penalty box, Creston Valley’s Andrew Clark scored their third power play goal. The Thunder Cats were now ahead 3-2.

Two minutes later, rookie Rhys Lepine scored his first goal of the season for the Coyotes, tying the game at 3-3. He was assisted by 16-year-old Michael Greenwood, playing his first game with the Coyotes, and by Anthony Tulliani.

Finally, it was Creston Valley’s turn to take a dumb penalty late in the third period, allowing Adam Diotte to score the Coyotes’ winning goal with just 48 seconds remaining in the third period. Della Paolera and Garska got their third assists of the game.

The previous night in North Okanagan, the Coyotes scored two power play goals less than two minutes apart in the second period.

Ryan MacDonald got the first Coyote goal, assisted by Blake Astorino and Bryson Rody.

Then, after the Knights took a team penalty for too many men on the ice, Havers scored for the Coyotes to give the team a 2-0 lead. MacDonald and Michailides assisted.

The final goal came in the third period when Michailides scored, assisted by Della Paolera.

Coyote goalie Daniel Paul earned his second shutout in a row. Paul has played in net for all six games of the Coyotes recent winning streak.

Last Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Princeton at the Sun Bowl was the second decisive win over the Posse in three days. On Oct. 27, the Coyotes licked them 6-2 in Princeton.

Tyler Badger, a hometown rookie, also had a good game Tuesday, scoring two goals, including an unassisted goal while the Coyotes were shorthanded.

Brock Marple opened the scoring halfway through the first period on a power play. Seth Kriese and Garska assisted.

MacDonald added another power play goal early in the second period to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead. Astorino and Rody got the assists.

Badger then added his shorthanded goal later in the second period and he scored again late in the third period, to make it 4-0. Daelen Der assisted.

The Coyotes’ recent winning streak has been helped in part because they’ve faced weaker teams recently. Creston Valley and North Okanagan are both mired in the bottom of their divisions, and Princeton has been struggling in some recent games.

The Coyotes will need to up their game this Friday when they face the Steam in Summerland. The Steam is in a solid second place in the Okanagan Division.

Then on Saturday, the Coyotes will host the Sicamous Eagles, who are in the middle of the pack in the Doug Birks Division.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times

The Coyotes celebrate after Peter Michailides (second from left) scores the first goal against Creston Valley Saturday. He was assisted by Brandon Della Paolera and Bryson Garska. (Richard McGuire photo)

The Coyotes celebrate after Peter Michailides scores the first goal against Creston Valley Saturday. He was assisted by Brandon Della Paolera and Bryson Garska. (Richard McGuire photo)

Brandon Della Paolera was only able to shoot with one hand when Jordan Wood checked him in the first period Saturday. Creston Goalie Eric Samyn easily stopped the shot. (Richard McGuire)

The Coyotes were hurt by badly timed penalties in Saturday’s game against Creston Valley. The Thunder Cats scored all three of their goals on power plays, two of those when the Coyotes were down two men. Pictured here, the scoreboard shows Elijah Havers took a tripping penalty a few seconds after Brax Klassen took a holding penalty. It only took Creston Valley eight seconds to score after that and tie the game. (Richard McGuire photo)

With the Coyotes playing two men short, it only took eight seconds for Creston Valley Captain Tyler Witzke to tie the game. (Richard McGuire photo)

With the Coyotes playing two men short, it only took eight seconds for Creston Valley Captain Tyler Witzke to tie the game. (Richard McGuire photo)

Rhys Lepine (left) fires the shot that tied the game again for the Coyotes in the second period of Saturday’s game. Michael Greenwood and Anthony Tulliani assisted. (Richard McGuire photo)

Coyote Daniel Paul fends off a Thunder Cats attack late in the second period Saturday. Paul has been in net for all six games of the recent Coyotes’ winning streak and he earned two shutouts in a row last week. (Richard McGuire photo)