This was the scene in late March as the Osoyoos Coyotes came up just short in the deciding game against Chase Heat in the KIJHL conference final series. The Coyotes were only one second away from winning the series the previous night in Chase. The two teams meet Friday in Chase for the first time since that March game. (Richard McGuire file photo)

After two weeks of training camp and four exhibition games, the games count for real for the Osoyoos Coyotes as they begin the 2017-18 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) regular season this weekend.

Head coach and general manager Ken Law – who is heading into his eighth season behind the Coyotes’ bench – and his players will kick off the regular season Friday night in Chase against the Heat before travelling to Kelowna to take on the Chiefs Saturday evening.

The game in Chase will have special meaning, especially for the returning dozen or so players from last year’s team, as the Heat eliminated the Coyotes in the best-of-five conference final series to advance to the KIJHL championship series.

The Coyotes won the first two games of that series and were three seconds away from sweeping the series when Chase scored to tie game three and won in overtime. The very next night, the Coyotes were less than one second away from winning the series, when Chase, incredibly, tied the score and won again in overtime.

In the fifth-and-deciding game, the Coyotes gave an honest effort, but were emotionally drained and lost 3-1.

Law said he’s looking forward to the season opener and he always enjoys playing on the road to start a new season.

“I think it’s always good to open up on the road because the guys play a little looser when they’re not in front of the hometown fans,” he said.

As mentioned, the Coyotes will be bringing back more than 10 players from last year’s club and those players will be easy to motivate considering the heartbreaking end to last season, said Law.

Goaltender Liam Aitken just returned from a tryout in the Saskatchewan junior league and will likely get the start in goal in both games this weekend, said Law.

Daniel Paul, who was the starting goaltender for the North Okanagan Knights last year, is trying to earn a spot with Coquitlam in the B.C. Hockey League, but is expected to return and battle Aitken for the No. 1 spot this season, he said.

Colin Bell, the team’s leading scorer last year, won’t return to the Coyotes’ lineup until late September or early October as he has to complete his duties as a provincial wildfire officer, he said.

Law expects the Coyotes will once again ice a very competitive team capable of winning their division – as they have five of the past six seasons – and advancing far in the playoffs.

“We’re a little young on the back end and it’s going to take some time for things to come together with our defensive group, but there’s talent there,” he said. “Up front, we have all kinds of firepower and I don’t think scoring is going to be a problem at all. Overall, I think we’ll take some time to gel as a team, but when we do, I think we’ll have a real good go (at a championship run) once again.”

The regular season will consist of 47 games.

The Coyotes don’t play next weekend and will host their home opener on Friday, Sept. 22 against the Kamloops Storm.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times