Osoyoos Coyotes and Summerland Steam players battle for the puck in Sunday’s game played in Oliver. (Lyonel Doherty photo)
With a tie and a win on the weekend, the Osoyoos Coyotes are almost guaranteed to win their division and the overall regular season championship in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL), meaning they will have home-ice advantage in every round of the playoffs.
The Coyotes and Kimberley Dynamiters played to a rare 3-3 tie Friday evening at the Sun Bowl Arena after two periods of overtime failed to produce a winner.
Then on Sunday afternoon in Oliver, they clobbered the Summerland Steam 6-1. Summerland is second in the Okanagan Division, but trail the Coyotes by 18 points.
The Coyotes now have 70 points. With just 10 games remaining for both teams, the Steam would need to win all their remaining games and the Coyotes would need to lose all of theirs for Osoyoos not to finish in first place.
In Friday’s game, Kimberley opened the scoring early in the first period.
Ryan Roseboom tied the score just two minutes later, assisted by Jackson DeMatos and Aaron Azevedo, who is back on the ice after being sidelined with an injury.
Late in the first period, Colten Braid scored on a power play to make it 2-1 for the Coyotes. Rainer Glimpel got the assist.
In the second period, Kimberley got the only goal.
Osoyoos then took the lead again before the midway mark of the third period on a goal by Bailey Shaver, assisted by Blake Holowaty and Brett Anderson.
Kimberley, however, tied the score with 6:28 remaining in the third period, ending the period in a 3-3 tie.
The teams played two hard-fought overtime periods that failed to net any goals. This was the only Coyotes’ game of the season to end in a tie.
In Sunday’s game, Summerland scored their first and only goal late in the third period. The rest of the game went downhill for them.
Luc Gradisar scored late in the second period on a power play, assisted by Daniel Stone and Roseboom. This was the first goal in a hat trick for Gradisar, who was named first star of the game.
Just 16 seconds later, Brett Jewell added another Coyote goal, assisted by Rainer Glimpel.
Although the Steam outshot the Coyotes 20-10 in the second period, they fell apart in the third period and were outshot 18-5.
The third-period barrage began early with another power play goal by Gradisar, assisted by Stone.
The Coyotes kept up the pressure, but it wasn’t until six minutes were remaining in the period that Braid scored on a power play, making it 4-1 for the Coyotes.
Just 13 seconds later, Colin Bell scored against the beleaguered Summerland goalie Spencer Huff. The assists went to Cody Allen and Judd Repole.
Finally, with two minutes left, Gradisar made his hat trick unassisted, to end the game with a score of 6-1 for Osoyoos.
In coming games, the Coyotes travel on Wednesday to Armstrong to face the North Okanagan Knights, who are still the worst team in the KIJHL with only 17 points and just six wins.
On Saturday, the Coyotes host the Kelowna Chiefs at the Sun Bowl Arena. Then on Tuesday, Jan. 27, they travel to Summerland to face the Steam once again.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
