Shawn Webb calls it the yo-yo factor. He was hoping the North Okanagan Knights would spin the right way in their playoff series with the Summerland Steam Tuesday night.
The Knights are the youngest team in the Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and have been up and down all season.
They pulled out the yo-yo Sunday in Summerland, losing 2-1 with a sub-par performance in Game 5. The Knights led the series 3-2 going into play Tuesday night in Armstrong.
A Game 7, if required, would go tonight in Summerland.
The Knights clipped the Steam 2-1 in the fourth game Saturday night at Nor-Val Centre.
“We maybe could have won Game 1 in Summerland, but we didn’t deserve to win Sunday’s game,” said head coach Webb. “We had no urgency in Summerland. We stopped shooting and we weren’t as physical. Kudos to Summerland, they just didn’t want the series to end.”
The Knights rung up 41 shots in the Saturday win before 300 fans, but could only muster 25 in Sunday’s loss.
“We were just shooting pucks and bringing traffic to the net Saturday.”
Webb and staff summoned d-man Layne Greene and forwards Cole Woodliffe and Jagger Williamson for Game 6. They scratched two regular d-men and one forward.
Division MVP and top rookie Kienan Scott earned his first points of the series in Summerland, getting the game’s first goal midway through the first period and drawing the secondary assist on Josh DaCosta’s 2-0 snipe early in the third, on the powerplay.
Brett Hawrys supplied a shorthanded goal for the Knights five minutes after DaCosta converted. Darren Hogg took the win, Zach Dyment the loss.
Veteran Tanner Burns bagged both goals Saturday night, 11 minutes apart, in the second period. Linemate Blake Culbert was in on both snipes, d-men Ryley Booth and Matt Halvorson also drawing helpers.
Rylan Sideroff replied for the Steam early in the third, with the man advantage. Dyment and Hogg were the net detectives.
The series winner meets the Osoyoos Coyotes.
Meanwhile, the 100 Mile House Wranglers clipped the host Chase Heat 4-3 Monday night to take that series 4-1.
The Heat called up F Scott Latwat from the Vernon Home Building Centre Midgets for the game. Armstrong’s Travis Churchill had 1-4-5 in his rookie season with Chase, who lost two overtime tilts in the series.
