It was hardly the ending North Okanagan Knights’ head coach Kris Mallette had envisioned, but he won’t complain about the result.
Mallette watched as his team nearly squandered a four-goal lead, only to hang on for a 5-3 win over the Kamloops Storm in Game 6 of their Kootenay International Junior Hockey League first-round playoff series Friday night at Wesbild Centre.
The series-deciding Game 7 went Saturday night at McArthur Island Arena in Kamloops.
Trailing 4-0 early in the second period, the Storm chipped away at the lead with a pair of powerplay goals by Brett Dallen and Colten DeFrias in the second period. Kamloops’ forward Brody Moen, going in on a 1-on-3, made things interesting by scoring with 3:05 remaining in regulation.
However, a careless hit from behind by DeFrias on Knights’ captain Steven Pantazopoulos with 43 seconds to play allowed North Okanagan to ride out the game on the man advantage. Bryce Koch, taking a stretch feed behind the Kamloops’ defence from Chris Gillies, added an empty-netter with seven seconds to play.
DeFrias was suspended for Game 7 for the hit on Pantazopoulos. It is the second time in the series the veteran forward has been ejected for a hit from behind late in the game. Mallette said Pantazopoulos was questionable to play Saturday.
“Not really the way I wanted it to go,” said Mallette. “A little bit of panic, and we were just trying to keep them calm on the bench to relax them.
“The mistakes we’re making are giving them quality scoring chances. We should, with the team we’ve got, be able to capitalize more. With the work we’ve put in, we haven’t really been rewarded.”
Some great hustle down low by Knights’ forwards Tanner Burns and Eric Chore led to a wrister through traffic by John Saunders to open the scoring at 6:14 of the first period.
North Okanagan made it 2-0 on a gorgeous stretch pass by defenceman Lee Muir to Burns, who whiffed on his backhand attempt, but still snuck it by Marcus Beesley, who finished with 25 saves.
“Lee hits him with one of the best passes I’ve seen this season, splitting both their defencemen and putting it past their high forward,” said Mallette.
The Knights struck again late in the first frame. After some cycle work by Koch and Cory Hochhausen, the puck found its way to Josh Wickenheiser in the high slot, where he managed to swat a shot past Beesley.
Brett Hawrys chipped a rebound over Beesley from in close on a powerplay to make it 4-0.
Mallette was pleased with the rebound effort after Thursday night’s demoralizing 4-3 overtime loss to the host Storm in Game 5.
“That was probably the most mad they’ve been all season after a loss, which shows that they care,” he said.
In Game 5, Kamloops raced out to a 2-0 lead at the first intermission on goals by Diego Cuglietta and Mattia Bortolotto. After the Knights equalized in the second frame on goals by Hawrys and Thomas Swales, Cuglietta struck again.
Pantazopoulos scored late in the second to force OT, where Kamloops’ sniper Chase Edwards converted a bar-down backhander after beating Swales in a foot race to a loose puck.
In the other Doug Birks Division playoff series, the Revelstoke Grizzlies iced the upstart Sicamous Eagles 5-2 in Game 6 Friday night in Sicamous.
Vernon’s Cole Sanford led the Grizz attack with four goals. Game 7 goes Sunday night at the Revelstoke Forum.
