The Summerland Steam have advanced to the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference championship.
The Steam defeated the Osoyoos Coyotes in six games of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoffs with a 6-4 victory at the Summerland Arena in front of a crowd of 387. Matthew Huber made 29 saves in the victory, while Braden Eliuk led the Steam with a goal and four points. Jarrett Malchow and Riley Pettitt chipped in a goal and three points each, while Adam Jones, Wyatt Gale and Jack Mills scored. Gale’s goal with 23 seconds remaining in the second period was the winner.
The visitors opened the scoring on the power play with a goal by Rainer Glimpel at 13:09 of the first and took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after Pettitt scored with 31 seconds remaining. The Steam then tied the game at two at 16:20 of the second. Two minutes later on the power play, the Steam took a lead they never relinquished.
The Coyotes scored twice in the final 1:12 of the third with goals by Braeden Tuck and Matthew Adams. The Steam chased starter Brett Soles after two periods when he allowed five goals on 18 shots. Backup Stephen Heslop made six saves on seven shots.
The Steam will now open the conference championship in 100 Mile House against the Wranglers on Tuesday, March 15. In the Kootenay Conference, the Kimberley Dynamiters swept the Creston Valley Thunder Cats to advance to the conference final and face the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. The Nitehawks beat the Grand Forks Border Bruins in five games.
