The team the North Okanagan Knights will likely face in the first round of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League playoffs is the one who officially invited the Knights to the post-season.
The Osoyoos Coyotes, who need only a single point in their final six games to clinch top spot in the Okanagan-Shuswap Division, eliminated Princeton with a 5-0 win over the Posse Saturday.
The Posse, who fell 4-1 to the Knights Friday at the Nor-Val Sports Centre, are 13 points back of fourth-place North Okanagan with both teams having six games left to play.
North Okanagan fired a season-high 62 shots at Princeton goalie (and Posse player of the game) Adam Jones Friday, but needed three unanswered third-period goals to snap a four-game losing streak.
Player of the game Austin Fournier (9th), with the winner, Colin Robin (12th) and Dallas Keller (2nd) scored in the third for the Knights. Patrick Nicholson (5th) scored in the first for North Okanagan, who got 15 saves from winning goalie Daniel Paul.
North Okanagan takes on the Chase Heat Friday, and the Summerland Steam Saturday, both games at 7:30 p.m., and the Posse Sunday at 1 p.m., all at the Nor-Val Sports Centre.
BCHL
The Vernon Vipers looked to move closer to clinching the fourth and final playoff spot in the Interior Division Tuesday when they took on the Centennials in Merritt.
Vernon will host the Langley Rivermen Friday at 7 p.m. at Kal Tire Place.
The Vipers stayed five points up on the fifth-place Trail Smoke Eaters despite being idle over the weekend.
The Smokies dropped a home-and-home series to the West Kelowna Warriors, losing 9-0 Friday and 4-1 Saturday. Trail played in Salmon Arm Tuesday.
Vernon has three games in hand on Trail, and have played one less game than Merritt. The Centennials are six points back of the Vipers.
