The Sicamous Eagles took on the teams book-ending the standings of the KIJHL’s Bill Ohlhausen division over the weekend.
The Eagles played the division and conference-leading North Okanagan Knights on Friday, Oct. 4 at Armstrong’s Nor-Val Centre. The Eagles dealt the Knights their only loss of the regular season leading up to Friday’s game on Sept. 27.
The Knights lit the lamp first, six minutes after the opening face-off. In the final minute of the first period, the Eagles tied the game up with a goal from James Lalikeas, assisted by Trysten Brookman and Frazier Mohlar.
After the teams got out of the dressing room to start the second frame the Knights took advantage of a power-play opportunity to restore their lead. While the goal just before the halfway point of the period got the Armstrong crowd excited, the real action came in the final minutes of the period. Jaxon Danilec scored for the Eagles with only 1:42 left in the period. Just 20 seconds later, the Eagles tallied up another off the stick of Logan Mitchell to give them their first lead of the game. The scorekeeper wasn’t done marking goals yet as Kevin-Thomas Walters scored with 15 seconds on the clock to tie the game as it headed to the third period.
Although both teams put double-digit shots on the opposing goaltender, only the Knights found the back of the net with two third-period goals to solidify a 5-3 loss for the Eagles.
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Still on the road, this time bound for Osoyoos, the Eagles had to be careful to not take their next opponents lightly; the Coyotes were looking to improve an 0-7 record when Sicamous came to town.
Coyotes fans were encouraged when the first goal of the game came out in their favour 3:33 before the end of the first period. Mohlar evened the score as Justin Clark of the Coyotes sat out a late period boarding penalty.
Lalikeas was called for cross-checking with six minutes remaining in the second period and just as the penalty was about to end, Dylan Stevenson scored to put the home team ahead of the visitors. Danilec restored the tie with just 17 seconds left on the clock.
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In the final seconds of a fiercely-contested period and with a Coyote serving a tripping penalty, a scuffle broke out and the officials called the numbers of Brookman and Evan Della Paolera of the Osoyoos Squad; both were dealt roughing after the whistle penalties. Once the scrum was broken up, the Eagles got hold of the puck with just seconds remaining. Jaimes Guidon passed to Trevor Ebeling who fed it to Lalikeas allowing him to fire a final-second goal into the Osoyoos net.
The Eagles fended off the Coyotes’ attempts to regain the lead through the third period leaving the final score 3-2 for the visitors. After the weekend’s mixed results, the Eagles still hold the top spot in the Doug Birks division with a 5-4 record but the 4-2 Revelstoke Grizzlies are only a point behind as one of their losses came in overtime.
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