It was a come-from-behind win for the Summerland Steam on Tuesday as the Junior B hockey team defeated the North Okanagan Knights in the sixth game of the division semi-finals.
The game, in Armstrong, saw the Steam earning a 2-1 overtime victory.
After a scoreless first period, the Knights’ only goal came at 16:35 in the second period.
Then, with just 53 seconds remaining in the third period, Jordan Boultbee of the Steam tied the game.
Easton Bodeux and Dylan Burton had the assists.
Sam Nigg clinched the win for the Steam with an unassisted goal at 3:23 in overtime.
“It was a great game,” Steam coach John DePourcq said after the win on Tuesday. “Now we’ve got to do it all over again tomorrow.”
DePourcq credited the overtime win with dedication on the part of the Steam players. “The Knights unfortunately got the first goal, but we never gave up,” he said. “They’re a really good group of boys who really pulled together.”
In February, the Steam finished the regular season play as the top-ranked team in the Okanagan/Shuswap Conference: Okanagan Division of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
The Steam finished regular season action with 33 wins, 15 losses, one tie and three overtime losses.
The Knights finished the regular season in fourth place in the division.
The first of the playoff games was held on Feb. 25 in Summerland.
The opening period was scoreless. In the second period, Burton scored from Boultbee and Josh DaCosta at 8:16 to give the Steam the lead. The second Steam goal, by Reid Brown from Bodeux, came at 5:25.
The Knights responded with two goals to tie the game.
The final Steam goal was in the third period with seven seconds remaining, when Olli Dickson scored from Brown and DaCosta.
The following evening, the steam faced the Knights in Armstrong, playing to an 8-3 loss.
After two North Okanagan goals in the first period, Daylan Robertson scored on a power play for Summerland at 4:48, assisted by Bodeux and DaCosta.
In the second period, Burton scored on a power play at 17:57, assisted by Boultbee and Rylan Sideroff.
The Knights responded with three goals in the period.
Summerland’s third goal was in the third period at 12:59 when Sideroff scored on a power play, assisted by Boultbee and Burton.
The loss served to inspire the team to work harder. “It was a really good wake-up call for the boys,” DePourcq said.
While the Steam lost the next two games, the scores were much closer.
On Friday, the Knights shut out the Steam in Summerland in a 3-0 game.
On March 1, Steam faced the Knights in Armstrong, playing to a 2-1 loss.
After a scoreless first period and two North Okanagan goals in the second, Summerland’s sole goal came during a power play at 2:51 in the third period when Sideroff scored with assists by Brown and Kienan Scott.
A game in Summerland on March 2 added a win for the Steam in a 2-1 decision.
Summerland’s first goal came at 9:33 in the second period when Scott scored, assisted by Robertson.
In the third period, DaCosta scored on a power play at 17:30, assisted by Robertson and Scott.
A North Okanagan goal was not enough to alter the outcome.
The winner of the game on Wednesday will go on to face the Osoyoos Coyotes in the division finals. The seven-game series begins on March 7.
The winner of that match will face the 100 Mile House Wranglers or the Kamloops Storm for the conference title in a series beginning March 17.
The league championship series will begin March 28.