STEAM TRAIN DERAILED IN REVELSTOKE

On Friday night the Summerland Steam headed to Revelstoke to complete a 2 game season series with the Grizzlies. In the first meeting earlier this season the Grizzlies walked out of the Summerland Arena with a 3-2 win. They would do the same at the Revelstoke Forum on Friday night as Summerland would drop a 3-2 decision.

Steven Fiust and Tyler Chavez-Leach each recorded 3 points for the Grizzlies, who went up early in the game thanks to a powerplay goal by Fuist. They would then go up 2-0 in the second thanks to another powerplay goal, this one from former Kelowna Chief Brady Mende.

Wyatt Gale would get the Steam on the board on a powerplay of their own with just a minute or two left in the second period. Just 12 seconds later, however, Revelstoke would reply with a goal from Tyler Chavez-Leach that would stand as the winner.

In the third Summerland pushed hard to try and narrow the gap, but were unsuccessful until the 19:21 mark when Jack Mills potted his team leading 26th of the season. Despite the push, Grizzlies goaltender Aidan Doak fended the Steam off and the Grizzlies went home with a valuable 2 points. Spencer Huff was exceptional for Summerland in a losing effort, stopping 39 shots on net.

Summerland will now return home and play 4 of their final 5 games of the regular season at the Summerland Arena. They host Princeton Sunday at 2PM, the Kelowna Chiefs at 7:30 on February 6, Princeton again at 2PM next Sunday February 8, and the Osoyoos Coyotes at 7:30 on February 13th.

GAME DAY REPORT: SUMMERLAND STEAM @ REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES

REVELSTOKE GRIZZLIES	VS	SUMMERLAND STEAM
17-20-2-0-5	RECORD	27-15-0-3
7-9-0-3	HOME / AWAY RECORD	13-10-0-1
W-1	STREAK	T-1
4-5-0-1	LAST 10 GAMES	5-3-1-1
5TH, DOUG BIRKS DIVISION	DIVISION RANK	2ND, OKANAGAN DIVISION
1-0	SEASON SERIES	0-1
.466%	WIN %	.630%
135 3.07  GF PER GM (T-13TH,  KIJHL)	GOALS FOR	155 3.37 GF PER GM (9TH, KIJHL)
150 3.41 PER GM (14TH, KIJHL)	GOALS AGAINST	124 2.70 GA PER GAME (3RD, KIJHL)
-15	DIFFERENTIAL	31
21.58% (5TH , KIJHL) HOME: 20.47% (9TH, KIJHL)	POWERPLAY %	OVERALL: 20.50% (7TH, KIJHL) ROAD: 15.89% (T-12TH, KIJHL)
81.42% (13th , KIJHL) HOME: 80.87% (16TH, KIJHL)	PENALTY KILL %	OVERALL: 84.48% (7TH, KIJHL) ROAD: 82.50% (9TH, KIJHL)
STEVEN FIUST 18g + 31a = 49 PTS	LEADING SCORER	JACK MILLS 25g + 29a = 54 PTS

- Revelstoke owns 1-0 season series lead after a 3-2 win in Summerland earlier this season.

- The Grizzlies are a hungry team looking for points as they try to catch the 100 Mile House Wranglers in the Doug Birks Division for the 4th and final playoff spot.

- Tonight the Grizzlies will be without Griffin Fried and Jeff Bochon, both who sit out due to suspension. Summerland is nearly 100% healthy, with exception to Alex Williams who remains out with a wrist injury.

'ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END' ...TIED.

Cole Woodliffe drives towards the net of Osoyoos Coyotes Goaltender Brett Soles
on January 27th at the Summerland Arena.
Photo Credit: Sarah Mayer (shotsbysarah.tumblr.com)

It started tied, and somewhat fittingly through 70 minutes of heart-stopping action it ended tied. The display of skill put on by the Summerland Steam and the Osoyoos Coyotes last night at the Summerland Arena was nothing more than a showcase of how good KIJHL hockey can be. There were no outlandish actions from either side, no cheap post-whistle altercations, and thankfully no controversy, just good hockey at a furious pace.

For the first time this season the two teams were truly worried about nothing more than pushing each other to the brink of defeat, and the fans reaped the rewards. In past games when things were tight they were also nasty between these two bitter rivals, but on Tuesday night in a game that ended in a 2-2 draw they were hellbent on getting the best out of one another.

GAME RECAP

In the keys to the game on our broadcast, which we normally have 3 of, we only had one: Discipline. It didn't go for just one team, but both, and they didn't disappoint. Each team received just 2 powerplays in a game that was played clean, fast, and physical. Referee Ryan Le Sage did a good job of drawing the line early and making sure he had control of his game from the very beginning. Only one penalty was called in a period that had few whistles, no scoring, and took only 23 minutes to play. 

Osoyoos opened the scoring in the second period nearly 13:00 minutes in after a Cody Allen shot popped into the slot off the chest of Brett Huber in the Summerland goal. Judd Repole was there for Osoyoos and he beat a Steam defender to the puck before making a move to Huber's left and sliding it in for his 4th of the season. Allen would draw the primary assist while 'Yotes newcomer Bailey Shaver was credited the 2nd assist. 

Summerland would knot things up with just over 1:00 to play in the period as a scramble in front of the net resulted in 3 Steam players banging away at rebounds. 'Yotes goaltender Brett Soles had trouble with his glove and couldn't corral the initial shot but made 2 saves on the doorstep before Braden Eliuk banged the puck into the net for his 9th of the season. Cole Woodliffe and Tyson Klingspohn would draw assists on the equalizer.

The home team came out in the third looking to build on a good finish to the second, but gave up a breakaway just :22 in. Aaron Azevedo, the 'Yotes leading scorer, found his way behind the Summerland defense but was thwarted by Brett Huber awaiting him at the top of the crease. Azevedo made a good move, but Huber didn't bite on the fake and followed across to make the stop.

Just :32 after the breakaway save by Huber the Steam jumped ahead on the scoreboard. Braden Eliuk would net his second of the night on a turnaround shot from the slot that caromed off the stick of a Coyotes defender and climbed behind Brett Soles. Eliuk's 10th of the season looked to be the winner as Summerland did a good job of locking things down and even taking the pace to the Coyotes in the middle of the third period. 

As the clock wound down Osoyoos turned the tide and brought the pressure to the Summerland end of the ice. With 8:31 to play on the clock the Coyotes got a break as Troy Maclise got behind the Summerland defense. Maclise is the fastest player in the KI bar none and it looked as though he was off to the races 1-on-1 with Brett Huber, but Adam Jones somehow tracked him down. Jones did all he could to erase the breakaway attempt, but took a penalty in the process.

There is no doubt that referee Ryan Le Sage SHOULD have awarded Maclise a penalty shot as it was a clear cut breakaway that ended with no shot on goal. Instead he assessed Jones 2 minutes for tripping, and the league's 3rd best powerplay went to work. It took them nearly 1:30, but it finally clicked for the Coyotes when Troy Maclise curled off the left wing wall and placed a sharp wrist shot over the far side shoulder of Huber to tie the game at 2 with 7:08 to play. 

Both teams had their chances in the final minutes to win the game, but to no avail. This game was destined for OT from the beginning and was only fitting that each team got a point and the right to try and earn the extra. 

Despite back and forth action through 5 minutes of 4-on-4 and 5 minutes of 3-on-3, we finished tied when the final buzzer sounded after 70 minutes. In the 10 minutes of overtime I'd venture a guess that each team had 3 quality chances to end it, but good defensive work from both sides kept the score tied. 

These two teams will go at it one more time this season, February 13th at 7:30 at the Summerland Arena. 

THOUGHTS

- Summerland has not seen a faster team than the Osoyoos Coyotes this season. Not only are the 'Yotes fast, but they're big and skilled, making them extremely difficult to contain. I thought Summerland did an outstanding job of keeping them to the outside last night and shutting down passing lanes down low in the defensive zone.

- Not only are they fast, but the Osoyoos Coyotes are big, particularly on the blue line. All of Cody Allen, Daryl Senholt and Daniel Stone stand well over 6' tall and all move extremely well for their size. They provide a tough wall at the 'Yotes blue line with a good mix of skill, physicality, and reach. Allen also hit 2 posts in Tuesday night's game, one in each of the second and third periods. 

- Osoyoos did a good job of getting pucks deep and forcing pressure below the Summerland goal line. They were back there all night and looking to make passes to a loose member of the pack in the slot. 

- The Steam did a good job to hold the league's best offense (AVG near 5.00 GPG) to 2 goals and under 30 shots on net. Summerland played a sound defensive game for most of the night and were strong below the goal line to match the tenacity of the Coyotes. 

- I thought, for what it's worth, that Cole Williams was Summerland's best defenseman on the night. He matched against the 'big boys' for Osoyoos most of the night and was strong on both puck and body below the goal line in his own zone.

- I would have liked to have seen Summerland a little more successful on zone exits. At times it looked as though they were a little too excited and didn't realize they had time to move the puck. 

- Both goaltenders were good in this hockey game, particularly late in the third period and in OT. Shot totals were far from high, but quality scoring chances were aplenty and both 'tenders stood tall. Brett Huber made 26 saves on the night while Brett Soles made 21 at the other end for Osoyoos. 

- I thought Tyson Klingspohn had another good game for Summerland. The young man is mired in a scoring slump that reached 20 games on Tuesday night, but has contributed in other ways and had several good chances in that game. The goals are going to come for him if he keeps doing what he's doing. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Summerland will now embark on their final "out-of-division" road trip of the season as they head to Revelstoke on Friday night. The Kelowna Chiefs paid their one and only visit to the Revelstoke Forum on Tuesday night and fell 5-0 at the hands of the Grizzlies, so Summerland will surely look to avoid the same fate. 

The Steam will then return home on Sunday to play the Princeton Posse at 2PM. 

Yes, it's Super Bowl Sunday, but I promise you'll be home in time to watch Katy Perry bounce around at the halftime show!

GAME DAY REPORT: SUMMERLAND STEAM VS OSOYOOS COYOTES

SUMMERLAND STEAM	VS	OSOYOOS COYOTES
27-15-0-3	RECORD	36-6-1-1
.633%	WIN %	.841%
14-5-0-2	HOME / AWAY RECORD	17-4-0-1
W2	STREAK	W3
5-4-0-1	LAST 10 GAMES	9-0-1-0
2nd, OKANAGAN DIVISION	DIVISION RANK	1ST, OKANAGAN DIVISION
0-5-1	SEASON SERIES	6-0
153 3.40 GF PER GM (10th,  KIJHL)	GOALS FOR	208 4.73 GF PER GAME (1ST, KIJHL)
122 2.71 PER GM (3rd, KIJHL)	GOALS AGAINST	2.30 GA PER GAME (1ST, KIJHL)
+31	GOAL DIFFERENTIAL	+107
20.71% (6TH, KIJHL) HOME: 26.37% (3rd, KIJHL)	POWERPLAY %	OVERALL: 23.96% (1ST, KIJHL) ROAD: 18.97% (6TH, KIJHL)
84.78% (7TH, KIJHL) HOME: 87.27% (7TH, KIJHL)	PENALTY KILL %	OVERALL: 84.83 % (6TH, KIJHL) ROAD: 81.36% (12TH, KIJHL)
JACK MILLS 25g + 29a = 44 PTS (T-4TH, KIJHL)	LEADING SCORER	AARON AZEVEDO 19g +37a = 56 pts (2ND, KIJHL)

THE WEEK THAT WAS

The week once again started early for the Summerland Steam, as they hit the road on Wednesday to play the Sicamous Eagles. Despite a great effort against a tough team, the Steam came up short in overtime by a score of 4-3. Braden Eliuk, Michael McEachern and Cole Woodliffe would all tally for the Steam while Spencer Huff was remarkable in the Summerland goal. Huff made 32 saves in defeat, but did earn his team a point with a highlight reel glove save with 1:26 to play in regulation time. Riley Cardinal scored the winner for Sicamous at 2:53 of the 2^nd overtime period, lifting his team to victory. Owen Rowsell, Carter Hansen and Justin Wilde all tallied for the Eagles while Patrick Kasper made 45 saves for the victory.

Summerland picked up a valuable point in Sicamous on Wednesday, and picked up 2 more on Friday with a 5-0 drubbing of the North Okanagan Knights. The Knights are in the midst of their toughest season in franchise history, and Summerland did not make anything easy for them on Friday. Adam Jones got the scoring started for Summerland while Coleton Fisher and Jack Mills each recorded 2 goals and an assist in the victory. Brett Huber recorded the shutout for Summerland in his return to the lineup from a lower body injury, making a tidy 19 saves for the visitors.

Having taken 3 of a possible 4 points, Summerland headed into Kelowna on Sunday night to take on the division rival Kelowna Chiefs. The Chiefs had been resurgent since the return of Nick Josephs from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the BCHL, but without him in the lineup on Sunday Summerland cruised to an easy 5-2 victory. Jack Mills recorded a hat trick for the Steam and added an assist while Kendell Wilson and Rylan Sideroff also collected goals. Michael McEachern added two assists and Brett Huber made 36 saves in the victory. Dylan Jamieson recorded both goals for the Chiefs in the loss. 

With the 5 of a possible 6 points collected in their games last week, Summerland sits comfortably in 2^nd place in the Okanagan Division with 57 points. They currently sit 17 points behind the league leading Osoyoos Coyotes and 16 points ahead of the 3^rd place Princeton Posse. Summerland has all but clinched home ice advantage heading into the playoffs, needing Princeton to lose their game in hand to seal it.

Summerland will host a midweek game against the Osoyoos Coyotes on Tuesday, January 27th. Family packs of tickets will be available for just $18, and we there will be silent auctions for jerseys as well as a raffle for a Summerland Steam mini-fridge! Make sure to come out and support local Jr. Hockey and watch one of the best rivalries in the valley unfold. 

 After their game on Tuesday, the Steam will travel to Revelstoke on Friday. They will host the division rival Princeton Posse on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1^st, at 2PM at the Summerland Arena.

STEAM COMPLETE SEASON SWEEP OF KNIGHTS

On Friday night the Summerland Steam headed to the Nor-Val Center in Armstrong to complete their season series with the North Okanagan Knights. It was the 8th and final meeting of the season between the two teams, and the Steam completed the series sweep with a 5-0 victory.

Right from the get-go, it was evident that Summerland had come to play. They put instant pressure on a Knights' team that was missing one of it's leading scorers, Logan Geefs, and were rewarded nearly immediately. Adam Jones got things started for the visitors just halfway through the first on a powerplay with his 4th of the season. Braden Eliuk and Kendell Wilson would draw assists on the goal that put Summerland up 1-0. 

The Steam would go up 2-0 just under 5 minutes later when Jack Mills notched his 21st of the season after he peeled off the wall and buried a sharp wrist shot. Assists would go to Rylan Sideroff and Coleton Fisher, both of whom saw their fair share of minutes in the absence of Riley Pettitt, Cole Woodliffe and Tyson Klingspohn. 

The Steam would hold the Knights to just 3 shots in the first period, and kill off a couple early penalties in the 2nd. Coleton Fisher would then add to the Steam lead later in the period on a sweet tip in front of Knights' goaltender Mitch Profeit. Fisher's 5th of the season was assisted by Calvin Hadley and Jack Mills, extending the lead to 3-0. It was clear by this point in the game that a 3-0 lead was insurmountable for the Knights, and the Steam would continue to push into the third. 

They would fire more shots at Mitch Profeit in the third period (22) than the Knights put on Brett Huber in the Steam net all game (19). A pair of powerplay goals from Jack Mills and Coleton Fisher would stretch the Steam lead to 5, and they would cruise on to victory without incident. 

THOUGHTS

- The Summerland powerplay came alive in the victory on Friday, going 3/6 with the man advantage. They had previously been floundering when being a man up and on the road with a percentage at an even 10.00%, but in the last 2 games against Sicamous and North Okanagan they've gone 5/10. Being 50% in the past 2 games has brought that percentage up 3.86% to 13.86% and increased their PP ranking from 18th to 13th while on the road.

- For Mills, his 3 points on the night bring him to 50 on the season and a tie for 8th in the KIJHL in scoring with Golden Rockets F Cole McEchney. Mills stretched his team lead to 5 points over linemate Cole Woodliffe heading into Sunday's matchup with the Kelowna Chiefs. 

- Brett Huber made his return to the Steam crease on Friday night after missing nearly a month with a lower body injury. His last game came on December 27th in Osoyoos, but he didn't look out of place on Friday. Huber wasn't tested often but was strong when he was needed, stopping 19 shots for his 3rd clean sheet of the season.

WHAT'S NEXT?

After a win on Friday, the Steam will look to stretch their win streak to 2 on Sunday when they face the Kelowna Chiefs. Faceoff goes at 7PM at the Rutland Arena. After that game the Steam will return home for their first home game in 11 days. On Tuesday night, January 27th at 7:30 they'll host the Osoyoos Coyotes in meeting 7 of 8 on the season. FAMILY PACKS (2 Adults, up to 4 Kids under 12) are just $18 for Tuesday night's game and the Steam will be holding silent auctions for jerseys as well as a raffle for a Summerland Steam mini-fridge! 

GAME DAY: SUMMERLAND STEAM @ NORTH OKANAGAN KNIGHTS

NORTH OKANAGAN KNIGHTS	VS	SUMMERLAND STEAM
6-33-1-4	RECORD	25-15-0-3
5-16-0-2	HOME / AWAY RECORD	11-10-0-1
L1	STREAK	L2
1-7-0-2	LAST 10 GAMES	3-5-0-2
5TH, OKANAGAN DIVISION	DIVISION RANK	2ND, OKANAGAN DIVISION
0-7	SEASON SERIES	7-0
.193%	WIN %	.616%
89 2.02  GF PER GM (20TH,  KIJHL)	GOALS FOR	143 3.33 GF PER GM (10TH, KIJHL)
193 4.39 PER GM (19TH, KIJHL)	GOALS AGAINST	120 2.79 GA PER GAME (3RD, KIJHL)
-104	DIFFERENTIAL	+23
11.58% (18TH , KIJHL) HOME: 13.08% (18TH, KIJHL)	POWERPLAY %	OVERALL: 18.82% (8TH, KIJHL) ROAD: 11.58% (14TH, KIJHL)
80.30% (14th , KIJHL) HOME: 84.29% (10TH, KIJHL)	PENALTY KILL %	OVERALL: 84.82% (6TH, KIJHL) ROAD: 82.46% (9TH, KIJHL)
ZACKARI ANDRUSIAK 12g + 21a = 33 PTS	LEADING SCORER	JACK MILLS 20g + 27a = 47 PTS

THOUGHTS

- Tonight marks the final meeting of the 8-game season series between Summerland and North Okanagan. Summerland sits 7-0 against the Knights this season. 

- Summerland is coming off a tough 2OT loss to the Sicamous Eagles on Wednesday that saw them fire 48 shots at Eagles' goaltender Patrick Kasper.

- North Okanagan played Wednesday night as well, keeping the league's best team and best offense to a 5-3 score, although they came out on the low end of that score.

- Summerland's line of Jack Mills, Cole Woodliffe and Braden Eliuk have been rolling of late and will look to continue their consistently strong play through this weekend's games.

- Paulsen Lautard and Daylan Robertson seem to have found their stride for Summerland after returning to the team at the January 10th deadline. They, alongside linemate Tyson Klingspohn have been very good in the past few games and will look to get on the scoreboard again tonight.

- There is a possibility Brett Huber makes his return to the Summerland crease tonight after being sidelined for the past several weeks with a lower body injury. It has been almost a month (Dec 27) since his last start and once he's healthy he'll be a big part in Summerland's stretch drive and playoff run. He along with goaltending partner Spencer Huff provide a stiff backbone for the Steam as they get set for the final 9 games of the season. 8 of those contests are divisional games with the lone non-divisional contest coming January 30th in Revelstoke.