Wednesday 11 March 2015

STEAM FINISH SEASON AFTER GAME 6 LOSS TO COYOTES

It's never the way you want your season to end, watching your opponent celebrate a series victory on your home ice. It's something you don't want to see, yet for the 2nd season in a row the Summerland Steam felt the sting of defeat on home ice in the playoffs.

Last season it was Game 7 of Round 1, where they had a lead with 7 minutes to play and lost 5-3 to the North Okanagan Knights. This season the run went much deeper, as they beat the division rival Kelowna Chiefs in Game 7 of Round 1 by a score of 2-1 and moved on to round 2.

We all know what happened in the first 2 games in Osoyoos. Summerland competed in the first game, losing 4-2 thanks to 2 shorties and an empty netter from the 'Yotes. In the second game the Summerland finally ran out of Steam, losing 8-2 in their 5th game in 6 nights and 9th game in the previous 12.

After a much needed off-day, we were all witness to a Game 3 that went over 5 hours in length and almost 3 full overtimes. The 'Yotes thought they'd won it in OT #2, but the guys in the striped shirts (black and white, not burgundy and white) called it back because it did not cross the line. Cole Woodliffe would then end things on the powerplay in the third OT to get the Steam back in the series.

Apparently this game took everything out of more than just the players. I did not realize until yesterday that I hadn't covered Games 4, or 5 yet, let alone 6.

GAME 4



Game 4 saw a complete team effort from a Summerland team that was without their captain, Paulsen Lautard. Lautard was hurt late in the first overtime in Game #3 and tried to play in 2OT before calling it a night. He wouldn't play for the remainder of the series due to a lower body injury.

In that game 4, Summerland came away with a 6-2 victory over the Coyotes, getting goals from 6 different scorers along the way. Tyson Klingspohn opened the scoring and Lathan McKinney extended the lead in the second period. The Coyotes would then level things at 2 as they beat Steam goaltender Brett Huber. The first, from Tyler Ostram, was a long shot that took a deflection before ending up in the net, while the 2nd was a pass out front from Troy Maclise that took a hop on bad ice and jumped pass Huber.

Summerland would then rattle off 4 straight, including 3 in the third. Adam Jones would net what would be the winner late in the 2nd after Aaron Azevedo stayed down on the ice to campaign for a penalty. He was unsuccessful, and Jones was left unchecked to hammer a point shot in behind Brett Soles. Braden Eliuk, Daylan Robertson, and Nelson Hurry added goals in the third to round out the scoring at 6-2.

GAME 5


Game 5 was a carry over of Game 4, at least in the first period. The Coyotes made a change in goal, starting Lawrence Langan for the first time in the series. He made a difference, as he made several key saves in a scoreless first period before Osoyoos could break the game open in the 2nd period. Brett Jewell opened the scoring for the 'Yotes just :17 into the period before Tyson Klingspohn responded 1:28 later on the powerplay.

Colten Braid would then score 2 in the final 2 periods to help the Coyotes pick up a 5-2 win. Troy Maclise and Blake Holowaty would add the others for Osoyoos, while Daylan Robertson would score another PP goal for Summerland in the third.

Late in the third, with 4:19 to play, Ryan Roseboom was assessed a major penalty for charging Steam defenseman Lathan McKinney. It was a late hit in the corner that saw Roseboom come all the way across the goal line to make the hit. With the assessment of a major penalty in the final 10 minutes, Roseboom missed game 6 for the 'Yotes.

GAME 6


The Clincher. It was a lot like the season series in that Summerland had trouble with the Osoyoos powerplay. In the regular season series the teams played 8 games, and Summerland had trouble with the Osoyoos PP in 3 of those. Monday night was another one of those, as the 'Yotes used their PP to score all 3 of their goals in a 3-2 win. 

The Summerland fans weren't happy with the officiating on the night and neither were the coaching staff, but it was an automatic penalty call that doomed the Steam in the third period. After being put on the penalty kill in a 2-2 game, Summerland Defenseman Rylan Sideroff went to clear the puck out of the zone. Instead of hitting glass he sent it straight over, giving the 'Yotes a 5 on 3 for 1:49. The Yotes made no mistake, as Colten Braid scored his 2nd powerplay goal of the game to give the 'Yotes the lead. 

Jackson Dematos was the other goal scorer for the Coyotes, as he potted a goal on the powerplay in the first period. 

For Summerland, they got goals from Riley Pettitt and Daylan Robertson in the losing effort. 

WRAP UP


Game 6 was a tough game to watch. Tough for the fans, tough for us in the booth, and tough for the players. The Summerland crew felt they were done a disservice throughout the game by the officiating crew, and I can't say that I blame them after watching the video back. Osoyoos wasn't happy either, and I don't blame them one bit. Reasoning is this: 

In the final 5 minutes of the game, Summerland was awarded 2 powerplays. One after Jackson Dematos took a penalty for head contact, and another after Troy Maclise was sent off for a trip. They were unable to capitalize on either one and ended up losing by a score of 3-2. 

Summerland was angry because it had been happening all game and hadn't been called until then. Osoyoos was unhappy for the exact same reason, and both teams had a legitimate concern. 

In any event, a 3-2 win for the Coyotes sends them through to Round 3, where they'll face Kamloops in a Best of 7 for the Conference Championship. As I write, the 'Yotes have just finished up a 7-2 win in game 1 of that series. By the boxscore, it looks like a powerplay-heavy game that got a little ugly at the end with Kamloops' Ian Chrystal and Marc Dumont both receiving major penalties in the last 10 minutes. They'll miss Game 2 on Thursday night. 


Keep your eyes here over the course of the next week or so as we wrap up the season that was for the Summerland Steam as well as get to some team awards that will be given out at the Awards Banquet this coming Saturday. 


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