The North Okanagan Knights believe they can hang with the Revelstoke Grizzlies. Now is the time to prove it.
Despite being outscored 8-2 and trailing the Grizz 2-0 in their best-of-seven Kootenay International Junior Hockey League series, head coach Sylvain Leone said it has been a tight series. The two teams met for Game 3 Thursday night at Nor-Val Sports Centre and face off in Game 4 tonight in Armstrong.
“We’re getting to the net better. We’re definitely playing well enough to compete with these guys, we’ve just got to bury it,” said Leone.
“We don’t want to change much 5-on-5. We competed with them for the most part, and outworked them for stretches. We’re definitely right there. We’re knocking on the door.”
The Grizzlies opened with early goals by Vernon Tigers junior B lacrosse star Brooks Christensen (2+2) and Bruce Silvera (2+2) before Ben Greenaway countered for the Knights with a shorthanded goal at 6:10. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound West Kelowna native blocked a point shot and won a foot race for the loose puck before beating netminder Tory Caldwell low gloveside on a partial breakaway.
Christensen netted the lone second-period goal before Silvera made it 4-1 early in the third.
Knights’ veteran Colin Minardi completed the offence with 4:30 to play, picking the top corner on Caldwell after Tanner Burns and Kurtis Hagen worked the puck to him from the corner.