With a playoff spot gone, the North Okanagan Knights had a chance to play spoiler in their final Kootenay International Junior Hockey League regular season home game Monday.
And they did.
In front of a capacity Family Day crowd at the Nor-Val Sports Centre, Cameron McKenzie scored at 3:24 of the second overtime period to give the Knights a 3-2 win over the Princeton Posse, preventing the visitors from moving closer to clinching third place in the Okanagan-Shuswap Division.
McKenzie’s goal came on a powerplay with Princeton assessed a bench minor in the second extra frame.
The Posse (17-25-1-4) have 39 points, two more than the fourth-place Osoyoos Coyotes (17-27-2-1) with each team having two games left, including a huge encounter Friday in Princeton.
Whoever finishes third avoids having to play the league-best Kelowna Chiefs (42-2-1-2) in the opening round.
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The Knights (16-30-0-0), who snapped a five-game losing streak Monday, jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead on goals from Cole Haberlack, 32 seconds after the national anthem, and Nicholas Teale at 3:36.
The Posse fought back with single goals in the second and third period.
Knights game star Caedon Bellmann made 42 saves for the win.
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North Okanagan dropped a 3-1 decision to the Grizzlies in Revelstoke Saturday.
McKenzie earned game-star honours, scoring the Knights’ only goal late in the first period to tie the game 1-1.
Ethan Schaeffer scored two second-period goals for Revelstoke.
Bellmann made 43 saves in net for the Knights, who will close out the season with road games Friday in Summerland and Saturday in Chase.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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