It would appear teams in the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League received a late memo regarding a new overtime rule.
Both the Vernon Source For Sports Tigers and Kamloops Venom were somewhat confused after they battled to a 9-9 tie Saturday night at Kal Tire Place.
Referee Ted Yadernuch brought out his cell phone and confirmed with a B.C. Lacrosse Association official that a 10-minute, non-sudden death OT period was now a rule.
Kordell Primus scored first in OT to put Venom up 9-8 but Caden Colmorgen scored on a cross-crease pass to tie it. The Tigers top the table at 5-0-2, while the Venom are second at 4-1-1. The teams appear headed to a seventh-straight championship playoff series.
Earlier in the season, the Tigers and South Okanagan Flames played to a tie, as did the Armstrong Shamrocks and South Okanagan, and there was no overtime.
“After some discussion between the teams for clarification, the new rule from BCLA states that games ending in a tie will play a 10-minute, non-sudden death period,” said Vernon GM Duane Barr. “It was a tense one out there.”
Vernon led 2-1 after one period and went ahead 4-2 at 13:31 of the second when Kaden Doughty scored shorthanded. The Venom then rattled off four straight goals in the last 3:57 of the period, the final tally coming after Kamloops called timeout with ball possession in the Tigers’ end and 14 seconds left, and pulled goalie Ethan Milobar for an extra attacker.
Primus, who finished with four snipes, ripped a shot over Kyle McIntosh’s shoulder with three seconds remaining in the frame to give the Venom a 6-4 advantage at the intermission.
Kamloops upped the lead 1:58 into the third on a goal by Colton Boomer. Two goals from Jake Pelletier and Doughty’s third of the game, in a 4:32 span, early in the frame, tied the game.
Primus gave the Rattlers an 8-7 lead at 15:37, only to see Tigers’ defender Thomas Mackiewich pick up a loose ball in his own end, outrace two defenders and beat Milobar between the legs to level the score 67 seconds later.
Mackiewich earlier in the period was on the floor for several minutes after getting rocked by a Kamloops player on a solid hit in the Tigers’ end. He walked off the floor under his own power.
Vernon’s Mason Salway took a cross-checking penalty with 44 seconds left in regulation time, which carried over into overtime, but Kamloops could not beat McIntosh, who was sensational all night.
After the Tigers were whistled for too many men on the floor, Primus wired his fourth goal of the night, an absolute laser from the top left side of the floor, to give the Venom a 9-8 advantage with 4:45 left in OT.
Colmorgen salvaged the single point when he took a beautiful backdoor feed from Jordy Barr and slipped a one-timer past Milobar with 1:29 left to go. Kamloops outshot Vernon 63-52.
Kael Black and Zach Gares supplied singles for the Tigers. Kyle Cuzzetto and Brett Olsen each rang up two assists.
Tylor Seabrooke posted 2+3 for Kamloops, while Anthony Matusiak also scored a deuce. Ryan Dergousoff delivered four assists, while Boomer chipped in with two.
South Okangan brushed back the host Shamrocks 15-10 in Friday night play at Nor-Val Sports Centre.
Mykl Drabiuk collected 3+1, while Drew Bannister bagged 2+3 for the Shamrocks in a wild tilt which featured 146 penalty minutes.
Jorge Sam. Dakota Grismer-Voght and Ethan Dodge also scored twice for Armstrong (0-6-1).
Drabiuk rang up 5+3, while Bannister earned 1+6 as the Shamrocks grounded the Flames 15-6 Monday night in Penticton.
Austin Dounais and Sam each collected 2+2, while Dodge provided 2+1 and Dakota Campen also scored twice. Grismer-Voght pocketed 1+3, while Ryan Sadorsky tallied once. The Flames took 56 PIM, including 10 bodychecking minors.
Vernon entertains the Flames (1-4-2) Saturday night.
In minor lacrosse play, the North Okanagan Storage For Life #1 Legends exploded for a pair of Novice league wins.
Austin Aeichele counted 5+3, while Wyatt Stowards, Jesse Johnson and Mattias Paull each supplied deuces as the host Legends ran to a 16-2 ambush of Kamloops #2 Saturday at Nor-Val Sports Centre.
Connor Johnson, Taylor Gibson, Daniel Cowden and Chloe Collins provided singles in front of Shaymus Waterstreet.
Stowards scored four times, while Paull and Johnson each compiled a pair as the Legends iced the Penticton Heat 10-3 Sunday in Armstrong.
Boston Ciccone and Gibson provided the other Legend tallies.
The Everton Ridge Homes Legends split a pair of Bantam B games, winning 4-3 and losing 9-1 to the Nicola Valley.
Chayton Marchand (2), Terran Gorius and Bradley Scabar, on a gorgeous over-the-shoulder-backhander after a floor-length feed by Jacob Fox, accounted for Everton’s offence in the win Saturday at Kal Tire Place.
Fox scored from Kai-Lee Bonneau in Sunday’s loss in Merritt.