Two goals in the final minute of regulation vaulted the Westshore Wolves to a 4-2 victory over the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League play in Courtenay on Saturday night.
鈥淚t was a great game all around,鈥� said Glacier Kings鈥� head coach Mike Nesbitt. 鈥淲e had a goal called off with five minutes to go. They called goaltender interference, but our player was pushed on top of their goalie. So it鈥檚 a tough one. You win games like that, and you lose games like that in the course of a season, but it鈥檚 tough when you feel you deserved the win.鈥�
That was the second disallowed goal of the game for the Yetis. Earlier in the third, with the score 1-1, a shot rang off the middle bar in the back of the net and came back out. It was ruled to have hit the post. The full house disagreed, but the play carried on.
The game was scoreless after one, and 1-0 for the Glacier King after 40 minutes, thanks to Lare Pahtayken鈥檚 11th goal of the season, on the power play, midway through the second period.
The Wolves scored twice in the first half of the third, before Mason Windsor鈥檚 second of the season tied it, with nine minutes to play.
Kobe Knowles scored his 29th of the season with 50 seconds to play in regulation and Jackson Campbell added an empty netter with 10 seconds to play.
Westshore outshot the Glacier Kings 42-30 in the game. Ryan Knight took the loss in the Comox valley net. Dryden Demelo picked up the win for the Wolves.
鈥淚t was an important game for us,鈥� said Nesbitt. 鈥淲e are (so close) to gaining home-ice advantage in the playoffs. It could be Kerry Park, or Westshore, or Oceanside - we don鈥檛 know yet. So we are all battling for position right now. It鈥檚 going to be tight coming down to the last few games.鈥�
It was the only game of the weekend for the Glacier Kings, who, with six games remaining in the regular season, are now jockeying for position to determine their first-round opponent.
The VIJHL playoff format consists of the top three teams from each division locking in playoff positions. The final two playoff positions will be determined by league-wide points standings among the remaining five teams.
The Yetis have a one-point lead on Oceanside for second in the North Division standings, with one game in hand.
The Campbell River Storm, Glacier Kings, and the Oceanside Generals have already qualified for the North Division playoffs.
The Victoria Cougars, Saanich Predators (60 point), Westshore Wolves (54) and Kerry Park Islanders (50) have all qualified for the playoffs, but only the Cougars and Predators have secured their positions as two of the top three teams in the South.
Should a South Division team cross over into the North Division, which is likely, that team will be ranked based on its overall points, meaning a South Division team could end up ranked No. 2 and with home ice advantage for the first round of the North Division playoffs.
All playoff series will be best-of-seven format.
The 23-15-1-1 Glacier Kings play the 1-40-0-0 Nanaimo Buccaneers on Thursday.
Other games include two against the 8-31-1-1 Port Alberni Bombers, two against the 13-26-0-2 Lake Cowichan Kraken, and one against the South Division-leading 31-10-1-1 Victoria Cougars.
Nesbitt said while the schedule looks favourable on paper, nothing is guaranteed.
Those guys on all those teams that are below .500 are playing for spots on next year鈥檚 rosters, so nothing is for sure, but we should be pretty good,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 about staying healthy, playing the right way, and making sure we are playing together as a team, those are the main things.鈥�
Comox Valley will host Port Alberni on Saturday. Puck drops at 7:30 at the Comox valley Sports Centre.
The Glacier Kings鈥� regular season concludes on Saturday, Feb. 24 at home against the Lake Cowichan Kraken.
