The playoff race is heating up in the BCHL’s Interior Conference.
And the Okotoks Oilers (21-24-2) added a two-point cushion to the eighth and final seed in the conference by knocking off the Spruce Grove Saints 3-1 in a split weekend for the Green and Gold ahead of a crucial three-game week.
On Friday, the Oilers scored two second period goals through Hunter Sawka and Jacob Goudreau with Kade Duell adding a third period insurance tally to increase his goals streak to five games.
Spruce Grove’s Josh Polak scored in the final minute to break Okotoks goalie Olivier Ciarlo’s shutout bid. The 20-year-old netminder from Laval, Que. made 25 saves for his 19th victory.
The win gave Okotoks a five-point lead atop Spruce Grove in the battle for the eighth seed in the Interior. Okotoks is also one point back of seventh place West Kelowna with two games in hand on the Warriors.
The top six seeds — Penticton, Brooks, Trail, Salmon Arm, Sherwood Park and Cranbrook — have clinched playoff berths.
Okotoks' weekend fortunes flipped on Saturday at the Viking Rentals Centre with the high-octane Salmon Arm Silverbacks skating to a 6-2 result.
Oilers rookie forward Ryan Boyce netted his third goal in the past seven games with two-way centre Spencer Rheaume adding his eighth marker.
This week, Okotoks is in Blackfalds on March 12 for a mid-week affair followed by a March 14 road clash in Brooks and March 15 home date with the Cranbrook Bucks to close the week.
The Oilers have seven games left in the regular season with four of the final five games on home ice.
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.com.
