Foster scores winner as Cents move into third place in Bill Ohlhausen Division

It took some last minute heroics for your Merritt Centennials last night as the Cents scored two goals in the last minute of regulation to down the Coyotes 4-3 in KIJHL action in Osoyoos.

Trailing 3-2 with under a minute left in regulation Maxim Radmanovich tied the game at 19:19, the Steven Foster scored his 22nd of the year at 19:39 of the game earned the Cents two points.

After a scoreless first period, Mathieu Lessard opened the scoring for the Coyotes with his 4th goal of the season at 8:27 to give Osoyoos a 1-0 second period lead.

Brayden Thurlow tied it at 16:50 of the period with assists going to Dylan Krutchen and Alex Cordero for his tenth of the season.

Late in the third period, Cents captain Jackson Foster who celebrated playing in his 150 career junior hockey game Saturday against 100 Mile House, broke the 1-1 tie, pinching in from the blueline for his first goal of the season at 15:32 to give the Cents a brief 2-1 lead.

Osoyoos scored two quick goals (Logan Messer at 16:40 and Kyle Cyr at 18:24) to give the Coyotes a 3-2 lead heading into the final minute of play.

Then as regulation time was winding down and Cents goaltender Andrew Krakora on the bench, Maxim Radmanovich pulled the Centennials even at 3-3 before Foster’s winner with 21 seconds left in the game.

The Cents are now two points ahead of Sicamous for third in the Bill Ohlhausen division.

Goalie Andrew Krakora finally got some offence on Wednesday night as he picked up his tenth win of the season making 33 saves. In Krakora’s previous two games the Centennials were shut out by Revelstoke and Creston Valley.

On Friday night the Cents play the second of their three game in four nights slate this weekend as they entertain the Williams Lake Mustangs at the NVMA and then Saturday night, the Cents play the Kamloops Storm at the McCarthur Park Arena.

All games are at 7 p.m. and can be heard on Q101 starting at 6:45 p.m.