Okanagan tops Selkirk College in BCIHL regular season opener

A Caleb Georgetti hat trick was not enough for Selkirk College to record a big road win to open the 2011 British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League season on Saturday night, as the Saints ultimately fell to the Okanagan College Coyotes by a 5-3 score in Kelowna.

Okanagan forward James Neitsch scored the only goal of the first period, but Georgetti  made his mark on the game in the middle frame with three goals, including a hat-trick marker that tied the game at 3-3.

But the Coyotes regrouped early in the final period and iced the game with a pair of goals in a span of 2:52. Reigning BCIHL Defenceman of the Year Dave Mann counted the winner just 54 seconds into the frame, with Layne Stopanksi picking up his second of the night off a feed from Mann minutes later.

Stopanski, Georgetti and Neitsch were named the game's three stars while Sunny Gill picked up the win in net with a 23-save effort. At the other end of the rink, Spenser Wong gave his Saints the chance to win by stopping 41 of 45 shots.

Okanagan will look to keep their record perfect on Friday, October 14th vs. SFU while Selkirk will host the University of Victoria that same night in Castlegar.