Garrett McMullen scored at 1:12 of the second overtime period to give the Trail Smoke Eaters a crucial 4-3 victory over the visiting Penticton Vees in BCHL action on Saturday.
Jae Lucchini, Braeden Jones and Marley Keca also scored for the Smoke Eaters, who pulled even with Salmon Arm for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Interior Division.
Brock Balson, Jordan McCallum and Louie Nanne scored for the Vees (34-14-0-4), who got one point and opened up a five-point lead in the Interior over the second-place Merritt Centennials. Merritt lost 2-1 at home to the West Kelowna Warriors.
Adam Todd made 34 saves for the Smokies while Nic Renyard stopped 25 shots for the Vees.
Luccini put Trail up 1-0 at 5:28 of the first and it stayed that way until a wild third period.
Balson tied it on the power play at 5:58 and McCallum had Ryan Gropp's shot bank in off his skate to give the Vees a 2-1 lead at 9:41.
The Smokies tied it again at 12:03 on a lucky break as Jones's dump-in from centre hit a stanchion and caromed past Renyard, who had come out to play the puck.
Keca put Trail back in front with his first of the season on a power play at 15:28, but the Vees bounced back to tie it again as Nanne scored on a nice feed from Sam Mellor with 2:56 to go.
The Vees and Trail play two more times next weekend - Friday in Penticton and Saturday in Trail.
At Wesbild Centre in Vernon, Tanner Johnson's second goal of the game at 1:55 of the first overtime period gave the Langley Rivermen a 3-2 win over the host Vipers.
Brett Corkey and Craig Martin scored for the fading Vipers, who are six points out of a playoff spot with only five games left to play.
At Merritt, Tyler Briggs backstopped the Warriors to a 2-1 victory by making 43 saves. He gave up a shorthanded goal in the first, but West Kelowna replied with two second-period markers from Mitch Nardi and leading scorer Marcus Basara, on a power play.