Game Day! | BRK at TRA
The Trail Smoke Eaters go for their third straight win tonight when they host the overall leaders of the BCHL.
The Brooks Bandits, one of the five additions this season from the AJHL, are 11-1 on the season, having suffered their first setback over the weekend.
The perennial contender while in the Alberta Junior Hockey League make their first trip to the Interior West Division against a Smoke Eater side coming off an outstanding weekend.
Trail went 2-and-0 with a fantastic 4-1 Friday night foiling of the Penticton Vees, followed by a stunning Saturday in the Shuswap.
Lucas Lemieux scored with less than a second remaining in regulation and set up Carter Matthew’s overtime winner in the 2-1 decision in Salmon Arm.
Goaltender Teagan Kendrick was outstanding in both games, earning first and third star honours, giving up just two goals on 65 shots, while making several big, if not sensational saves at key times. That earned the 20-year-old BCHL Third Star of the Week Honours.
Meanwhile, the Bandits have the option of starting Johnny Hicks against the Smoke Eaters. He has the league best goals against average at 1.09, a league leading three shutouts and the best save percentage in the BCHL at .951.
These teams met on Sunday September 29th in Brooks as the Trail troupe closed out a three game road trip to Alberta.
The Smokies battled back from a pair of two-goal deficits to force overtime, only to fall 5-4 on a goal by Parker Lalonde, who has a league-leading 11 tallies.
The former Powell River King is coming off a combined 30 goals and 80 points last season with the Bandits in the AJHL and BCHL and is tied for third overall in the BCHL points race this season with 17.
Nathan Free of the Bandits is tied for sixth with 16 points.
Lemieux and Evan Sundar are tied for the Trail points lead with 14, one better than Jason Stefanek, who leads the team with nine goals.
Callas Pierce sat out Saturday’s game in Salmon Arm with an injury, but appears ready to return to the lineup.
The newly formed line of Dylan Lariviere, Cade De St. Hubert and Josh Evaschesen were impactful in both wins last weekend, while the trio of Stefanek, Attila Lippai and Christian Kim was the only line that remained intact.
Opening face off is set for 7 p.m. and great seats are still available at Tickets.TrailSmokeEaters.com.