Game Report
It was a goaltenders duel to the end as the two top teams in the BCHL’s Interior West Division squared off in West Kelowna, with the keepers first and second stars.
Warriors 20-year-old netminder Angelo Zol made a point blank buzzer beating stop off Cash Carter with the Smokies buzzing around the net to preserve a 1-0 win.
Zol, who was down and out in the crowded crease got some help a split second later when defenseman Liam Nilsson, while on his knees, stopped the final shot by Dylan Lariviere who spun and fired for the top of the net.
The two referees took a long look at the video when time expired to make sure the puck didn’t cross the goal line after originally ruling there was no goal and could not find conclusive evidence to overturn the original call.
Zol also made sensational third period stops on a Dylan Danyluk wrap-around attempt and speedy Swede Louis Jonerheim’s breakaway as he got his pads closed just in time on the fast backhand-to-forehand move.
The only shot to beat a phenomenal Chayse Johnson in the Smokies goal was a major league shot by Dylan Krayer from deep in the right-wing circle that found the miniscule space left open at the top of the net with about seven minutes remaining in the second period.
The 18-year-old rookie gave his team a chance to win, keeping the deficit at a single goal over the last 27-minutes of playing time.
The Smokies turned it on in the third period directing 12-of-their-25 shots on goal in the final frame and holding the home side to just 4-of-their-22 shots.
Trail went 0-for-2 on the power play and killed off the lone West Kelowna advantage.
The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Trail who are now 18-6 on the season and are now four points behind the first-place Warriors. The win was West Kelowna’s eighth in a row at home. The Warriors have now picked up at least one point in their last 13 games at Royal LePage Place.
Trail defenseman Max Hense will now head to Minnesota to play for his native Germany at the World Junior Hockey Championships.
The Smokies lone game this coming weekend is a Friday night battle against Brooks at Cominco Arena. Tickets are available in the Smokies Store or online at Tickets.TrailSmokeEaters.com.