Game Report | WK at TRA

Take away the first 7:35 and it was an outstanding game for the Smoke Eaters.

However, West Kelowna was leading 4-0 at that point and held on for a 5-4 win in front of a Cominco Arena crowd of 2,059.

Caden Kemkaren-Humble opened the scoring at 2:59, scoring on a breakaway to end the game’s furious first shift.

Ironically, Warriors goalie Angelo Zol stopped Smokies winger Christian Kim on a breakaway shortly before the opening goal.

The Warriors scored back-to-back goals just 15-seconds apart to take a 3-0 lead just shy of the seven minute mark, ending the evening for Smokies starting goalie Lyam Leblanc. Coach and GM Eric Thurston also called a time out to try to settle things down.

But a penalty shortly after play resumed put the Warriors on the power play and West Kelowna scored 15-seconds later.

The Smokies started pushing back on Kim’s sizzling snipe just past the 12 minute mark and Brayden Sinclair snapped another one in from almost the same spot on the right-wing a minute and a half later. The Smokies centreman has scored in three of the last five games.

Cash Carter came within inches of reducing the Warriors lead to a single goal moments later and the free-wheeling, wild and wacky first period ended 4-2 in favour of West Kelowna.

Despite Trail’s strong second period start, the Warriors extended the lead to 5-2 about five minutes into the middle frame on Natan Ethier’s second goal of the game as he converted on a rebound from the slot. However, the Smokies kept coming.

Carter roofed his 14th goal of the season on a Trail power play, finishing a three-way passing play with Kim and Zach Coutu just past the nine-minute mark and Dylan Lariviere lifted in a backhander from a sharp angle on a goal-mouth scramble pulling the Smokies to within a single shot of tying the game.

Neither team scored over the final 26-minutes and 16-seconds of playing time.

Smokies goalie Chayse Johnson made a great save after a cross-crease pass during a 3-on-1 break with about five minutes remaining.

Trail’s best chance to tie the game came later in the third period when Erik Pastro was unable to corral a bouncing puck outside the crease with half of the net exposed. A too-many-men on the ice penalty with 2:25 remaining thwarted Trail’s desperate final attack, although they did create a couple of scoring chances shorthanded.

The Smokies outshot the neutral-zone trapping Warriors 11-5 in the third period and 27-22 overall.

Trail was 1-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.

The Smokies now trail the first place Warriors by six points and still hold a game in hand. These teams will meet three more times in the next four weeks.

Tonight in Trail, the Smokies host the Coastal West Division leading Cowichan Valley Capitals, who will try to bounce back from last night’s 4-3 overtime loss in Salmon Arm.
Opening face-off is at 7 o’clock and good seats are still available at Tickets.TrailSmokeEaters.com.