PREVIEW – Smoke Eaters Clash With Bucks
The second half of the BCHL season kicks off with a Kootenay Clash and two of the hottest teams in the BCHL going at it, as the Smoke Eaters host the Bucks in the first half of a home-and-home series.
Season series against Cranbrook
Sep. 30 Cranbrook 3 at Trail 1 Final
Oct. 1 Trail 0 at Cranbrook 6 Final
Oct. 15 Cranbrook 4 at Trail 3 Final OT
Dec. 30 Cranbrook at Trail 7:00 pm PST
Dec. 31 Trail at Cranbrook 6:00 pm MST
Feb. 10 Cranbrook at Trail 7:00 pm PST
Feb. 11 Trail at Cranbrook 7:00 pm MST
The Smoke Eaters kick off the second half riding a six game win streak thanks to two more wins prior to the Christmas break, beating Merritt and Salmon Arm. The win against the Silverbacks launched the Smoke Eaters into fifth place in the Interior Conference and just one point back of Prince George, who they’ll see at the end of January. First though the Smoke Eaters will put their win streak on the line against the Cranbrook Bucks, who have won the first three meetings of the season so far, narrowly winning games one and three but getting a convincing win at Western Financial place on the second weekend of the season. The Smoke Eaters haven’t seen the Bucks since October 15th where they lost 4-3 in overtime. The Smoke Eaters, last lost in regulation to the Wenatchee Wild, more than a month ago on November 23rd.
Smoke Eaters leading scorers:
Cobetto-Roy (8-17-25)
Hunter (8-17-25)
Fechko (9-14-23)
Remissong (11-10-21)
Bushy (3-18-21)
The Bucks roll into Trail looking to also extend their win streak. The Bucks, winners of seven in a row, dating back to November 26th when they lost 1-0 to Salmon Arm. The Bucks have lost just three games since the beginning of November, dropping games to Coquitlam, Wenatchee and Salmon Arm. During that run the Bucks have shot up the Interior Conference, now sitting in second place with a 19-8-1 record. The Bucks also closed out the first half of the season with wins over Merritt and Salmon Arm. Cranbrook has allowed just one goal against in their last three games and haven’t allowed more than two goals a game while they’ve been on their seven game run.
Bucks leading scorers:
Silich (17-12-29)
Bentham (9-17-26)
Frias (13-10-23)
Hjartarson (8-13-21)
Quinn (8-11-19)
It’s a clash of titans to close out 2022 as the Smoke Eaters host the Bucks tonight at Cominco Arena. Tickets are going fast, so skip the lines at the door by buying your tickets ahead of time in the Smoke Eaters office or online at tickets.trailsmokeeaters.com. If you can’t make it to the game catch all the action on HockeyTV or listen on the Smoke Eaters Mixlr with Ben Phillips and Rob Squires starting at 6:45pm!