The Trail Smoke Eaters and the Powell River Kings went save for save in a classic goaltenders duel at the Trail Memorial Centre on Saturday.
Unfortunately for Trail, the Kings outlasted the Smoke Eaters with Brandon Toye scoring his first of the season in a 2-1 victory. Toye’s shot went off Trail goalie Teagan Kendrick’s glove and trickled over the goal line with 6:09 to play for the game winner.
Powell River goalie Kyle Metson earned his first win of the season stopping 31 shots on the night while Kendrick faced 42 in the Trail net.
The game went back and forth through a scoreless 40 minutes, with both teams getting prime scoring chances only to be repelled by Metson and Kendrick.
The best of them came in the middle frame when the Smoke Eaters enjoyed a four minute power play after the Kings Will Jones was called for a slew foot.
After Powell River killed it, they had their own chances when Trail forward Jack Kurrle was handed a five minute major for a blow to the head.
Metson stymied the Trail shooters at one end, and Kendrick came up big on several Kings chances, highlighted by a sprawling glove save on a Maxim Potvin breakaway.
The Smoke Eaters broke the goose egg six minutes into the third period, when Jordan Hendry set up Adam Marshall on the power play and the Trail forward wired a shot past Metson for a 1-0 lead.
Powell River answered midway through the period on a goal from Colin MacDonald to tie it, setting up Toye’s game winner.
The win improves Powell River’s record to 3-7-1-0 while Trail falls to .500 with a 5-5-1-0 record.
The loss is the Smoke Eaters second in three games after splitting their two games at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack, with a 3-2 win in their first match vs Cowichan and a 7-3 loss to the Nanaimo Clippers on Wednesday.
Trail was 1-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. Toye earned the games first star, with Metson and Kendrick taking second and third star honours.
Trail hosts the Merritt Centennials on Friday, Oct. 28 with the puck drop at 7 p.m. at the Trail Memorial Centre. Trail then travels to Penticton for a tilt versus the Vees on Saturday, Oct. 29.