Trail Smoke Eaters suffered a 7-2 loss to the Victoria Grizzlies on Sunday (Nov. 6), but managed a win on their tough three game road trip to Vancouver Island on the weekend.
Trail fell 6-4 to the Alberni Bulldogs to open the road trip Friday, then bounced back with an 8-4 victory over the Cowichan Valley Capitals Saturday.
But in the third game Sunday afternoon, Victoria’s Owen Bohn scored four goals, while linemate Jack Gorton tallied a goal and four assists for a five-point game in a big win for the Grizzlies.
Victoria carried the play in the opening 20 minutes and led 3-0 on goals from Olivier Picard, Gorton, and Bohn, while outshooting Trail 15-9.
Bohn made it 4-0 just 78 seconds into the second period chasing Trail goalie Teagan Kendrick from the crease.
The Smoke Eaters responded with Ridge Dawson and Adam Parsons scoring 56 seconds apart to cut the lead to 4-2. However, a goal from Justin Gibson and two more from Bohn in the third period made it a 7-2 final.
Victoria outshot Trail 43-31, and improved their record to 7-6-1-2, while the Smoke Eaters fall to 7-8-1-0.
In the Smoke Eaters 8-4 victory over Cowichan, Trey Fechko scored twice and added three assists and goalie Keegan Maddox earned his first win as a Smoke Eater.
Trail jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on goals from Nic Remissong and Dawson.
The teams went back and fourth in the second period with each scoring three goals, including tallies from Fechko, Brody Juck, and Remy Spooner to make it 5-3 heading to the final frame.
Fechko added an insurance marker 42 seconds in and Jack Kurrle made it 7-3 at 6:56. The Capitals’ Kai Dunits added one more for the home team, before Smokies forward Quinn Disher completed the scoring with an empty netter with 1:28 to play.
Cowichan outshot Trail 36-32 and went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Trail was 0-for-3.
Trail went into Friday’s match against Alberni with the exact same record, but the Bulldogs held on for a 6-4 win.
Alberni led 3-2 after one, and 5-2 after two periods. Trail cut the lead to 5-4 on goals from Remissong and Fetchko in the third but a late insurance goal iced it for the Bulldogs.
Alberni outshot Trail 39-35. The Smoke Eaters went 2-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Smoke Eaters are tied with Vernon for sixth place in the Interior Conference, and return to the Memorial Arena for a string of five straight home games. Trail starts with the 16-0 Penticton Vees on Saturday with the puck drop at 7 p.m., then host the Salmon Arm Silverbacks on Sunday in a rare afternoon match at 3 p.m.