It’s back on the bus for the boys of Trail, as the Smoke Eaters close out the regular season on the road.
It begins with a Friday night matchup against the regular season conference and defending BCHL champion Penticton Vees.
The Smoke Eaters’ lone victory in the six head-to-head matchups this season was a 4-3 overtime decision on October 7th at Cominco Arena.
Adam Parsons scored the winner that night and is Trail’s top shooter against Penticton with four goals. Adam Barone has assisted on four against the Vees.
Swiss import Simon Meier has been Penticton’s most dangerous player against the Smoke Eaters with three goals and six assists. He scored the winner in the Vees 3-2 comeback victory the last time these teams met just over a month ago at Cominco Arena, in a well played, hard fought, playoff-style game.
The Smokies get goaltender Teagan Kendrick back this weekend, having served his three-game suspension.
Injured 20-year-old forwards Mathieu Cobetto-Roy, Ethan Mann and Parsons have all been declared fit to return to action.
However, captain Ethan Warrener is questionable due to an injury. The 20-year-old defenseman and team MVP is listed as day-to-day.
The Smoke Eaters snapped a three game losing streak last Sunday with a sensational 5-1 silencing of the Cranbrook Bucks.
Max Potvin fired the last two of Trail’s four unanswered goals as his line with Trail boy Judah Makway and rookie Gryphon Bucci was outstanding.
However, the question is, will they remain intact with the return of the three veteran forwards?
Rookie goaltender Ryan Parker turned in his second straight starring performance against the Bucks, but it’s likely both Parker and Kendrick will see action this weekend to see who will be the game one starter in the playoffs next weekend in either Vernon or Salmon Arm.
The Vees are coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to Salmon Arm and have lost two of their last three games as they prepare for a first round playoff pairing against the Prince George Spruce Kings.
The two points are inconsequential to both teams, so it’s a chance for coaches of the Smoke Eaters and Vees to experiment, while getting their teams prepared for the postseason.
The games Friday in Penticton and Saturday in Salmon Arm can be heard on Mixlr and watched on FloHockey.
