Tonight’s Cominco Arena clash between the Trail Smoke Eaters and Sherwood Park Crusaders is a battle between two of the highest scoring teams in the BCHL.
The Crusaders lead the league with 176 goals, while the Smokies are tied with Chilliwack for second at 173.
Sherwood Park’s attack boasts the league’s top two point producers.
Jeremy Loranger’s 68 points are 12 ahead of linemate Kale Dach who has a league-leading 44 assists.
Poul Anderson completes that potent trio with 20 goals and 39 points.
The Smokies line of Jason Stefanek, Christian Kim and Zach Coutu is the hottest in the league.
They swept the BCHL 3 Stars award for last week with seven points each from last Friday’s 6-3 conquest of Cranbrook and Saturday’s 8-3 victory over Vernon.
Stefanek is riding an eleven game points steak, with 9 goals and 16 assists during Trail’s eleven game win streak, the longest in the league this season.
He is now 8th in the BCHL points race with 45.
Kim has 8 goals and 12 assists during his nine game run and has vaulted into 10th in the BCHL points parade with 41.
Coutu got his first BCHL goal Friday in Cranbrook and has 11 points in eight games as a Smokie, since arriving from the AJHL.
The contest also features two of the top scoring defensemen in the BCHL.
Trail’s Lucas Lemieux and Sherwood Park’s Connor Gengle are tied for second with 35 points each, while Lemieux leads all league rearguards with 12 goals.
The last time these teams tangled in Trail on January 24, it was a virtual track meet on ice, with high tempo rushes back and forth all game.
The Smokies got three unanswered third period goals, two of them from Gryphon Bucci, in the 7-4 victory to tie the season series at a game each.
While the Smokies are trying to extend their franchise record winning streak to 12, the Crusaders are trying to get back into the win column after two straight losses, including Wednesday’s 4-3 setback to Okotoks.
Opening face-off is set for 7 p.m.
