FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 24th, 2018
VERNON, B.C. – The Trail Smoke Eaters couldn’t find a way past Aiden Porter and the Vernon Vipers as they fell by a 1-0 score on Saturday night at Kal Tire Place.
The Smoke Eaters started the game with a great chance to get on the scoreboard, being handed a 5-on-4 power play for four minutes after a checking to the head and boarding penalty against Jesse Lansdell that did not see any results for the visitors before the Vipers had a power play of their own that fell short and kept the game scoreless.
Adam Marcoux protected the Smoke Eaters goal well, making 9 saves in the opening period while Aiden Porter wasn’t as busy in between the pipes for the Vipers but turned aside each of the six shots he faced in the opening period to keep the game knotted at 0-0 into the 2nd period.
It was another frame of 9 saves for the Smoke Eaters 20-year-old netminder, including a phenomenal stop getting over to his blocker side and making a stick save on Garret Worth from the left face-off circle off a rebound and kept the game knotted up at 0-0 with the Vipers having three chances to score on the man advantage in the 2nd frame but failing to do so with the strong goaltending of Marcoux playing a factor.
Aiden Porter made a few strong glove stops ad was busier in the 2nd period than the opening frame, turning aside each of the 9 shots he faced in the middle stanza and stopping all 15 he had faced through 40 minutes as the game remained deadlocked into the 3rd period.
The Vipers opened the scoring in the game at the 3:35 mark of the final period with Jesse Lansdell scoring what would be the only goal of the hockey game. He got a pass from behind the net from Jagger Williamson at the edge of the right face-off circle to give the Vipers a 1-0 lead.
The Smoke Eaters looked as though they had tied the game before a questionable non-call changed that. Tyler Ghirardosi shot from the left face-off circle with just over six minutes to play beat Porter on the glove side. The red goal light went off but the official behind the net waved no goal, saying the puck had gone off the post and not in the net.
Trail couldn’t find a way to beat Porter, who made 23 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season while Adam Marcoux turned aside 23 of the 24 shots he faced in his 13th loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 1-0 Vipers
SHOTS ON GOAL: 24-23 Vipers
SMOKE EATERS PP: 0/4
SMOKE EATERS PK: 4/4
3 STARS:
1) Aiden Porter (23 saves on 23 shots)
2) Adam Marcoux (23 saves on 24 shots)
3) Jesse Lansdell (1-0-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Teddy Wooding (0-0-0)
ATTENDANCE: 1,842
The Smoke Eaters (11-13-4-2) have the week off before getting back into action on Friday night as they host the Penticton Vees (18-7-1-2) for the first half of a home-and-home set. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM from the Trail Memorial Centre with tickets available for purchase at the Smoke Eaters Main Office as well as at the door ahead of the opening puck drop.
