A night of firsts paced the Trail Smoke Eaters to their record eighth straight road victory.
Caden Stoltz and Matthias Pape scored their first BCHL goals and goalie Chayse Johnson recorded his first BCHL win as the Smokies stopped the Kings 5-2 in Powell River.
In addition to throwing his 5′ 8″, 150-lb body into just about every King he encountered, Stoltz’s first period snipe put Trail back into a 2-1 lead, seven and a half minutes into the first period; a lead they would never relinquish.
Pape produced the Smokies first shorthanded goal of the season at a crucial time.
The German defenseman used Cash Carter as a decoy on a 2-on-1 and powered a shot through Kings goalie Ryan Tamelin with 26-seconds remaining in the second period to stake Trail to a 4-1 lead.
Johnson, the 18-year-old puck stopper from Trail was outstanding, making several super stops including a monumental momentum killing save in the third period.
He scrambled back across the net after the puck bounced crazily off the back boards coming out the same side and right in front of the net to a Kings forward poised to pop it home moments after Powell River scored to make it a 4-2 game with over 12 minutes remaining in the third period. Johnson was the game’s second star.
That appeared to motivate the Smokies who fended off the Kings until Dylan Lariviere’s empty net goal sealed the deal with 25-seconds remaining.
Lariviere also counted the eventual winner in the first period on a great rush and perfect pass from Louis Jonerheim, who also assisted on the empty netter.
Jonerheim, the speedy 6′ 4″ power forward from Sweden, now has points in six straight games.
Cade De St. Hubert opened the scoring, finishing off a furious forecheck with linemate Cooper Struckel on a play started by defenseman Owen McCarthy.
Trail outshot the Kings 25-23, while going 1-for-4 on the power play and killed off all four Kings advantages throughout a very chippy contest.
Trail went 3-and-0 in its swing through the BCHL Showcase and side trip to Powell River winning three games in four days and nights.
The trek covered about 800km, including the eight hours of bus rides and two ferries needed to get from Abbotsford to Powell River, following the Thursday morning win in overtime over Alberni Valley.
The Smokies return home Friday to take on Blackfalds in a battle of division leaders.
Trail tops the Interior West Division at 9-and-1. The 7-and-4 Bulldogs lead the Interior East.
Tickets are available in the Smokies Store or online at Tickets.TrailSmokeEaters.com.
