The Smoke Eaters head the BCHL’s most northern team in Prince George riding a three game win streak into the weekend series against the Spruce Kings
Season Series:
Nov. 5 Trail at Prince George 7:00 pm PDT
Nov. 6 Trail at Prince George 7:00 pm PDT
Jan. 5 Prince George at Trail 7:00 pm PST
Jan. 21 Prince George at Trail 7:00 pm PST
Jan. 22 Prince George at Trail 7:00 pm PST
The Smoke Eaters waltz into Prince George looking for a four point weekend against the Spruce Kings who have started the year with a 7-3-0 record and the leagues hottest powerplay. It’s always a unique challenge for any team coming to play the Spruce Kings, who possess the leagues narrowest ice surface, which the Spruce Kings often use to their advantage. The Smoke Eaters who have been hit with the injury bug in the last week will have to keep to their game plan and not get caught running around. Despite being outshot against Wenatchee last Saturday, that’s really what the Smoke Eaters did for much of the game, playing well defensively and aside from one blunder in their own zone, were perfect against the Wild not allowing to many high quality chances. It’s a positive progression from the opening few games where the Smoke Eaters were often having to outscore their mistakes. As they move into the second month of the season a two game set against a team above them in the standings with a deadly powerplay is a perfect test. The Smoke Eaters haven’t been to Prince George since March of 2020, where they completed the sweep over the Spruce Kings in the first round of the BCHL Playoffs. There are no Smoke Eaters that remain from that team on the roster tonight, except for Corey Cunningham, who was a Spruce King at the time and makes his return to his hometown tonight.
Smoke Eaters leading scorers:
Michaelis (7-3-10)
Disher (4-5-9)
Hunter (2-7-9)
Lagerback (3-5-8)
Wolford (2-6-8)
The Spruce King are coming off a 3-2 loss on Wednesday night against the West Kelowna Warriors, as they look to get back in the win column here on home ice. Wednesday’s loss was their first loss on home ice this season. The Spruce Kings have had a fairly eventful five home games to open the season, the most notable being a 7-1 win over the Penticton Vees just two weeks ago, going a remarkable 5/7 on the powerplay. It’s performances like that that have helped the Spruce Kings powerplay stay tops in the league through the opening month of the season, sitting at 40.5%, with an even better 50% on home ice. The Smoke Eaters penalty kill will need to be at it’s best and the Smoke Eaters will need to stay disciplined to limit the Spruce Kings chances. The Spruce Kings haven’t beat the Smoke Eaters since November 21st of 2018, meaning they’ve lost seven straight games with Trail, a trend they’ll be looking to break tonight.
Spruce Kings leading scorers:
Herrington (8-8-16)
Rheaume (8-7-15)
Labelle (2-11-13)
Miller (4-5-9)
McGregor-Bennett (1-8-9)
It’s retro night as well here in Prince George as the Smoke Eaters look to continue their three game win streak. Puck drop is at 7pm at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, catch all the action starting with the Teck Trial pregame report at 6:50pm on BCHLTV or listen free on the Smoke Eaters Mixlr with Ben Phillips.
