The Smoke Eaters came back and won a thriller in Duncan as they beat the Capitals 6-5 in the shootout Friday night in Duncan.
The Smoke Eaters got caught with two weird goals against in the first period as the Capitals came out flying. The Capitals who returned home after a long stretch away from the Cowichan Community Centre got things going 3:45 into the first. The puck came off Buskey to a crowd in front and was dug free and shot in by Brady Lynn for the Capitals to open the scoring. The Smokies would kill off two penalties almost back to back through the mid part of the period. The Capitals Arquiett would get a fortunate bounce of his own as his shoot in would come off the end wall, hit Buskey and end up in the Smoke Eaters net to put the Smokies down 2-0. The good guys would get one back late with 0.8 seconds on the clock. Colella would score on the powerplay as Johnson fed Colella for a back door one timer to send the Smokies to the break down only by one.
The second period was just as wild as the two team went back and forth. DiMurro tied things up with a shot from the point at 9:20 of the second as he beat Borgiel on the glove side. The Capitals answered back on a goal that was initially waved off for a kick as the puck was thrown at Buskey and went off the skate of Crasa through Buskey to make 3-2. Johnson would tie things up a few moments later on the powerplay at 13:20 of the second. The Capitals would then restore the lead late in the second as they took a 4-3 lead to the intermission.
The third period didn’t start well for the Smoke Eaters as Crasa would make it 5-3 just two minutes in. The Smoke Eaters elected to make a change in goal as Terness came in relief after a hard night for Buskey. The Smoke Eaters made it a one goal game with Kent Johnson scoring at 5:45 of the 3rd. The Smoke Eaters then had a goal waved off of their own part way through the period but the didn’t let that get them down as Johnson kicked the puck to Colella from behind the net to the back post were it was put home with under two to go in the third.
Overtime solved nothing and in the seventh round of the shootout #7 Max Kryski beat Borgiel for the game winner.
Kryski was named the third star of the night while Johnson with four points got the first star nod. Mike Colella also continued his hot streak for the Smokies.
The Smoke Eaters extend their win streak to six and now get set for a game in Victoria tomorrow night against the Grizzlies as they look for seven.
