The win streak may have ended but the Trail Smoke Eaters extend their franchise record point steak to ten games Saturday night in Vernon.
The Smoke Eaters, coming off a 4-1 win to Nanaimo, headed to Vernon on Saturday night for a rematch of the second round of last years playoffs. The teams traded goals in the opening frame with the Smoke Eaters allowing the first one. Trey Taylor of the Vipers would open the scoring short handed as his shot trickled through Logan Terness just 4:41 in. Tyler Ghirardosi would get one back however just five minutes later, as the Vipers turned the puck over in their own end right to Ghirardosi who beat Reilly Herbst on the blocker side.
In the second, penalties slowed down the flow of the game as both teams paraded to the penalty box. Again it was the Vipers who broke the tie just a minute in as Matt Kowalski put one off the arm of Terness and into the net. The Smoke Eater were under pressure for most of the middle frame getting out shot 13-4 by the Vipers. The power play would come through though for the Smokies on their sixth attempt of the night. Liam Freeborn shot home a loose puck as Powell Connor’s shot from the point pin balled through the crease, right to Freeborn to tie the game up at 2.
Terness would have to come up big in the third to keep the tie for the Smoke Eaters. Tyler Ghirardosi also had a chance to win the game with a shorthanded penalty shot that was stopped by Herbst. Each side would get a point as we needed overtime in Vernon to decide this one. Again Terness made a massive save in the overtime period to keep the Smokies alive. The Smoke Eaters however couldn’t solve Herbst. As the play came the other way on the stick of Kowalski he let rip from the right side and beat Terness blocker side to steal the extra for the Vipers.
Despite falling in overtime the Smoke Eaters extend their point streak to a franchise best ten games. They’ll look to keep that streak alive and take all two points against a struggling Penticton Vees team on Wednesday night at the South Okanagan Event Centre.
