The Smoke Eaters weathered an early storm from the Centennials and despite allowing the opening goal the Smoke Eaters earned a much needed win on home ice.
The Merritt Centennials came to Trail tasked with needing a better start after they had fallen behind 4-0 early the night before in Cranbrook. The Cents did just that as they gave up just five shots to the Smoke Eaters and put 15 on target. Merritt’s powerplay came through late in the first as former Smoke Eater Christian Lowe was able to poke a loose puck out of the skates in front of Kendrick to give the Cents a deserved 1-0 lead through 20 minutes. Kendrick, aside from allowing the one goal was brilliant for the Smoke Eaters and was the main reason Merritt only had a 1-0 lead.
The Smoke Eaters found their legs in the second period and got rewarded as an errant pass and a missed puck lead to Trey Fechko’s partial break where he found Mathieu Cobetto-Roy at the back post to get the Smoke Eaters on the board.
Fechko wasn’t done there as he would score the eventual game winner late in the second period on another partial break as Adam Marshall found Fechko up the left side of the ice as he then stepped around the Merritt forward giving him a clear path to the net where he’d make no mistake beating Johnny Hicks over the glove side shoulder.
Taking a 2-1 lead to the third period the Smoke Eaters looked to close the game out and put Merritt away early. They did just that as the Smoke Eaters captain tallied his third of the year. Evan Bushy would finish off the passing play from Remissong and Hunter as Bushy took the pass at the top of the left circle and whizzed his shot over the blocker side shoulder of Hicks just over 6 minutes into the third period, giving the Smoke Eaters their insurance goal.
The Smoke Eaters would hold on for a 3-1 win, snapping their short slid of games, as they picked up a much needed two points against the Centennials who are right behind them in the standings. The Smoke Eaters will face another team that’s right behind them in the Wenatchee Wild in a crucial four game mini series starting next Wednesday night at Cominco before the Smoke Eaters head to Wenatchee for an American Thanksgiving Weekend to play the Wild.
