The Smoke Eaters wrap up their weekend doubleheader in Cranbrook as they look to bounce back from Friday’s loss and retake a Kootenay Cup series lead.
KOOTENAY CUP SCHEDULE
Oct. 16 Cranbrook @ Trail – 3-0 L
Oct. 17 Cranbrook @ Trail – 3-1 W
Oct. 24 Cranbrook @ Trail – 4-2 W
Nov. 6 Trail @ Cranbrook – 4-1 L
Nov. 7 at Cranbrook 6:00 pm @ Western Financial Place
Nov. 21 at Cranbrook 6:00 pm @ Western Financial Place
Nov. 27 at Cranbrook 6:00 pm @ Western Financial Place
The Smoke Eaters will be looking to bounce back, just as they did after their first loss to Cranbrook, to avoid back to back defeats. The Smoke Eaters at times had all the momentum, and at others struggled to connect passes out of their own zone. As the pre season schedule continues and this young team learns what it takes to win on a night in and night out basis at this level, results like Friday’s 4-1 loss will become few and far between. The two week break mixed with some new personnel seemed to leave the Smoke Eaters a step behind in moments of the game. With strong leadership and veteran experience in the Smoke Eaters locker room, they’ll know they could have been better and will look to prove that tonight. Despite the loss Drew Elser had himself a strong game with multiple scoring chances in the first before netting his first as a Smokie in the third period. Newcomers Mitchell Prowse and Ben King also looked good in their debuts. The Smoke Eaters will likely go to newly NCAA committed goaltender Logan Terness in this second game as they try to take back a lead in the Kootenay Cup series.
For the Bucks and Ryan Donald it will be about repeating last nights performance. They outshot their opponents, scored first and were able to kill off a 5-on-3 powerplay in the first period. Jacob Zacharewicz was also good last night for Cranbrook, he didn’t have to be stellar but he was good when his team needed him to be, as he stopped everything for 58 minutes. The Bucks will likely be without Quaid Anderson who left last nights game early on, meaning a change or two on the back end will happen for the Bucks. But up front they line of Briggs Gammill, Dane Dowiak and Nathan Fox are emerging as a real threat for the Bucks. They’ll be hoping those three can repeat last nights performance and push the Smoke Eaters to the brink in this Kootenay Cup series.
Game five of the Kootenay Cup starts at 6pm PST from Cranbrook on HockeyTV, as was the case last night there will be no away broadcast on HockeyTV. Fans looking for a Smoke Eaters perspective on the game can listen in for free on Mixlr as Ben Phillips and Rob Squires will be live with a pregame show at 5:50, each intermission and a post game recap.
