Lift Them Up

This is just about as hard as it gets for the Trail Smoke Eaters. They've lost 10 games in a row. Several key players are injured and unable to play. If that wasn't enough, this week at least half the team has been sick.

It's been a tough month. 13 games with 10 of them on the road and a short bench. It hasn't gone well so far. Night in and night out we've seen these guys work their butts off without getting the kind of results they all strive for. Night in and night out that frustration builds and that confidence takes another hit.

Last night the Smoke Eaters gave up 51 shots and had 10 of their own. Grant Rollheiser was just outstanding for the Smokies. Without him that score could have been worse than 4-0. They were hard on themselves after the game. I'm sure the coaches were too. Nobody is happy with that kind of result. These guys are not going to make excuses.

But that doesn't stop me from saying that hey... these guys were sick out there. Their bodies were weaker, their endurance limited, their abilities diminished by a bug. They don't want to use it as an excuse, but I'm perfectly willing to come on here and say it should be one.

The other reality? This month has been hard, and the schedule doesn't get easier.

That's where you come in.

I don't know how many people read this blog. I'm sure it's not that substantial. However, I will say now that I really hope as many of you as possible come to the game tonight. It's easy to turn away from a team when they're slumping. It's easy to walk away from a team that isn't living up to whatever your expectations happened to be. But this is a team right now that has been on the road all month, injured, sick and struggling. If there was ever a night they could use a boost from a strong home crowd... this is that night.

If there was ever a time to cheer as loud as you could to get those juices flowing and lift this team up... this is that night.

Don't let last night's result fool you. This team competes hard out there and will continue to compete hard. They just need a boost right now. They need an edge that will get them that confidence back. They need to score an early goal that opens up those floodgates and gets them going. One way to help them get that done is to come out in big numbers and make some noise tonight.

We've seen some great games this year between Penticton and Trail. One of them was just a couple of weeks ago in Trail. The Smokies had 'em until the Vees tied it up with 30 seconds left. It was a great game and we know from victories earlier this year that the Smokies can play great games against the Vees.

Despite the losses, this is an exciting time. It's a playoff race! Quesnel is 3 points back and Prince George is 4 points ahead. 5th, 6th and 7th place are all on the line. Those final two spots are up for grabs. It's the time of the year where you've got one eye on your game and one eye on the scoreboard. It's fun stuff even if you are battling for that final spot instead of the first one. Enjoy it.

If there was ever a time that a road weary team could use some friendly faces and loud support, now is that time.

Hope to see you there tonight. Puck drops at 7:30pm.

NOTES

...I'm told that Kevin Limbert actually scored a hat trick in the All-Star game. There has been some difficulty at getting completely accurate information on what happened. But congratulations to Kevin for a great performance at the game. I think everyone on the team and in the community knows how good a representative he is of the Smoke Eaters.

...It sounds like the recovery is coming along at a normal pace for Ryan Hill. Concussions are very tricky, but I hope he can get back into the line-up as soon as possible.

...Speaking of getting back into the line-up; Stefan Decosse could be back as soon as Wednesday. He joined me in the booth as the colour commentator last night. Thought he did a pretty darn good job. If you agree join me in bugging him to look at broadcasting or communication options in school! Despite that, I hope that I never see Stefan back in the booth with me again this year. Much rather see him setting up and scoring goals than talking about them!

...I thought Justin Brown and Tylor Johnson of the Beaver Valley Nitehawks handled themselves well for Trail last night. The Nitehawks players who joined Trail this year have pretty much all stepped in and done a fine job. None of them are coming in and scoring hat tricks or anything. They're asked to step into a hole and provide solid, simple play. Coaching and talent must be pretty good in BV, because they've almost always done that job. We'll see how many of them make the leap to Junior A next year. I think both Brown and Johnson could.

...Penticton Coach Fred Harbinson told me in the pre-game interview that Nathan Westover is fitting in well in Penticton. He says the staff told Westover he has to compete hard every night to fit in with the Vees, and thus far he's done just that. Nathan is certainly a very talented player. I don't think either side of that trade (Westover for Geerin) is complaining about the results. Those are the best trades.

...The Powell River Kings did Trail a big favour last night. They got down 3-0 early against Quesnel, but came back to win the game 6-4. That loss means the Millionaires are still 3 points back of the Smoke Eaters for the final playoff spot. It's also a real kick in the pants for any team to lose after having a 3-0 lead. That could impact Quesnel's momentum for the rest of their long weekend. Tonight they're in Langley and tomorrow it's a game in Vernon. Westside beat Prince George 7-3 last night. The Spruce Kings are still within striking distance for Trail. Nice to see former Smoke Eater David Arduin back in the line-up after an injury in December.