Guess Whose Back?

(Marco Raimondo in action - Photo Randy Emery)

Marco Raimondo is back in town after recovering from his injury in Montreal. The original estimate had Marco missing close to two months of action. Instead, it looks like the athletic 20 year old goaltender is going to be back on the bench for the Smokies this weekend when they play the top ranked Salmon Arm Silverbacks in a home and home.

Will Marco be at 100%? I doubt it. Frankly I'd be surprised if he saw any action when he only returned to practice today. However, you know he's got to be itching to get back into things. As a twenty year old with a lot of talent, this year is Marco's last chance to earn himself a scholarship. He's got the ability to do it. I'm sure he also wants to be part of what has been happening here in Trail. The Smokies are playing the best hockey they have in years and have as good a vibe among the boys on this team as any group I've seen.

Marco is of course going to have to prove himself anytime he gets a chance to play. Paul Barclay has been terrific as Trail's go to guy over the past month. He's been between the pipes as the Smokies climbed to top spot in the Interior Conference and were ranked nationally. There's certainly no urgent need to rush Marco back in.

Of course it'll be nice to get Barclay a rest here and there! He may be one of the better conditioned athletes in the league, but everybody needs a break. I know he was battling a little bit of sickness early this week. I'm sure he'll be ready to go this weekend.

The return of Raimondo puts Trail back in the admirable position they were in before. They've got two goaltenders who could start for most teams in Junior A. Two veterans that could be #1 on their own that will keep pushing each other as they battle for wins and for starts. If one isn't hot, the other one likely will be. It's as much talent in goal as any team in this league could hope to have.

They'll need all the help they can get against the potent Salmon Arm scoring machine this weekend!