Congratulations are due to the Revelstoke Grizzlies for winning the KIJHL championship. They beat Nelson 4 games to 1 to complete a giant turn around after quite a poor season in 2008-09. Troy Mick and the rest of the ownership group deserve a lot of praise for showing how quickly a team can go from the bottom to the top with the right people in charge.
I also think Nelson deserves a big congrats for making it to the KIJHL finals for the third time in the past four season. I got a chance to call their roads games in the semi-finals and finals. They're a very talented and classy group of young men. They're also a very young group who perhaps fell victim to the veteran defensive core on the Grizzlies when they made it to the finals. I still would have to say the Leafs organization should be very proud of their record over the past four years.
The KIJHL does have to fix their playoff system though. It seems ridiculous to me that the top two teams in the Okanagan would get a bye while the top two teams in the Kootenays had to play in the first round. I'm not saying that Revelstoke's victory is tainted by this unbalanced format, but it's just not very professional in my view. Can you imagine the NHL's Eastern Conference giving a bye to their top teams but the West being forced to play? Of course not. It has to be fair and consistent throughout the entire league.
Both organizations had deep teams who played smart and skilled hockey. They are both examples of what the KIJHL strives to achieve. It was a pleasure being able to extend my own broadcast season by taking part.
That ends another season of play by play for me here in the West Kootenay. I know my girlfriend will be happy to have me around more (at least I hope she will!) but I know I'll miss the headset after a while. A few months off is nice, but sometimes these off seasons seem to go on way too long. How about an August 1rst start?
Coming up I'll be doing an update on Smokies alumni (a BCIHL champion and a historic NCAA win) as well as a preview of the BCHL Championship with the local participants. Nelson's Mitch Labreche and the Powell River Kings will take on Montrose's Jones Twins and the Vernon Vipers. This is the fifth consecutive year Labreche and the Jones' will go head to head in the playoffs dating back to their days with Nelson and Beaver Valley in the KIJHL. I also want to do some more analysis of this year's Smokies club when I have some time.
While broadcasting the second game of the KIJHL semi-finals in Fernie I ran into Smoke Eaters MVP Scott Jacklin. Scott lives in Kimberley during the off season and made the drive with his dad to take in the action. I had the chance to chat with him during the first intermission.
I can't imagine Scott is a player who will have any difficulty finding a place to play college hockey if he has another season like 2009-10. Especially with the built in chemistry he seems to have with Sam Mellor. I know losing Nick Sandor will hurt that top line, but there are a number of options to fill that void. They had Matt Wilkins there to start the season and it's not a huge stretch to think he could jump back in.
I'm looking forward to seeing the next level of Scott's game next season.
KIJHL PLAYOFFS
The KIJHL semi-finals hit game 4 tonight in Nelson with the Leafs leading 2-1. Puck drop is 7pm. Nelson could take command of the series with a victory tonight. I'm sure with their injuries they're hoping it won't be a long one, but it's hard to imagine this battle ending in just five games. We'll have the broadcast of game 5 in Fernie on Wednesday. For now here are the highlights of the first two games at the historic Fernie Memorial Arena.
Any fans near Nelson or Fernie should check out the series. It's great hockey and these teams are the last ones playing in our area outside of the WHL clubs a couple of hours away. Again you can join us for game 5 in Fernie on Mountain FM. Also keep your eyes on the BCHL schedule tonight to see if Quesnel can keep playing Cinderella. Great to see their fans have something to cheer about. I'm also really interested in the Westside/Penticton series. How cool would it be to have a game 7 back at the old Memorial in Penticton? I really enjoyed calling games in that barn.
Sorry for the lack of updates after the season came to a close last week. I was sick in bed all weekend and have been keeping busy at work. It's always easy to update things when there is something specific you're looking forward to... but the prospect of trying to summarize the end of the season is generally pretty grand.
I don't think I'm going to do it here yet either.
There are lots of things I would like to discuss. At some point in the future I want to do a post talking about each player and the strides they've made since August. Really when you look at how far the team has come it's pretty amazing. They were getting killed by the good teams back in September and October. Now we can look at the playoffs and only wonder "what if" because of so many injuries. That said, they still put up a hell of a fight. Only one of the games in the five game series didn't require an empty netter to finish it.
I know people hate hearing the "injury excuse" when a team loses. That's fine and I understand it. However, the Smoke Eaters were decimated by injuries in the first round. They came in to the playoffs without Thomas Abenante, Steve Oursov and Wade Bennett guaranteed for the entire series. They were also missing Justin Brown to start. He would later make a return but still not at 100%.
In the first game of the series Darnell Dyck got injured to the extent that he didn't play a shift in the next three games. He made his return in Game 5, but he was no where near 100% and wouldn't have played in a game 6 if there was one.
Curtis Tonello then got hurt in Game 3 and Trail was missing a key member of their back end for the rest of the series. One only has to have watched Trail's improvement in the last month of the season to see what a difference Tonello can make.
So in addition to all of those guys who missed time I can tell you that at least Travis St. Denis, Scott Jacklin, Graeme Strukoff, Mitch Kaufmann, Sean Nugent and Sam Mellor were all playing at significantly bellow 100%. That's just what I know about and I understand there were even more than that. These guys were all hurt to the level that they easily could have been sitting out of the line-up if the team didn't need them so desperately.
I can hear people saying already that every team runs into injury trouble in the playoffs and has to battle through it. That's fine and I agree, but Trail's situation was well beyond the normal playoff grind. It was in my opinion just too much to overcome in the end. Part of that is because Westside is such a deep team that they can throw all four lines over the boards and run a short team ragged.
Full credit to the Warriors for a well played series. I'm not saying Trail absolutely would've won if they had been at 100%. Instead I suspect we'd have seen a longer series. I just think we have to give this Smokies roster a ton of respect for digging deep within themselves and battling as hard as they did under the circumstances. They were very close and could have won in every game but one.
What a goaltending battle it was too between Kevin Jebson and Kiefer Smiley. Full marks to both for a terrific series.
Hopefully all Smokies fans recognize that effort and recognize how much potential there is in this roster for next year... and also thank the hard work and dedication of the Smoke Eaters who will leave the BCHL (Nick Sandor, Sean Nugent and Taylor Swaffield) after their 20 year old seasons.
Again as I said I'll have more to come in the days and weeks ahead. For now here's some audio from the end of the season...
Game 5 Audio Highlights from Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM Click here to download
Just wanted to put in my 2 cents for the second round of the BCHL playoffs as they get started tonight. I did this last year and I seem to recall having pretty good results. I'm not going to check that out for fear of proving myself wrong!
First congrats to Quesnel for pulling off their first playoff series win in the BCHL from what I understand. That's a terrific achievement for the franchise. They really made strides by adding some scoring depth in the second half of the season. However, this is where the run comes to an end. As much as I'd like to see a lower seeded team shock the world I just don't think the Millionaires much up well with the Vipers. Unless Vernon runs into a rash of injuries and goaltending trouble I'm saying it'll be the Vipers in 5. There is just too much depth in the Vernon line-up. However, I don't think the games will be one sided. Quesnel knows how to battle and will lean heavily on their strong vets I imagine. They do need Halcrow to be in top form though. If he falters it could get ugly.
As for the other Interior series... it should be a dandy. The Warriors and Vees are both nationally ranked teams with terrific depth. I think Kevin Jebson may give Westside an edge in goal because of his big game experience and how amazing he seems to play in those clutch situations... but he hasn't looked great against Penticton so far this season. The Vees have the most dangerous players in the series (Manderson and Bennett) so Westside I think has to hope that their 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines can out perform Penticton's. The Vees have a ridiculous power play so the Warriors have to stay out of the box. Their discipline was a major factor in their loss in game 1 against Trail and they can't afford that stuff against a man advantage that operates at basically a 30 perecent clip. Westside also has to hope that Trevor Bailey finds his scoring touch again after only picking up a single point in 5 games against Trail. If Bailey and Cole Wilson are shut down again I can't see how they can get past Penticton. I'll take the Vees in 6. However, I am intrigued by the possibility of a game 7 in Memorial Arena. That barn might actually favour Westside if it gets that far.
I don't know have nearly as much to say about the coast as frankly my knowledge of those teams is not quite as deep. I'll take Alberni Valley in 5 over Nanaimo. I know the Clippers have found their playoff form and did a great job against Victoria. However, the Bulldogs have all the top offensive guns in the series. They also have the best defenceman and in my view the better goaltender. The Clippers are going to test the Bulldogs with their tenacious team game, but the talent levels just don't match up in my view. The other series could be very interesting as I like both Langley and Powell River. Each club has scorers, agitators, two way players and good goaltending. They work hard and it should be a war. I'll take the Kings in 7 partially because the Chiefs take too many penalties and that can kill you against a good team in the playoffs. That being said, I don't like either of their chances against Alberni.
KIJHL GAME 7
Finally I hope as many of you as possible head to Nelson tonight for game 7 of the Neil Murdoch Division finals. It's been quite a series. Games 5 and 6 went to double overtime and the home team has won each game so far. The Leafs are obviously hoping that trend continues, but even with a win tonight there's little time to rest before facing Fernie in the semi-finals on Thursday. Puck drop is at 7pm tonight in Nelson. It should be a terrific game!
Congratulations to Smoke Eaters forward Sam Mellor. He was nominated today for the Interior Conference rookie of the year award. It's a well deserved honour after Mellor put up 28 goals and 35 points for 63 points as a 17 year old.
Mellor's totals were good enough for 27th in the BCHL and third among 1992 born players. The former Dynamiter in the KIJHL made a very quick transition to the Junior A level. While playing the whole season with Scott Jacklin and most of it with Nick Sandor he was able to actually improve on his Junior B scoring pace. I think it also helped that Jacklin and Matt Wilkins grew up with Mellor. The Kimberley Konnection all thrived this season while playing on the same team. I'm sure it's fun to get to play with your friends.
He faces some stiff competition for the rookie of the year nod. The other nominees are league scoring champion Beau Bennett and top scoring defenceman Joey Laleggia. All three players are certainly very deserving of the recognition.
Speaking of awards, the Trail Smoke Eaters will be handing out their year end awards this Wednesday night. Who will be this year's MVP? Should be a fun night and a good way to celebrate before the team sets out for West Kelowna and the playoffs on Friday.
MONDAY AUDIO
Was there a game last night? The team is looking to put the stinker in Penticton behind them as they prepare for the Warriors. The Smokies looked like a team that didn't have anything to play for in a 7-3 loss to the Vees. That being said, they didn't have anything to play for. The game didn't have any impact on the standings. Congrats to the Vees who were able to achieve a franchise record 100 points and to Beau Bennett for scoring the 4 points he needed to secure a BCHL scoring crown. They're an impressive team. It'd be nice to see them again as the only way that could happen is by meeting them in the conference finals...
An interesting start to local KIJHL playoff action this week. Former Smoke Eaters are doing battle as Paul Barclay and the Beaver Valley Nitehawks take on Scott Jago and the Nelson Leafs. Barclay has had a starring role so far as the Hawks earned a split in Nelson. The Leafs won Game 1 by a 4-3 score in overtime while BV took Game 2 thanks to ColtonDonselaar's winner late in the third period. Game 3 of the series is tonight in Beaver Valley and you should do yourself a favour and check it out.
The other local series has Castlegar up 2-0 on Spokane with hopes of taking total control of that series tonight across the line. The Rebels have been very impressive thus far, but Spokane is a tough place to play.
I had a chance to chat with Trail hockey legend Gordie Robertson this afternoon. The former Smoke Eater and gold medalist at the 1952 Olympics got a pretty special honour in Vancouver yesterday. The city officially marked "Gordie Robertson Day" as the colourful hockey hero got a chance to take in the Canada vs. Switzerland men's hockey game live.
The tickets came as a result of a total stranger who heard that Robertson felt slighted when he wasn't offered tickets or a chance to carry the torch. Both slights were rectified. You heard about it on Mountain FM and there's also a good article in The Province that spells it all out. It was a very kind gesture by Coquitlam resident Ed Rogers to invite Robertson to the game as his guest.
One interesting note from the night was that during an interview with him in the intermission he got a big ovation when they mentioned that Gordie had played for the Trail Smoke Eaters. That name still carries a lot of weight!
I've had the honour of chatting with Gordie a few times on Mountain FM's Overtime. He's always honest and entertaining. Here is a chat I had with him today on his experience at the Olympics and the honour bestowed upon him by Vancouver...
I guess the last question is whether or not Robertson will get a chance to attend the gold medal game. I hope Canada makes it to the game and Gordie is there to see it.
FRIDAY AUDIO Smokies President Tom Gawryletz tonight's "Fan Appreciation Night" Click here to download
Nelson Ford Smokies Play by Play on Mountain FM: Westside 2 Trail 1 (OT) Click here to download
Smokies Assistant Coach Brian Youngson after the Westside OT loss Click here to download
...Don't forget to check out the Smokies retro jersey auction. The lastest bids are just down the blog from this post. Bids are due January 30th.
...Some very frustrating news to report. Justin Brown has sustained an upper body injury and won't make the road trip this week. Boy has he had hard luck in his BCHL career. I remember last season just about this time Justin was just starting to play his best hockey and put up some points when he was out with an injury. Now he has 6 points in his last 3 games and he goes down. With all the karma he's earning he'll be an iron man for the rest of his career. I'm sure the Smokies are wishing one of their best two-way guys a speedy recovery.
...Injuries were also a factor in Trail's poor performance on the PK against Westside. It's tough when you're down 3 veteran defenceman. With Strukoff, Swaffield and Kaufmann all out with injuries the Smokies didn't get the performance they needed from their 5 regulars. AP Bennett Hambrook actually had a very solid debut for the Smokies and plays with a nice edge. He had one rough outing against Trevor Bailey that was kind of a "welcome to the BCHL" moment, but overall Hambrook (of the Nelson Leafs in the KIJHL) is a player to watch. Swaffield should be back on Wednesday against Powell River and Kaufmann should also be back shortly. Strukoff's return date is still no known although he told me he wanted to play on the trip.
...Another two-way guy who has really been performing of late is Captain Paul Mailey. After the 7-3 loss in Westside he has 10 points in his last 10 games. Mailey had 40 points last season and can put up a lot more points than he did in a frustrating first half. He was always valuable on the ice even without the points, but now we're again seeing the kind of player he can be at both ends.
...While there was a lot for the coaching staff to be frustrated about on Sunday they can look to a few positives. One of them was the "pack mentality" Trail continues to display. It's something that was perhaps lacking a bit earlier in the season. The team is standing up for each other no matter which line is on the ice. They're playing as a unit or as a "pack" and that can only lead to good things. There will be no pushing the Smokies around and everyone is buying in. There will be off games like the one on Sunday, but I still get a sense that the team has a much better attitude than back in the early fall. They had points in 7 straight games before the one in West Kelowna so there's no reason to get down on themselves. Wednesday is an important rebound game.
...Despite losing 7-3 I liked how Trail kept pace with the Warriors at even strength. The special teams battle went Westside's way and was the difference in the game. However, you can tell a lot about a team's ability by the way they match up with top teams 5 on 5. If Trail could have stayed out of the box (or gotten some calls) and executed better 5 on 4 or 4 on 5 that would've been a close game. That's a lot of "ifs" but to me its more a comment on how the team's play is still solid in even strength situations. The PK had also been so much better recently until the Westside game. They need to make sure it's only a one time thing as the PK has been a killer for them on the road.
...The playoff race is still very tight. Quesnel and Merritt sit a single point ahead of Trail for 5th place, but the Smokies have games in hand. They have to take advantage of those games during this week's road trip against some tough teams. Prince George is 5 points out and the playoffs are certainly not out of reach for them yet. Trail was 6 points behind Merritt only a few weeks ago and we saw how quickly that gap can get erased.
...One of those opponents for the Smokies this week is Alberni Valley. Congrats goes out to Mitch MacMillan for scoring 50 goals in 49 games. That's quit an accomplishment. Especially when you realize that the next best total so far is Trevor Bailey's 38 goals and Colton Beck is in third spot with 32. Nobody can touch MacMillan's sniping so far this season. It should be interesting to get a look at MacMillan, former Smoke Eater Tye Lewis and the red hot Bulldogs for the first time this week. I always enjoy a visit to what is maybe the loudest crowd in the league. I do have to say though I still think Trail has the smartest fans out there... except for the ones who give me hell... or maybe especially those ones! Don't forget all four games on the trip will be live on Mountain FM.
Tonight the Smoke Eaters host the Silverbacks for the first time this season. For a look back at the first game of the season between the two teams click here for the box score. Also here are the highlights from our broadcast of the game...
It was as exciting as any game we've seen so far this season. Six Smoke Eaters had multiple point games including a couple of goals each for Travis St. Denis and Sam Mellor. However, the Silverbacks have an explosive team offensively and you always have to watch out for Mark Zengerle. That means you don't want to miss the re-match between two teams who are going to be fighting hard for wins after dropping a couple of games to close out road trips on the coast. Both Trail and Salmon Arm lost to the emotionally charged Cowichan Valley Capitals after their coaching change. They've both dropped two straight games, but now Trail gets to come back to the friendly confines of the Cominco Arena. The last time Salmon Arm paid a visit to Trail was the winter of last year. Here are the video highlights of what was a well played and dramatic Smokies victory...
Now for a word on tonight's game on Mountain FM's Overtime I spoke with Trail's assistant coach Brian Youngson and Salmon Arm's GM Rylan Ferster. I also spoke to Ferster about being the coach this year for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge.
Should be a good one tonight. Hope to see you at the rink! Also don't forget to tune in tomorrow night to Mountain FM for our broadcast of Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters play by play from Merritt.
an aggressive and ruthless determination to win or attain a goal
The Trail Smoke Eaters are playing better hockey right now than they were playing in September. I don't think a single fan out there can argue with that. In September Trail gave up the first goal in 7 out of 8 games. They were getting behind the eight ball early and unable to get back into games. Now in September they've scored the first goal in 6 out of 9 games and have had a lead in 8 out of 9 games. Unfortunately they only won 2 out of those 8 games, and got points in 3 of them. The Smokies are now putting themselves in a position to win games, but lacking the killer instinct to finish them. That's the kind of thing that you have to think will come with experience and confidence.
What the guys and the fans should know is that they're good enough to get ahead of teams right now... which means they ARE good enough to beat those teams. They just have to start believing it, being consistent and bouncing back when a couple of things go wrong. The positive strides are there if only they could put it all together over 60 minutes.
There were a lot of positive things coming out of that 1-3 trip. The defensive zone coverage got a whole lot better for the most part. In the two games on Vancouver Island and for most of the game in Surrey the team kept it simple and played as a cohesive unit. That's a good sign. They also truly seemed to bond while they were on the island. They won their first road game with a real blue collar effort. The power play had a very good week at 7 for 23 or over 30%. Both goaltenders showed the ability to make game saving stops at key times. Four players scored their first BCHL goals. They scored at least 4 goals in 3 out of the 4 games. Nick Sandor himself had a whole game's worth.
I know the bottom line for fans is victories. I can understand the frustration when they put themselves in a position to win and let it slip away with major defensive meltdowns. However, I've seen every game this team has played. They're getting better every day, and their mental game is starting to catch up with the ability we all know they have.
Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 5 at Burnaby 9 Click here to download
Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 4 at Nanaimo 2 Click here to download
Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 2 at Cowichan Valley 4 Click here to download
Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey on Mountain FM: Trail 4 at Surrey 6 Click here to download
The Vernon Vipers are a great hockey team. They've got 14 returning players from a national championship and are already playing like a well oiled machine. There's so much talent on that squad that their power plays at times seem effortless. On the other hand, Trail is a team that is still coming together and getting to know one another. They're a team with a significant amount of inexperience at the BCHL level on the back end. Playing the best team in the country is not the best way to work out the kinks. Mistakes end up in the back of your net.
It is a good way to test yourself. The 12-2 combined score at the surface looks awful of course. However, it's not something to panic over. I've been reading some people on the internet who are jumping off the bandwagon already. In 4 out of 6 periods this weekend the goal differential between Trail and Vernon was only 2. The first period on Friday and third period on Saturday created the massive difference. Most of those big goals came on the power play. The Vipers were 3/4 on Friday and 3/6 on Saturday. As one fan who watched the games told me the Smoke Eaters were right there with the Vipers 5 on 5, but the special teams were the key.
These all sound like excuses and they're not. You can't excuse those periods getting out of hand. The penalty kill has to be much better. The Smokies also have to make sure they don't have such big emotional let downs when things don't go their way. Their intensity can't take the kind of dip it did when it was 2-0 and 3-0 on Friday or when it got to 3-1 and 4-1 last night. Those moments turned what would have been reasonable games into lopsided losses. What Saturday made clear is that Trail has the talent to go toe to toe with the best in the country. They just need more games under their belt, they need to convert on their opportunities, they need to do some serious work on special teams... they need time. They just happened to be up against a team that already seems to be in mid-season form. How patient fans are is up to them.
Some strong performances that stood out for me include Garrett Beckwith in goal. He stopped 23 of 25 shots in relief on Friday before playing tremendous hockey on Saturday. Beckwith had some trouble with rebound control against Merritt last week that he has really tightened up. I also know Devon Murtagh will rebound from his first start perhaps as soon as the next game. I hadn't seen Ben Matthews in action before this weekend and the 18 year old's solid play really stood out for me. He's big and strong, makes the simple plays and reads the play very well. He was a nice surprise. Tye Lewis has a pro quality shot. He's a guy who could really surprise some people this season and could be the sniper Trail was looking for. I saw good things out of everyone over the weekend. It's just a matter of putting it all together over sixty minutes.
The next Smoke Eaters game is Wednesday in Penticton and then Thursday in Westside. They'll be back home against Quesnel on Saturday and Williams Lake on Sunday afternoon. Sunday's game is Mountain FM day at the Cominco Arena. We'll have some fun stuff planned for you so don't miss it.
The first game of the season didn't go as planned for the Trail Smoke Eaters. Both the Centennials and the Smokies played the sloppiest regular season opener I've seen in my brief BCHL broadcasting career. The rust and perhaps the nerves were obvious in a game that more than one person told me didn't seem like regular season level hockey. The Smoke Eaters hadn't been in game action for two weeks and featured 8 rookies in their line-up. That combination and a Merritt team that didn't give up any space in front of their net equalled a frustrated Trail squad with very few clean chances to their name. Here is the boxscore from Friday's 4-2 loss. Click here for the Making Cents recap.
RyneBodger'sknuckleball from the red line that took a ridiculous hop and fooled Garrett Beckwith was perhaps a sign of things to come. While Trail rebounded to take a 2-1 lead after the first, the bounces didn't go their way all game. One puck went in off the post and off the back of Beckwith. Another went in off an apparent high stick (I can't see past the heater in Merritt to tell) with a player bowling down on the Smokies netminder. However, Coach Ingram wasn't making excuses because he wasn't happy with the effort level. Plain and simple the Smokies didn't make their own breaks or play with nearly enough passion and desperation for 60 minutes. Those weren't the 2007-08 Merritt Centennials. You can't take a night off and expect a win. There's no shame in losing to Merritt, but the frustration comes from a game in which the team didn't live up to their ability.
Those lessons better be learned quickly as Trail's schedule is a murderers row over the next two weeks. Home and home with Vernon before two more on the road in Penticton and Westside. Everybody is going to have to bring their lunch pale if they want to pick up Ws over the next couple of weeks. A great place to start would be the home opener against the hated (and defending national champion) Vernon Vipers.
Here's some audio from Friday's season opener care of Mountain FM's Overtime and our play by play broadcast...
Some positives from Friday? Tye Lewis had 2 points in his first BCHL period. The Vancouver, Washington product has a shot that is every bit as good as advertised. He'll be a big piece of the offensive puzzle. The two veteran defencemen (Steve Koshey and Graeme Strukoff) both already appear to have taken their game to another level. Koshey is certainly in better shape, but beyond that he's far more comfortable and composed with the puck. It's only been one game but he doesn't even look like the same player. Strukoff is still a bull in a china shop (just ask Steve Tresierra after Strukoff crushed him with a Scott Stevens like hit), but he is more controlled and aware of his surroundings. These two need to be great for Trail when they are breaking in five other rookies on the blue line. So far so good.
Some fans have already suggested to me that it's time to hit the panic button when it comes to the inexperienced defencemen. Frankly I don't feel like they were keys to the loss. Certainly they all had their shaky moments, but the blue line didn't make any major blunders on Friday. You certainly couldn't single them out as difference makers in any direction. To me that's a good start for new players. It's basically what you should expect in their first game. It's the rest of the team that didn't step their game up as much as I expected. Of course it's only the first game of the season and an ugly loss could have easily been an ugly win. Would Penticton fans be having this same conversation if their only game of the weekend was Friday's against Williams Lake and they hadn't been able to come from behind to sneak that one out?
That doesn't mean there won't still be talk about persuing a veteran or two on the back end. I'm seeing it online and hearing it around town. Be aware that of course management is keeping their eyes and ears open to possibilities, but there is no reason to make any rush judgements on the four talented guys who have only played one game so far... and the one who has yet to suit up.
There are lots of reasons for optimism. Each player showed flashes of why they are on the team during Friday's games. You can see why all of them could make good to great BCHL players. It's now up to those players to put it together in a consistent fashion. I'm sure that's something that all the clubs are going to go through to some extent as they start a brand new season. It's really too bad the Smokies didn't have another game on the weekend so they could have worked out some of the bugs from Friday right away. Instead we have lots of time to sit on one 60 minute period and analyze it to death.
It'll be a distant memory soon. One way or another. I'll see you at the rink on Friday! Tell your friends, bring your family... make the home opener the kind of event it ought to be every year.
NOTES
...I received word today that forward Sam Olson is off to Estevan of the SJHL. Sam was easily the top scorer for Grand Forks in the KIJHL last season. He's a character player with a lot of class and integrity who I'm sure will have lots of success in Estavan. From everything I know it's a great hockey market with a lot of history. Sounds familiar. Olson was one of the final 24 players left in camp. He leaves now to the SJHL hopefully for a bigger opportunity and the playing time he deserves. His departure also ensured local boy Thomas Abenante's place on the Trail roster. Abenante was one of Beaver Valley's top guns last season (also in the KIJHL) and worked his butt off to prove he could be the kind of complete player that would find a place on any of Trail's lines. He has yet to make his regular season debut for Trail, but it's great to see another hard working local player with a lot of skill find their way onto the team. The Smokies now have Paul Mailey, Justin Brown, Steve Koshey, Eric Walker, Travis St. Denis and Abenante representing the West Kootenay while Sam Mellor, Matt Wilkins and Scott Jacklin are East Kootenay boys. That's as strong a local connection as they've had in years.
...Speaking of the KIJHL, Nelson started league play out right where they left off. The Leafs won their two weekend games by a combined score of 15-1. Beaver Valley and Castlegar played a dramatic 3-3 tie to open the season on Friday. Both teams followed that game up with losses on Saturday. The Rebels fell 5-0 to Nelson while BV dropped a 6-2 game in Grand Forks. The Border Bruins went 1-2 on the weekend with a hard fought 1-0 loss to Fernie on Friday, their Saturday win and a tough 8-0 defeat in Spokane on Sunday.
...Denver Manderson and Beau Bennett scored a combined 19 points in 3 games for Penticton over the weekend. As Rick Jeanneret once said, "these guys are good... scary good!"
The Smokies will have to turn to Beau's older brother Wade in order to get the book on how to stop the sharp shooting Californian. The first battle of the brothers will be next week in Penticton.
...The defending national champion Vernon Vipers won both their games on the weekend in a home and home with the always tough Salmon Arm Silverbacks. It looks like any holes the Vipers had after they lost some key players in the summer have been filled admirably. We'll get a first hand look on Friday in Trail and Saturday in Vernon. As tough as the Vipers can be don't forget Trail took the first two games of the season series against them last fall. A hard working Jim Ingram club can be exactly what the doctor ordered against that type of skill.
...We "experts" all think we know what to expect from teams before they play. How many of us wrote off Williams Lake before they even hit the ice? They were up 4-3 on the Vees before letting it slip away in the third period and they beat Westside. A nice case of "nobody believes in us" combined with good coaching and work ethic can make for a long lasting surprise.
...Just another friendly reminder that you can follow me on Twitter. I'll try to make it useful in situations that don't warrent a full blog post. You can also tune in to my sports show Overtime every night from 6pm to 10pm on Mountain FM. It's available at 104.1FM in Trail, 99.3FM in Castlegar, 96.7FM in Grand Forks, 103.5FM in Nelson and with live streaming at our website. While I like to keep blog readers in the loop you'll get all your breaking local sports news on Mountain FM first.
Hope you enjoy the video. I made it to help pump the guys up before game one of the playoffs tonight against the Westside Warriors. The graphics early there are not done by me but by Trail video guru Daryl Taylor.
For a good preview of tonight's game check out the vipersdiehardfan blog as the Smokies prepare to host Vernon tonight at 7:30, here's some audio from yesterday's game. Just quickly (I'm pressed for time) I wanted to mention that I thought Trail played a terrific game last night. The difference was simply that the Smokies had three pretty major defensive break downs on a night where the rest of the evening was almost a perfect game on their part. That's how it goes when you're in a funk. You can play that well and find a way to lose games instead of finding a way to win games when you aren't at your best. Trail proved last night that they can hang in with and even outplay Westside (a potential first round opponent) but that this young team absolutely has to find a way to eliminate the major defensive blunders that can turn a game's momentum completely around.
Learn how to finish a team... and watch out. These guys weren't ranked 11th in the country at one point because they don't have enough talent. They just have to get the mental game together again. Tonight against the Vipers is as good of an opportunity to do that as any.
I'm back in the broadcast booth for Saturday's final game before the holiday break as Patrick Raley completes his transformation to sniper and Jadon Porterfield shows that he's a switch hitter.
Mountain FM's Jeff Sargeant on the call as Trail breaks their four game losing streak in a tight one.
In addition, here's a look at our first attempt at a pre-game show. The Millionaires interview didn't air until the first intermission because of a computer crash, but it was something we tried out for the first time this Friday. It'll improve once we start up again in the new year.
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