Mountain FM to broadcast KIJHL semi-finals

For the second straight season the Nelson Leafs and Fernie Ghostriders will meet in the KIJHL semi-finals. With the end of the Smoke Eaters season we at Mountain FM will continue our commitment to local hockey by picking up the broadcasts of Nelson's road games in this series and any other future series should they advance past Fernie. That won't be an easy task.

Nelson and Fernie have been the two most dominant teams in recent KIJHL history. As I said they met in last year's KIJHL semi-finals and the 2007 KIJHL finals. The Leafs knocked the Ghorstriders out of the playoffs last season ending their run of two consecutive KIJHL championships. The Leafs went on to win the league title themselves. It was revenge for Nelson after Fernie came from down 2-0 to win the 2007 series between the two clubs. Between them they have won the last 3 league crowns.

It's also an interesting match up for Smokies fans for a number of reasons. For one, former Smoke Eater Scott Jago is one of Nelson's key veterans. Trail had APs on both teams as well. The Leafs supplied Gavin Currie, Michael Spring, Phil Patenaude, Bennett Hambrook and Taylor O'Neil to the Smokies at various times. Fernie sent Jesse Niemi and Keanan Patershuk to Trail during the year. All of those APs made solid contributions to Trail's line-up including a 5 point weekend for Niemi. Finally, there are alumni from both teams on the Trail roster. Garrett Beckwith and Tommy Rizzardo are former Leafs while Josh McEwan and assistant coach Brian Youngson are former Ghostriders.

How do the two teams match up? It's hard to say. However, Fernie has breezed through the first two rounds of the playoffs while Nelson has had very difficult seven game wars with Beaver Valley and Spokane. You would have to think with only one day off between game 7 against Spokane and game 1 against Fernie that the Ghostriders will have a physical edge to start the series. Of course sometimes the team that is just coming off a series win could have a momentum edge over a team that has been resting for close to a week. We'll see how it goes! Should be very interesting tomorrow night on Mountain FM. If you're feeling adventurous you could even jump in your car and head up to Fernie for the game. I hear the atmosphere there is terrific and I know I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks again to the Leafs for letting me tag along and to the Ghostriders for accommodating me at the rink so that we can bring this coverage to Kootenay Boundary airwaves. Game time tomorrow night is 6:30 with the pre-game show getting started at 6:15.

2009-2010 Trail Smoke Eaters Awards

The Smoke Eaters handed out their regular season awards tonight in front of a packed house at the Riverbelle in Trail. I was impressed by how many people turned out to celebrate the boys on the same day as the big Canada/Russia match up.

I know having the game on Mountain FM tonight sure saved me as I was able to listen to it while making the drive in from Castlegar. What a game it was too! I hope the fans will be dedicated enough to join us on Mountain FM for the first game of the playoffs during the big Olympic semi-final between Canada and Slovakia on Friday night. I say watch the Olympic game on TV while listening to the Smokies on the radio. It's a can't miss prospect.

As for the awards, I loved the new style trophies the boys got. Very classy. In addition each player received a framed photo and CD full of their pictures from Randy Emery. It's amazing how much work he puts into that every year. The Smoke Eaters are very lucky to have him as such a dedicated fan and volunteer. The club also recognized their departing 20 year old players Sean Nugent, Nick Sandor and Taylor Swaffield with a team watch. That will be one way for them to remember the motto that, "When you play for the Smoke Eaters you are a Smoke Eater for life."

Here is a list of the award recipients:

• Most Valuable Player: Scott Jacklin
• Top Scorer: Scott Jacklin
  
• Top Defenceman: Eric Walker and Steve Koshey
• Rookie of the Year: Sam Mellor
• Most Improved Player: Wade Bennett
• Fan Favourite: Graeme Strukoff
• Most Dedicated Player: Sean Nugent
• Most Inspirational Player: Josh McEwan
• Ed Shelley Memorial Award: Paul Mailey
• Randy Emery's "Ultimate Warrior" Award: Scott Jacklin

I don't really have a ton to add to the list of winners. Jacklin has clearly proven he is among the better all around players in the league. There aren't too many people questioning the deadline deal to get him now. Plus how can you argue with a mullet like that? Of course it's difficult in some ways to recognize one member of that line without recognizing all of them. Jacklin, Sandor and Mellor have played together most of the season with very consistent success. As much as they need to get scoring from everyone to win, the Smoke Eaters will need that line to lead the way against the Warriors.

Congrats to all the very deserving winners for their regular season success. Now we can put that behind us and turn our attention to the playoffs. After an early exit at the hands of the Westside Warriors last season... the Smoke Eaters have some revenge on their mind! Join us on Mountain FM for Games 1 and 2 from West Kelowna. The scene will then shift to the Cominco Arena for Games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday in Trail. Don't forget the 7pm start time for those games.

Post Game Audio: Trail 9 Nanaimo 5

What a roller coaster that was! With the Underwear Band's music blasting in the background it seemed like Trail was on the way to one of their most dominant victories of the season. The first ten minutes of the game were all Smoke Eaters with an early 4-0 lead.

However, the Clippers turned it on in the second period with a gutsy effort. Talk about not giving up in the face of impossible odds. You could tell the fans feared the worst early in the third period as Nanaimo cut Trail's 6-1 lead to 6-5.

That's when Trail's energy line of Thomas Abenante, Sean Nugent and Josh McEwan made sure to turn the momentum right around. It was the second time in the game that the hard working trio answered a Nanaimo goal with one of their own. McEwan's goal was his first of the season and all he needed to finish up his first Gordie Howe hat trick.

Darnell Dyck also took a big step to energize the bench when he stood up for teammate Travis St. Denis after a questionable hit from big AP defenceman Kiefer McNaughton. Dyck may not have had the size edge in the fight, but his gutsy effort and the McEwan goal seemed to re-ignite Trail.

The Smokies obviously got too comfortable with their first period lead. Hopefully that is another lesson learned for this young squad. They found a way to bounce back and re-take control of the game with an excellent last 18 minutes. The bottom line is Trail put 9 goals on the board against a tough Nanaimo team and got a much needed victory. They don't have to be perfect as long as you get the two points.

Smokies Forward Thomas Abenante

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Smokies Forward Josh "Gordie" McEwan

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Here is my game recap from trailsmokeeaters.com:

Trail, BC - Josh McEwan knows how to pick his spots. The Kelowna native scored his first of the season at 1:47 of the third period to halt Nanaimo's come back and lead Trail to a 9-5 win over the Clippers.

The goal came only 13 seconds after Nanaimo cut Trail's 6-1 lead to 6-5 on a goal by Cody Bremner. Nanaimo scored twice in the second and twice in 38 seconds early in the third to put a scare into the Smoke Eaters.

Scott Jacklin and Matt Wilkins put the game out of reach. It was the second goal of the game for Wilkins.

Thomas Abenante also scored twice for the Smokies as they opened up a big early lead with 6 first period goals. Eric Walker, Travis St. Denis and Sam Mellor had Trail's other goals. St. Denis, Darnell Dyck and Nick Sandor had 2 assists each.

McEwan added an assist and fought Nanaimo's Nick Bell to complete his first career Gordie Howe hat trick.

The Clippers fired 19 shots on Smoke Eaters goaltender Kiefer Smiley in the second period to claw their way back in the game. Both teams played musical goalies as Nanaimo made three changes in goal while Trail replaced Smiley with Garrett Beckwith early in the third. Beckwith stopped all 8 shots he faced to secure the Trail win.

Trail's next action is Saturday night against Victoria. Nanaimo heads to Vernon.

ON THE TRAIL: Steve Oursov made his return to the Trail line-up on a line with Paul Mailey and Justin Brown. Mike Betz, Wade Bennett and Tom Rizzardo sat out for the Smokies ... The win secures a sweep of the season series for Trail as they beat the Clippers 4-2 on October 16th in Nanaimo ... The world famous Underwear Band made their return to the Cominco Arena for the first time since the fall of 2007 to help Trail break their five game losing skid. There were a staple of the Smoke Eaters' senior hockey glory years ... Smoke Eaters fans also generously donated hundreds of food items to the local Salvation Army.

That was certainly an entertaining night! The game had it all. Hopefully we see a big crowd out for the game against Victoria tomorrow night/tonight. It's the only time the Grizz will be in Trail this season. Hope to see you there.

Tuesday Smokies Audio

(McEwan fights in his first game - Photo Randy Emery)

Eric Walker on his scholarship

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Assistant Coach Barry Zanier

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Defenceman Mitch Kaufmann

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Forward Josh McEwan

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Video Highlights: Cowichan Valley 3 Trail 2

Ingram, Vandekamp on Trade

(Kaufmann at Rebels camp - Red Deer Advocate)

A couple of different perspectives have come in today on the deal that sent veteran forward Colin Lidster to Grande Prairie of the AJHL for 18 year old defenceman Mitch Kaufmann. First, I had the chance to chat with Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram at practice yesterday...

Ingram on Roster Moves

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Grande Prairie Coach and GM Mike Vandekamp (who used to coach in Merritt and Vernon) has some comments on the deal up on the Storm website.

Kaufmann, a six foot, 190-pound defenceman from Red Deer, was in his second year with the Storm. He saw limited playing time to start the season.

“We’ve been carrying what we feel is too many defencemen since the start of the season,” said Vandekamp. “That made it difficult to provide necessary playing time.

“Mitch has been caught in a numbers game at times. We felt this move would help him.”

It's really hard to know what the Smokies will get from Kaufmann. The newspaper report I linked to yesterday said he was steady and reliable. A Grande Prairie fan on the BCHL message board gave the impression he could be an offensive defenceman that could run a power play if given more of an opportunity. I suppose we'll find out soon enough! I'm not sure if Mitch will be in the line-up tonight, but surely we'll see him either tonight against Cowichan Valley or tomorrow against Prince George. I'm sure we'll see new forward Josh McEwan make his Smokies debut though. Both those games have 7:30pm puck drops at the Cominco Arena.

Smokies Add Kaufmann and McEwan

(Josh McEwan and Mitch Kaufmann)

The Trail Smoke Eaters made a couple of roster moves today leading into their home games against Cowichan Valley and Prince George this weekend. They traded 1989 born forward Colin Lidster to Grande Prairie of the AJHL for 1991 born defenceman Mitch Kaufmann and future considerations. Trail also added 1991 born forward Josh McEwan to their roster. He spent last season with the Langley Chiefs. To make room for McEwan the Smokies released 1989 born forward Riley Loyst. I'll have more details coming up shortly.

EDIT: So what does this move mean for the Smoke Eaters? First of all it creates a log jam on the back end. There are now nine defencemen on the roster. It also means the Smokies now have a third veteran on the blue line. Kaufmann may only be 18 years old but he has a year under his belt on a top team in the AJHL. As a rookie Kaufmann got ice time on a championship team throughout their playoff run. He only has one point in his Junior A career so I don't expect him to walk in to Trail and run the power play. That being said, I'm told he has a very good shot. He also had 15 points in 36 games with the Red Deer Optimist Rebels as a 16 year old in Midget AAA.

I don't think anyone should expect Kaufmann to walk in here and completely re-shape the back end. I would expect a solid player with some experience who can help calm things down in the Trail zone. That's the way he was described in an article on Kaufmann's try out with the WHL's Red Deer Rebels this fall:

“I think Mitch has played well. He’s been steady,” said (Rebels Head Coach Jesse) Wallin. “He’s got some junior A experience so he’s come in here and played with confidence because of that. He’s a steady guy. He doesn’t do anything real flashy but he’s solid in his own zone, he makes a good first pass and doesn’t get himself in much trouble. As a result, he’s certainly garnered some attention that way and he’ll get a longer look.”

That's the kind of player the Smokies could use right now. Smart, simple and effective play. I know Kaufmann is excited to be coming to Trail and should be in town in time for this weekend's home games against Cowichan Valley and Prince George.

As for the addition of Josh McEewan, he is another player who should make a difference with his two-way game. Josh had a goal and a couple of assists last season with the Langley Chiefs. McEwan also made a very tough Fernie Ghostriders squad when he was 16 years old. He only had 11 points in the regular season, but Josh upped his game in a big way with 9 points in 19 playoff games as Fernie won the KIJHL Championship. He also had 119 penalty minutes that season and 90 last year with Langley. McEwan has been skating with the Smokies for over a week now without any promises. He came in to prove himself and show the organization that he has what it takes to wear the orange and black. Coach Ingram says he's exactly the kind of player he likes and a guy who has told the coach that he will do anything and play whatever role it takes to get onto the roster. That kind of attitude and determination is exactly the kind of way to get Ingram's attention. Now we'll see how Josh can do if all the paperwork gets taken care of before the games this weekend.

As for the departures, it is always tough to see anyone go. Riley Loyst was a guy who always worked hard and played a very determined game. He battled back from two broken jaws and always busted his butt. I hope Riley can land somewhere to finish off his junior hockey career in style.

We know where Colin Lidster is going to go. The big man will now have a chance to show his stuff on the defending AJHL champions. Colin came to Trail to try and show that he could be a top 6 player and put up some big points in his 20 year old season. The performance of some of the new Smokies forwards like Lewis, Mellor and Wilkins made that less likely. Rather than play out his final season here on the bottom 6 we'll see if Lidster can head to Alberta and make a loud impression with a perennial power house in that league. He's a guy with a great stride and good shot on a huge frame... if he can put it all together the Storm may reap the rewards.

I certainly wish both Loyst and Lidster the best.

With their departure and the previous release of Devon Murtagh the Smokies also find themselves with three free 20 year old slots. Does that mean they'll fill those spots? Not necessarily. However, it does give Coach Ingram the flexibility to add a few more veterans should the opportunity present itself. I suspect there are still some moves to be made. For now we'll get our first look at the new additions tomorrow night against Cowichan Valley and Saturday night against Prince George. The Smokies are tough to beat at the Cominco Arena, especially if we get another great crowd like last Saturday night.

NOTES

...With the departure of Colin Lidster there was an opening for another alternate captain. Second year defenceman Graeme Strukoff will now have an 'A' on his jersey for the Smokies. Congratulations to Strukoff who is a first class citizen on and off the ice. I talk often to his father and I can see where it comes from. The "bull in a china shop" is one of two 18 year old members of Trail's leadership team with Justin Brown. Hopefully they will both be big parts of the team for the remainder of their junior careers.

...My condolences to the Vernon Vipers and the family of Wayne Buck. The former Vipers PA announcer passed away recently. He was the man behind the mic for 15 years.

...What kinds of things would make your Christmas time experience at a BCHL hockey game a little more exciting? Let me know via e-mail shawnsamsmullin@hotmail.com

...Some BCHL broadcasters got together today for what I believe is the first broadcasters pool. There are 8 of us in there and I'll keep you up to date as the season goes on. That is unless I find myself at the bottom of the standings! I've got Ovechkin on my team so I've at least got that going for me.

...Tomorrow's game by the way is another chapter in the mentor vs. student battle between Capitals Coach Scott Robinson and Smokies Coach Jim Ingram. Ingram was at one point Robinson's assistant in Cowichan Valley. The Caps beat Trail in the only match-up between the two teams last year. Both squads are struggling in the standings and will be playing desperate hockey. It should be entertaining.