Smokies home games are not available on the radio, but Mountain FM will again cover their road games. You can watch the game from the Cominco Arena on BCHLPPV. It will be my final Smokies broadcast before leaving for Swift Current.
Tonight is the fifth game of the season series between the two teams. The Vipers have dominated it so far. However, both teams are coming into the game on a two game losing streak. Trail fell 4-2 to Penticton last Sunday and 5-2 to Salmon Arm last night. Vernon fell 2-1 to Westside last weekend and 4-1 to Penticton last night. For another look at tonight's game check out the vipersdiehardfan blog.
Vernon has outscored Trail 27-7 in a lopsided season series. However, a couple of those games were a lot closer than the score indicates through 40 minutes. The Vipers have been able to take advantage of Trail let downs to extend their leads. Otherwise there has been some even and entertaining play during periods of the series. The Smoke Eaters are also playing better hockey of late with 4 wins in their last 7 games. Also, the line of the Jones twins and Cory Kane has killed Trail this year. Word is that Kellen Jones has a broken jaw and that line will be a man short tonight.
TOP SCORERS
1. F Cory Kane (VER) 5-3-8 1. F Connor Jones (VER) 4-4-8 3. F Mike Collins (VER) 2-5-7 3. F Dan Nycholat (VER) 2-5-7 3. F Braden Pimm (VER) 2-5-7 3. F Kellen Jones (VER) 1-6-7 7. F Cole Ikkala (VER) 3-3-6 7. F Dylan Walchuk (VER) 0-6-6 9. F Travis St. Denis (TRA) 4-0-4 10. F Sam Mellor (TRA) 1-2-3
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.
Home openers are always magical games. No matter the result there's that feeling in the air that hockey season is finally here. You'll see some familiar faces that you may not have seen all summer. You'll feel that brisk shot of cold air when you walk through the doors into the Cominco Arena. The line starts to form around the Sud Shack... the fries are in mid-season form over at the Spud Shack... Tiger's legendary voice fills the air reminded everyone that season ticket holders have reserved seating... and of course the most educated fans in the BCHL gather around the railings to talk strategy. "How is the roster looking?" "Are we big enough this year?" "We need to put a big body in front of the net on the PP." "Nice to see all those local boys in the line-up." "Who is this Chaput kid?" This is a fan base that knows their stuff. They may not be the loudest crowd in hockey (unless there's a bad call...) but they sure are a dedicated and smart bunch. I'm looking forward to the first of many good talks.
Who better to open the home schedule against than the defending national champion Vernon Vipers? Two seasons ago they opened against Vernon and lost a very dramatic overtime game. Vernon also knocked Trail out of the playoffs two years in a row in 2007 and 2008. They're a team that feature two of the best BCHL players from the Kootenays (Jones twins) and a team the fans in Trail love to hate. A great challenge? Absolutely, but also a great way to test this team. A win tonight would sure have the city buzzing.
Last year's season series against Vernon didn't go Trail's way. You can get details over at the blog of vipersdiehardfan. The Vipers won it 6-2. However, Trail did get two early wins against Vernon when the Smokies actually had a healthy line-up. They did it with energy, hard work, physical play and strong goaltending. That's a recipe for success against the skilled Vipers if everything clicks. We'll see if Trail can execute that tonight. Expect Devon Murtagh to get his first start with the Smokies tonight. I imagine there will be a rotation early until one guy really stands out. I had the chance to chat with both coaches to preview the game on Mountain FM's Overtime. Here's what they had to say...
Game time is 7:30pm tonight. Don't miss it. The home opener is a really good way to set the tone for the way this season could go. I'm hoping this can really be a banner year for fan support in Trail.
CHAPUT TRADE
As I mentioned earlier, the Smoke Eaters acquired defencemanMarc-Antoine Chaput from Surrey for future considerations today. He's a 1991 born defenceman who from what I hear plays with a lot of speed and skill. The Quebeec native is listed at 5'10 and 170lbs. He's only 17 yet as he has a December birthday. Chaput was also on the radar of the QMJHL as you can find his profile page on their website. Looks like it was Chicoutimi who was having a look at him. Chaput played last year for the Harrington College Icebergs, but I have had a ton of trouble navigating their website to try and find any statistics for him. Usually my digging turns something up! Looks like he'll have to remain a mystery until we see him in the line-up. That may happen tonight if he makes it in time. Chaput also played one game for the Eagles and was a third star for them in one of their pre-season games. I spoke to both Coach Ingram and Surrey Coach Shane Kuss about what we can expect from Chaput...
Kuss speaks very highly of Chaput's skills. I guess we'll have to see for ourselves either tonight at home or tomorrow in Vernon. I'm just psyched we have another player from Quebec so I can bust out the "ET LE BUT" call! I thought it was dead after JFBoisvert went to McGill. See you at the rink tonight!
EDIT: You know why I can't find information on Chaput's stats? The Harrington College Icebergs played in the United Junior Hockey League for most of last season until they actually left the league in February. Sounds like that was quite a gong show. In fact the four Canadian teams that left the league together had their own playoff and it didn't even go down as planned. Harrington lost in the semi-final, but the team that beat them (Saint-Lawrence) refused to play against their opponent (Team Ulysse) in the championship series due to an earlier incident between the two teams. Harrington took up the spot in the finals and actually won the "league championship" for the UJHL's spare parts. Such a strange story. No wonder I can't find any statistics.
Click here to check out the new Smoke Eaters website. How can I not love a website that designed a logo for my blog? Just in time for the home opener tonight. It is quite similar to the websites of several other BCHL clubs. I like the sharp and simple look of the site. It's easy to navigate, looks good and will hopefully be easy to maintain. There are several sections that still require content. For example, I think the history section of the last website was one of it's nicer features. From what I understand that will be added to the new look site over the next few months. Be patient while they work out the bugs... but it looks good! What do you think?
The Trail Smoke Eaters got some bad financial news from the province yesterday. Their annual BC gaming grant was slashed from $25,000 last season to only $7,500 this season. They at one time got as much as $40,000 from the province. Only community owned teams can apply for the funding, but Smokies President Tom Gawryletz couldn't tell me if the cuts had impacted the other three community owned clubs in the BCHL. As for Trail, after two straight seasons with losses over $20,000 (including $34,000 last season) there is now some urgency to find more revenue. They certainly can't afford to mirror last season's numbers but with an additional $17,500 added to their losses. Gawryletz says they could surely break even if they put 100 to 150 more fans every game into the Cominco Arena. What is it going to take to do that? Surely some marketing could play a part in it (anyone have any brilliant ideas?) but the key is probably winning.
No pressure!
It's up to the community. The BCHL financial landscape is what it is. Trail has the toughest travel schedule of any team in the league, and they don't have a wealthy private owner to absorb any losses. This is what it's going to cost to run a BCHL club. If 950 fans a game isn't going to cut it, the people of Trail are going to either have to get their butts into the rink or accept a ticket back to the KIJHL. Some clubs could thrive on Trail's hardcore 900+ fan base. I think Merritt would probably kill for those kinds of numbers on a regular basis. However, Trail's bills are higher and that's just the way it is. I'm not saying the executive is on the cusp of puling the plug. I get no sense of that at all. I'm just saying you can't take blood from a stone. If losses pile up in that range every season eventually the money is going to run out.
I'm not going to get into the political side of this. It's unfortunate the Campbell government waited until what seems like the very last minute to let some of these organizations know the hole they're going to be in. However, times are tough. If it comes down to cutting a nurse or cutting a grant to a hockey team... well make your own call. I just don't like the way that these cuts have really caught so many organizations off guard. Whether it's a charity or sports or anything else there are people who rely on those organizations for the services they provide or just to make a living as an employee. If you'd like to see them supported you now have to vote with your wallet.
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.
BROADCAST: You can year tonight's game on Mountain FM. The City of Trail pre-game show starts at 7:15pm. We're available at 104.1 in Trail, 99.3 in Castlegar, 103.5 in Nelson and 96.7 in Grand Forks. If you're out of our listening area we now have a listen live feature on our website. Click here to see if that works for you. The broadcast should also be available in the BCHLFanzone, but it's not a sure thing depending on the quality of my internet connection. You can also follow me on Twitter this season, but I don't know how much I'll be able to post during games.
GAME STORY: After six long months hockey season is finally back. Today's game is all about fresh starts. The most obvious one of course is for the Merritt franchise. At the end of last season many observers felt they were as good as gone. The team was either going to move or fold. However, thanks to new local investment the Cents have new life. Private ownership may have fallen through for now and there have been a couple of coaching changes over the summer, but there is still hope. The terrific attendance for their exhibition games proves there is still hope. This is also a club with a significant number of returning players and some key pick ups from the futures deals they made last year. The man to watch may just be 16 year old goaltender Cole Holowenko. If he's as good as some people think he is, Merritt may just be able to surprise us all.
For the Trail Smoke Eaters the fresh start is more on the ice than off. After a fantastic fall of 2008 (first place in the Interior, ranked nationally, top power play in the BCHL) the wheels fell off. Injuries sunk a promising season to the point that players and fans forgot what a win feels like in January, February and March. Now this group can white the slate clean and start again. It's a fresh start for several players who believe they have more to give. Guys like Colin Lidster, Darnell Dyck and Tye Lewis come to Trail from other Junior A experiences with hopes they can be a bigger piece of the puzzle in a new city. It's a fresh start for 8 rookies that want to show why their success at lower levels wasn't a fluke. It's also a fresh start for returning vets that believe they and their team are capable of accomplishing more than two straight first round exits.
Before the puck drops on the first game of the regular season every team has lofty ambitions. They all have visions of championship glory and scholarships. Tonight is our first chance to see whose dreams may just come true.
Here's a pre-game interview I did with Coach Ingram last night on Mountain FM's Overtime...
Of note from the interview? Colin Lidster is the third and final alternate captain for the Smoke Eaters this season. He joins Justin Brown and Sean Nugent as alternates. Paul Mailey wears the C. I should also note there is a significant local contingent on this year's team. Mailey, Brown, Steve Koshey, Travis St. Denis, Thomas Abenante and Eric Walker. They're all West Kootenay boys. When you expand that list to the East Kootenay you can include Matt Wilkins, Sam Mellor and Scott Jacklin.
ROSTERS:Trail's roster is now available at the BCHL website. You can also check out my review of the roster from an earlier blog post. Merritt's roster is also now available at the BCHL website. You can also check out Brian's review of their roster on his Making Cents blog.
As stated earlier this week in Jim Ingram's interview on Mountain FM's Overtime, the Trail Smoke Eaters roster is now down to 24 players. That's one more than they'll be allowed to have when the puck drops on the regular season next Friday in Merritt. The Smokies also still have the rights of Adam Gummer and Chris Stew to deal with at some point as well. Nothing is set in stone in junior hockey, but I figured we'd take brief look at who is left standing after what was a taxing training camp. I'll also take a look at the pre-season scoring leaders.
FORWARDS
(Riley Loyst had a strong camp - Photo Randy Emery)
Paul Mailey(90) - fourth year as a Smoke Eater, Smokies Captain, Trail native
Sean Nugent(89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, Alternate Captain, former Cowichan Valley Capital, played for Jim Ingram in the VIJHL
Justin Brown (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, Alternate Captain, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
Nick Sandor (89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Alberni Valley Bulldog
Riley Loyst (89) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Merritt Centennial, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
Scott Jacklin(90) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Cowichan Valley Capital, former Columbia Valley Rockie in the KIJHL
Travis St. Denis(92) - second year as a Smoke Eater, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native, nominated for BCHL Rookie of the Year in 2008-09, committed to Quinnipiac in the NCAA
Colin Lidster(89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Salmon Arm Silverback, son of former NHLer Doug Lidster
Darnell Dyck (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Surrey Eagle, played for Fraser Valley Major Midget
Tye Lewis (89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Omaha Lancer in the USHL, also played in the NAHL
Thomas Abenante (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
Sam Olson (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Grand Forks Border Bruin in the KIJHL
Matthew Malenstyn (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played for Aldergrove, Delta and Squamish in the PIJHL
Matt Wilkins (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Kimberley Dynamiter in the KIJHL
Sam Mellor (92) - first year as a Smoke Eeater, former Kimberley Dynamiter in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, committed to Alaska-Anchorage in the NCAA
DEFENCEMEN
(Steve Koshey against the Vees - Photo Randy Emery)
Steve Koshey (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, former Beaver Valley Nitehawk in the KIJHL, played for the Major Midget Kootenay Ice, Trail native
Graeme Strukoff (91) - second year as a Smoke Eater, played for the Major Midget Fraser Valley Bruins
David Piccard (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
Wade Bennett (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Midget LA Junior Kings
KodiSawka (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the AJHL's St. Albert Steel, played with the NEAJBHL and Alberta Junior B champion Lloydminster Bandits
Ben Matthews (91) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Alaska All Stars
Eric Walker (93) - first year as a Smoke Eater, played with the Major Midget Okanagan Hockey Academy team, nephew of former NHLerGord Walker, Castlegar native
GOALTENDERS
(Devon Murtagh against Powell River - Photo Randy Emery)
Devon Murtagh (89) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Westside Warrior, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
Garrett Beckwith (90) - first year as a Smoke Eater, former Westside Warrior, former Nelson Leaf in the KIJHL
PRE SEASON SCORING
Loyst (3G, 1A)
Lidster (2G, 2A)
Dyck (0G, 4A)
Jacklin (0G, 3A)
Lewis (0G, 3A)
Sandor (2G, 0A)
Malenstyn (1G, 1A)
Mellor (1G, 1A)
Piccard (0G, 2A)
Abenante (1G, 0A)
Koshey (0G, 1A)
Walker (0G, 1A)
Mailey (0G, 1A)
Strukoff (0G, 1A)
Nugent (0G, 1A)
Matthews (0G, 1A)
Remember not everyone played all three games. This just gives you an idea of who was hot during the exhibition tournament. All these numbers get erased next Friday in Merritt. Tune in to Mountain FM for every road broadcast all season long.
The Trail Smoke Eaters have added another piece to their back end as we move towards what should be another excellent competition for blue line spots at training camp. Los Angeles native Wade Bennett has agreed to join the Smokies for next season. Wade is the older brother of Beau Bennett of the PentictonVees. Ryan Pinder had the scoop on that signing a little while back. The Bennett brothers were both recruited by the USHL and instead decided the BCHL was the right path for them. It doesn't always go in the other direction!
I met Wade and his father at the Smokies alumni banquet. I got a terrific first impression from them and suspect this is a hockey family that does things the right way. Wade seems really excited to be coming to a hockey hot bed like Trail so he can take his game to the next level. After recently switching from forward to defence he had 5 goald and 11 assists in 77 AAA Midget games for the LA Junior Kings. The 1990 born D is listed as 5'9 and 168lbs but has likely put on some weight since then. Here are my interviews with Wade and with Jim Ingram on the subject...
As you can tell from the interview Jim was really impressed by Wade's ability with the puck. I know he saw him in a tournament in early 08 and I believe Wade went to Vernon's training camp this past season. Here's hoping Wade can come in and help replace what Trail has lost on the blue line. As I've said before there are a number of interesting players coming to camp that we haven't announced on the blog yet. We know so far that Steve Kosehey, Graeme Strukoff, Brett Naka and Wade Bennett will be a part of the picture. That's two puck movers and two freight trains. There are several more that I know of who should make things really interesting come late August.
I think we could have another situation where there are up to 10 guys who could play in the league that the team will have to pick from. Of course a lot of fans still believe the team needs to make a move for at least another veteran on the back end. There's still lots of time before training camp, and often those kinds of moves don't get made until early in the season. The team is coming together well and I only heard positive comments about what Jim is doing when I was talking with some people at the BC Hockey Hall of Fame Summer Classic this past weekend.
Speaking of the Summer Classic that was a heck of a good time. Thanks to Ryan Pinder and all the people in Penticton for allowing me to take part. It was a unique broadcast where we had the chance to do some live interviews on the bench during the game. Nothing quite like having Pat Quinn staring down at you from the bench and telling you the other team's goal was your fault because you distracted him... obvious joke or not I can see how that man can get your attention!
DanyHeatley also made an appearance and showed off his ridiculous release. I think that was his first public event and first public comments this summer. Of course all he talked about was the game and the charity. As tempting as it was to ask him about the trade request stuff on our broadcast we knew he was there for a charity (Penticton Minor Hockey) and that had to be respected. As much as anyone can say about him he could have easily stayed home (he was a last minute addition), but instead gave his time to raise money for a good cause. I still think he should make some kind of a statement soon.
There were some big names there and they all did it to raise money and put attention on minor hockey. I was glad to be a part of that.
JAYS ADVANCE TO STATE
In American Legion Baseball, the Trail Jays advanced to the Idaho State Tournament. It was kind of a complicated story to be honest. The Jays beat Cranbrook and Lewis-Clark to start the double elimination North Idaho District Playoffs. The wins put Trail into the finals of the tournament and when Lewis-Clark made it through the loser bracket to get to finals as well it guaranteed Trail the top seed from their region. Lewis-Clark is hosting the State Tournament so they had a special "host" seed and as such it didn't matter who won the district. Since it didn't technically matter both sides agreed to just play one game for the championship. Trail lost that game 12-11 but didn't use their top pitchers when they had a lead late in the game. Normally they would've been due a second game because it was double elimination and they hadn't lost. It seems strange to me that winning your district isn't really significant. However, the State Tournament starts tomorrow and so the Jays wanted to make sure their top arms were rested.
For you BCHL and Vernon fans who have been following the blog for updates... Kellen Jones got the win in Saturday's game over Lewis-Clark and Connor Jones picked up the save. Jays Manager Nick Schuerman says he'll be counting on the twins for big innings if they have any shot of winning State. We'll keep you up to date on what has been Trail's best showing at this level in years. To think only 6 years ago the team was actually on a one year hiatus.
EDIT: Just wanted to add a list of the Jays awards winners for this season from their banquet last night.
First I want to wish both former Smokies Grant Rollheiser and Kevin Limbert a Happy Birthday today. It's hard to imagine two better examples of what a Smoke Eater can achieve than the Maple Leaf draft pick who won a national championship with BU last year and the former Captain who is making a big impact at Yale. I join all Smokies fans in wishing them both the best in the upcomming year.
With milestones in life we also talk of milestones in death... the celebration of the life of a member of the 1939 World Champion Senior Smokies. Click here for the article on Jimmy Haight from the Trail Rossland News. You should also pick up yesterday's Trail Times for a nice piece on Haight. The celebration of Jimmy's life will be held tomorrow at 12:30pm at the Cominco Gym. I wish I could be there. Instead I'll be part of the broadcast team for a big charity game happening in Penticton. Get more details over at Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog. It's a heck of a line-up (including former Smoke Eaters Coach Tom Renney) and any local hockey fan should seriously consider making a day of attending Jimmy's celebration then jumping in the car and and heading to Penticton for this game. Who said hockey season was over?
BALL RESULTS
The Trail Jays won the first game of the North Idaho American Legion Baseball district playoffs yesterday. Connor Jones got the win as the Jays beat Cranbrook 11-5. The win guarantees Trail a spot in the state tournament. Stay tuned to Mountain FM for more updates on the Jays and other local ball.
I promised news of a new Smoke Eater and I intend to get to that later today.
In a move that became almost obvious after Trail acquired Devon Murtagh from Westside, the Smokies have dealt goaltender Paul Barclay to Surrey for forward Darnell Dyck. Both Barclay and Murtagh will take up 20 year old spots next season while Dyck is a 1991 born forward. WhileDyck only had 11 points in 53 games as a rookie, he showed his scoring touch with 41 points in 40 games for Fraser Valley in Major Midget as a 16 year old. He's also listed at 6'2 and 180lbs. Good luck to Barclay who gets to return close to home. I'll have more on this deal later as I'm pressed for time.
Congratulations are in order today for former Smoke Eater Chad Gehon. He's earned himself a spot with the NCAA Division 1 squad at Alaska Fairbanks. Click here to read the article at the BCHL website. Gehon finished the season with Westside, but he played his best hockey as a member of the Trail Smoke Eaters. After being moved to Trail from Merritt in the off season, Gehon went from a point a game player to a top 10 scorer in the league. He worked hard on his game throughout the summer and during the season to continue his evolution into a dominant performer at this level. Gehon was a huge part of Trail's early success which included a stint in first place and a few weeks in the national rankings. His early chemistry with Andrew Pickering and Nick Sandor was a pleasure to watch. Later on Gehon would help elevate Travis St. Denis' game when they played together.
The Smokies ended up moving Gehon to Westside (through Merritt) at the trade deadline so they could add Scott Jacklin to their line-up. Jacklin will be eligible to play for two more seasons and Trail's slide in the standings at the time likely made it easier to see the future Jacklin could bring when Gehon would be done. That being said, Trail did miss Gehon's presence as they struggled to find goals down the stretch.
It took Gehon a while to fit in with Westside as they had established units in their top 6. When he eventually found chemistry with Cam Reid they made up 2/3 of the Warriors' most dangerous line in the series against Trail. Westside looked poised to make a serious run at Salmon Arm in the second round until injuries really took the wind out of their sails.
After all the improvements Gehon made over the last season I'm very glad to see he was rewarded with this opportunity to play at the highest level of NCAA hockey. Congrats Chad, you deserve it! He may not be committing to Alaska Fairbanks as a member of the Smoke Eaters, but everyone in Trail is surely very proud of what he's achieved after a great season here. Plus when you're a Smoke Eater, you're a Smoke Eater for life.
It's Fan Appreciation Night at the Cominco Arena. $3 tickets and drinks, lots of prizes and a whole lot of stuff happening. We'll conclude the Ferraro Foods $25,000 Shoot Out and one fan will have a chance at all that money. Ultimately what really matters is that the Smoke Eaters need a victory tonight. After seven straight losses this game gives Trail an opportunity to get out of their funk and start getting their confidence back. However, if they take Merritt lightly or start pressing too hard and making mistakes, this game could turn into a disaster.
It's easy to look at the season series and the overall records and think Trail will destroy Merritt. However, since the new year their records are actually quite similar. Trail is 3-13-0-1 Merritt actually has more wins at 4-14-0-1. I should note that the Cents have had a much easier schedule with all four of those wins against one of Prince George or Merritt. That being said, Merritt has been tougher to play against after the trade deadilne. Their roster is full of guys who are fighting for their place in the league, work hard and have absolutely nothing to lose.
By the way if you want some more information on Merrit check out Brian's Making Cents blog for a summary of their year end awards.
Trail has dominated this series. There have been a couple of close games, but for the most part the Smoke Eaters have had their way with the Cents. The times that Merritt has had some success against Trail are when the Smokies get impatient and try to press for goals. The Cents generally have played a simple defensive game to try and keep the score down and capitalize on mistakes. Whenever Trail has matched that with their own smart, simple play they have used what is honestly superior talent to take over the games. However, there is a risk that a team in the midst of a long losing streak could get caught pressing for goals and start making mistakes. That would play right into Merritt's hands and put Trail in a potentially dangerous situation.
Play their game and the Smokies should get the W.
POWER PLAY
Trail: 10/27 (37.04%) Merritt: 1/21 (4.76%)
TOP SCORERS
1. F Ryan Bulach (TRA) 7-6-13 1. F JFBoisvert (TRA) 5-8-13 3. D Steve Koshey (TRA) 2-8-10 4. F Paul Mailey (TRA) 3-4-7 4. F Nick Sandor (TRA) 3-4-7 6. D Danny DeKeyser (TRA) 2-4-6 7. F Paul Forster (MER) 3-2-5 7. F ColtonSobchak (MER) 2-3-5 7. F Travis St. Denis (TRA) 2-3-5 7. F JadonPorterfield (TRA) 1-4-5
GOALTENDERS
1. Marco Raimondo (TRA) 3-0, 2.00GAA, 0. 948% 2. Paul Barclay (TRA) 3-0, 2.67GAA, 0.873% 3. Harrison May (MER) 0-4, 6.34GAA, 0.841% 4. Kyle Nielsen (MER) 0-1, 8.23GAA, 0.771%
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