Mountain FM Ashes: Penticton 5 Trail 4

Sorry for the delay in posting this but I went right from the final game of the Ashes to a the car for a quick trip to Spokane with Laura. Precious moments ahead of my move in a couple of weeks!

As for the game, I thought it was terrific. Ultimately not the result the Smokies wanted, but it had a little bit of everything. The first period was so chippy that the coaches made a deal to cut the crap. How often do you see that? After that the violence settled down somewhat and the goal scorers took over.

Trail were in a huge hole as Polk, O'Donnell and Laleggia put the Vees up 3-0. Penticton's power play is always a force and Saturday was no different as the Vees scored 2 out of those 3 goals on the man advantage. However, the Smokies weren't ready to lay down just yet. Scott Jacklin continued his tournament MVP-like performance with a huge slapper to the top corner for his 5th goal in 3 games. That gave Trail some life and Matthew Laboucane cut the lead to only one in the final minute on his tip of a huge Logan Proulx slap shot.

Laboucane struck again early in the third to complete the come back. There is a reason he has been one of the most talked about players at camp. The 1991 born forward who played for Cold Lake in Alberta Junior B last season battles hard every shift. He wins battles, throws huge checks, does the little things right and goes to the net. He was rewarded a second time off a Curtis Tonello point shot with Proulx getting another assist as well. Then with time running down in the game Adam Boytink stole the puck for Trail and roofed a short handed marker to give the Smokies a 4-3 lead. It looked line the home club was headed for victory at the Mountaini FM Ashes.

The Vees put a kibosh on that with 2 quick goals from Joey Holka. Ryan Pinder calls it "Holka-Mania" and that was running wild at the end of the game. Holka's first came after a ridiculous dangle by Garrett Milan on Clayton McEwan. The second was just a big shot from the slot. Holka saved the Ashes for the Vees who have yet to lose a single game in two seasons at Trail's exhibition tournament.

It wasn't the ending Trail fans wanted, but ultimately this event wasn't about winning. Each staff had a chance to get to look at their veteran rosters and in that environment they were able to evaluate their bubble guys. It was also a terrific way to get players exposure to NCAA scouts early in the season. All in all I'd say it was a success. Certainly on the ice you would have a hard time convincing me this isn't the most talented Smokies team I've ever seen since moving here. They should have three lines of scoring.

Thanks to the teams, volunteers and fans who made the Mountain FM Ashes possible. I hope it'll become an annual tradition. Now BCHL fans turn their attention to the start of the regular season with Trail hosting Merritt on Friday. Hope to see you all there!

Mountain FM Ashes Final Live Blog

Mountain FM Ashes Audio Preview

The Mountain FM Ashes Trail Smoke Eaters Exhibition Tournament gets started today. Penticton and Powell River face off at 4:30pm while Trail plays Brooks at 7:30pm. It'll be Matt Wilkins and Mitch Kaufmann of the Bandits facing their former team in their former home rink. Cullen Bradshaw of the Smokies will play his first game in the orange and black against his old team as well. Should be interesting.

For live coverage of the Penticton game check out Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog for a live blog of all the action. I'll be trying to get something similar up and running here on this blog tonight. However, I'll be distracted a bit at first by doing the big ashes ceremony to start the game. For now here are some interviews I've done with three of the coaches and Pinder to preview the tournament. Check it out for $5 a game and $20 for the tournament.

Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

Click here to download

Penticton Vees Coach and GM Fred Harbinson

Click here to download

Powell River Coach and GM Kent Lewis

Click here to download

Penticton Vees Broadcaster Ryan Pinder

Click here to download

The Mountain FM Ashes (Exhibition Tournament)

TRAIL, BC – The Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey Club is proud to announce that Mountain FM has come on board as the title sponsor for the Smokies annual exhibition tournament. The event is now known as the Mountain FM Ashes and takes place from September 2nd-4th.

The concept is based on a cricket series between England and Australia dating back to 1882. The winner of the series is awarded an urn carrying ashes of some form of burned cricket equipment. Mountain FM and the Smoke Eaters are now bringing a form of that tradition to the BCHL pre-season event.

During the tournament there will be a symbolic burning to create the ashes that will be awarded to the tournament winner. Since it is only a round robin event the winner will be decided by team records and a list of tie breakers.

“The team at Mountain FM is super excited about presenting the first annual Mountain FM Ashes,” says station program director and morning show host Drex. “It's a great concept for the Smokies and their pre-season tournament.”

“We hope the Smokies can bring it home.”

In addition to sponsoring the tournament, Mountain FM is also entering their 6th season as the radio home of the Smoke Eaters. The station broadcasts every Smokies road game at 104.1 FM in Trail and covers the team extensively on their nightly sports show “Overtime.”

Last year's event was the first of it's kind in Trail and drew over a dozen NCAA schools.

The tournament will include the Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings and Brooks Bandits.

Powell River is the two-time defending BCHL Coastal Conference Champion. They were one game away from representing the BCHL in the 2010 Royal Bank Cup.

Penticton was the third place team in the final CJHL regular season national rankings. 18 Vees on last season's roster earned commitments from NCAA schools.

Brooks brings representation from the AJHL. They finished fifth in the South Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2009-10.

Here is the schedule for the event:

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton vs Powell River
7:30pm Brooks vs Trail

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

Tickets are available at the door or you can purchase a 6 game pack for $20 at Remax All Pro-Realty in Trail.

###

For more information on the 2010 Mountain FM Ashes Trail Smoke Eaters exhibition tournament, visit http://www.trailsmokeeaters.com/ or http://www.mountainfm.net/

Gelley, Smokies Camp, Tournament Schedule, KIJHL roster news

Here's a picture of Cole Gelley defending Graeme Strukoff last season at the Cominco Arena. Thanks to Randy Emery for that. As noted in Guy Bertrand's Trail Times article, Gelley and Strukoff were drafted one spot away from each other in the WHL Bantam draft several years back. Now they'll find themselves playing together. Here is the press release I wrote up for the Smokies website:

TRAIL, BC - Trail Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram announced today that the Smokies have acquired defenceman Cole Gelley and future considerations from the Surrey Eagles in exchange for defenceman Wade Bennett and forward Robert Lindores.

"Cole is a real good skating, puck moving defenceman that can quarterback a power play," said Ingram. "I think that's something we wanted to make sure we had (enough of) in the line-up."

Gelly, 19, recorded one goal, 19 assists (1-19-20) and 26 penalty minutes in 58 games with the Eagles last season. Gelley made his BCHL debut as an AP in 2007-08 and has played 101 career regular season games with the Eagles. Prior to that he played 75 games in Major Midget, recording 27 points (6-19-27) and 66 penalty minutes for the Vancouver North West Giants.

"It's a good opportunity and I'm excited to come up there," said Gelley. "I don't think my point totals really represent how much of an offensive player I am."

"I feel I have way more in the tank than that."

The move was partly necessitated by the number of returning 20 year old players on Trail's roster.

"There's no secret that we were top heavy with 1990 birth years," said Ingram.

This deal combined with the recent trade of Garrett Beckwith to Drumheller in the AJHL and the departure of Tom Rizzardo to Bizmark of the NAHL, trims Trail's number of 1990 born players from 10 to 7 before training camp. BCHL teams can only carry 6 of them once the puck drops for the regular season.

Bennett, 20, scored 3 goals and 19 assists (3-19-22) as a forward and defenceman with the Smoke Eaters last season. Lindores, 19, has scored 6 goals and 9 assists (6-9-15) over 89 career games with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. He became Trail property as the future considerations in the Tye Lewis for Curtis Tonello trade.

As noted in the press release, the 20 year old log jam was reduced further as Tom Rizzardo has opted to play for Bizmark in the North American Hockey League. Tommy is a classy young man who has a lot of offensive talent. He proved that with Nelson during their KIJHL championship run in 2009. I hope he is able to translate that to the Junior A level with Bizmark.

That leaves Trail with seven 1990 born players in training camp. There's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition among veterans to make sure these guys aren't taking their spots for granted. We know camp is always competitive among rookies trying to make the club. This situation should make sure the vets are fighting for their jobs too.

The addition of Gelley ensures that barring any other moves the Smokies are going to have a veteran defensive unit this season. Gelley, Steve Koshey, Graeme Strukoff and Curtis Tonello are entering their third BCHL seasons while it will be the second for Eric Walker and Ben Matthews. There is room for one or two rookies to make the roster and learn with that group. However, that is a big step up from last September when the club was throwing 4 or 5 rookies over the boards every night. I'm sure goaltender Kiefer Smiley is thanking his lucky stars there will be some veteran help early on this year.

Training camp gets started on August 23rd with registration at 8:30am. The camp will run for three days and then the Smokies have a couple of exhibition games in Chase against Vernon.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The second annual Smokies pre-season tournament will run from Thursday, September 2nd to Saturday, September 4th. Here is the schedule:

Thursday, September 2nd
4:30pm Penticton vs Powell River
7:30pm Brooks vs Trail

Friday, September 3rd
4:30pm Brooks vs Penticton
7:30pm Powell River vs Trail

Saturday, September 4th
10:30am Powell River vs Brooks
1pm Penticton vs Trail

I'll do my best to get the arena as much as possible for the games. You can also likely count on some live coverage of the games on Ryan Pinder's Vees Blog. He did some live blogging from it lats year.

KIJHL ROSTER MOVES

A couple of moves in the KIJHL last week. First a trade that saw Grand Forks send PIM king Jacob Halderman to Columbia Valley for defencemen Zack MacLellan and Jordan Groenheyde. MacLellan was Columbia Valley's All-Star game rep. Both teams finished last in their division last season and are hoping for bounce back seasons. Can't hurt the Border Bruins to get a couple of young d-men with experience in the league. They finished well last year and I'm really hoping to see them continue to push forward. The community will really get behind them if they continue making progress. Check out the Off the Wahl blog for more.

New Nelson Leafs Coach and GM Chris Shaw announced this week that they've received a commitment from four of last year's veterans to return in September. F Gavin Currie, F Cody Abbey, D Tyler Parfeniuk and D Taylor O'Neil will all be back in Nelson. O'Neil and Currie both played as APs for Trail last season. Taylor is the Leafs Captain while Currie was their top forward in 2009-10. They should form a very strong core for Shaw to build around.

New Castlegar Coach and GM Steve Junker also announced that they'll be getting a couple of veteran talents back this season. Tough forward Taylor Anderson and top defenceman Darren Tarasoff have committed to return to the Rebels. Anderson was third in the KIJHL in penalty minutes while Tarasoff spent most of last season with Williams Lake in the BCHL. They should both be leaders on Junker's first squad.

Both the Leafs and Rebels will likely get more of last year's players back, but as with all KIJHL teams it is a waiting game until BCHL camps are complete. I've yet to hear much about who is or isn't expected back in Beaver Valley, but I do know they're excited about a lot of the young local talent that will be a part of their club this season.

Mountain FM is the official media partner of the KIJHL and we will continue to be the primary source for KIJHL coverage in the Kootenay-Boundary. If anything our coverage will expand and evolve this season. I'm looking forward to it.

More to come on the blog this week including and interview with former Smokies Coach Tim Kehler on taking over the Salmon Arm Silverbacks this season.

Smokes Announce Exhibition Tournament

Trail, BC -- The Trail Smoke Eaters announced today plans for a second annual exhibition tournament at the Cominco Arena. The event will take place from Thursday, September 2nd through Saturday, September 4th.

Once again a trio of British Columbia Hockey League teams will be joined by an Alberta opponent. The tournament will include the Smoke Eaters, Penticton Vees, Powell River Kings and Brooks Bandits.

Last year's event was the first of it's kind in Trail and drew over a dozen NCAA schools.

"We want to see that number increase this year," says Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram. "We think we have a great young talent base with the three teams that are coming in here."

One change this year saw the tournament moved from the final weekend in August to the first in September.

"A lot cuts will have been made and that gives the schools a chance to see what the teams will actually look like."

Ingram doesn't just see it as a chance to showcase players to scouts.

"It's a great opportunity for us to showcase Trail," he says. "The teams last year absolutely loved it so we're happy to do it again."

Ingram notes there has been interest from other teams willing to participate in the tournament. For now the Smokies will keep it to four clubs, but the possibility is open for expanding the event in the future.

The Smoke Eaters will be showing off a large crop of returning players including three who were at a point per game scoring pace in the 2009-10 season. While players like Travis St. Denis (Quinnipiac), Sam Mellor (Alaksa-Anchorage) and Eric Walker (Northern Michigan) are already committed to NCAA schools; there are several other current Smokies and recruits who will attract attention from scouts.

The Powell River Kings are the two-time defending BCHL Coastal Conference Champions. They were one game away from representing the BCHL in the 2010 Royal Bank Cup.

Penticton was the third place team in the final CJHL regular season national rankings. 18 Vees on last season's roster earned commitments from NCAA schools.

Brooks brings representation from the AJHL. They finished fifth in the South Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs in 2009-10.

For more information on the 2010 Trail Smoke Eaters exhibition tournament, visit www.trailsmokeeaters.com or www.bchl.ca.

News, Notes and Audio (Bloodoff, Ingram, Macleod, Ohlhausen)

It's Game 7 of the BCHL finals tonight. You've got to give both teams credit for what has been a heck of a war between Powell River and Vernon. I know I'll be watching on PPV. Good luck to both teams! EDIT: Congratulations to the Vipers on their second straight Fred Page Cup. It was quite a war and both deserve a ton of credit.

Congrats are in order for former Smoke Eater and Castlegar native Lucas Bloodoff. First of all he's to be congratulated on what was a terrific junior career. That came to an end this weekened when Bloodoff's Rockets fell 4-3 in overtime against Tri-Cities and lost their second round WHL playoff series in 5 games. However, the Rockets Captain has a lot of highlights to look back on in a junior career that took him from Beaver Valley in the KIJHL to Trail in the BCHL and Kelowna in the WHL. The biggest highlight would have to be when he combined with his brother Evan and Trail native Kyle St. Denis as part of Kelowna's WHL championship club last year. Bloodoff should also be commended for how he stepped up his game in a big way this playoff for Kelowna. The 6'2, 207lbs winger delivered 5 goals and 9 points in 12 post season games.

Thanks to Lucas' hard nosed play and leadership he has earned a professional try out contract with Manitoba of the AHL. It was first reported by Regan Bartel and then picked up by Kelowna's official site and Manitoba's. I don't know how much Lucas will play during Manitoba's playoff run. Either way it's a great opportunity for him to show off his work ethic and his battle level against professional quality players. Bloodoff is a guy who I think can make an impression in the pros thanks to sheer will. Good luck to him.

This also means that the local connection to the Kelowna Rockets could be dwindling. Kyle St. Denis' future is apparently up in the air right now due to concussions (I certainly hope we can see Travis' talented brother suit up again) and Lucas is moving on. Evan Bloodoff could be the only West Kootenay product left with Kelowna. Of course they also have Ryan Renz of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs listed. The 16 year old Castlegar native already players like a man out there and wouldn't be out of place in the WHL if he chose to go that way.

SPRING CAMPS

The Smoke Eaters got an extra look at young prospects this year. Instead of holding a single camp in Princeton this year they held one in Trail and one in conjunction with the KIJHL's Ghostriders in Fernie. I had the chance to catch up with Coach Ingram after both camps. I also had a chat about that and other matters with Trail Times Sports Editor Guy Bertrand. I think we'll see a lot of interesting players making a run at the roster in main camp. It also sounds like there is a ton of 15, 16 and 17 year old talent in the Kootenays.

Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on their spring camp

Click here to download

Smokies Coach Jim Ingram on the co-sponsored camp in Fernie

Click here to download

Trail Times Sports Editor Guy Bertrand

Click here to download

As you can see Coach Ingram wasn't naming too many names at this point. He's keeping his cards close to his chest... no pun intended. I expect there are a few players who really made a great case for themselves to get a long look at training camp. I look forward to seeing a very high level of competition between the young guns and the returning vets in August.

DRAFT RANKINGS

Last week NHL Central Scouting came out with their final rankings for this year's draft. One of the players on that list was Nelson native Isaac Macleod who played this season with the Penticton Vees. Macleod is a classy and talented young man who should get a long look come draft time.

Penticton Vees defenceman Isaac Macleod on his draft ranking

Click here to download

When I chatted with him on Overtime he told me he was not yet decided on his plans for next year. However, an article on the KIJHL website indicates that the former Nelson Leaf is ready to head off to the NCAA Champion Boston College club. If that is what he decided that's a break for ever other BCHL club as Isaac would've been a force next year.

KIJHL TO KELOWNA?

As reported by Mark Hunter yesterday, the KIJHL has approved a relocation application from the Chase Chiefs. Their ownership wants to take that club to Kelowna where they'd play in the Rutland Arena. I had talked to at least a hand full of teams who indicated to me they wouldn't be supporting the move so it surprised me that the vote ended up 10-3. That's just a hair above the 75% vote needed for a franchise to move. Interesting to note that 3 teams abstained from voting including apparently Barry Dewar of the Kamloops Storm. I can't understand a team deciding not to have a say in the future of their league like that. I'm also not sure this is the best thing for the KIJHL.

How popular will a KIJHL team be in Kelowna where the Rockets are king and the Warriors also have their own large fan base? Is there much more demand for junior hockey? Instead it seems like the move is about corporate opportunities and a recruitment edge. In my chat with Ohlhausen he suggests players won't necessarily want to stay in Kelowna. I disagree. With the Warriors and Rockets both in town I can't imagine too many home town players will be in much of a rush to head out to one of the small town KIJHL clubs if they get a chance with this new Rutland team. I also don't think the Warriors or Rockets would want their prospects to go too far from home if there was a team right in town where they could keep an eye on them and bring them in for practice. Instead we are about to see a new powerhouse in this league if they get themselves even a decent coach. How many of the 16 Kelowna players that skated for Nelson, Castlegar, Beaver Valley and Grand Forks would've stayed home if this team were in the league this season?

I hope this isn't another step towards a have and have not situation in the KI with bigger market teams having the ability to out spend and out recruit small markets. Ohlhausen certainly didn't seem to share my pessimistic view on the move.

KIJHL President Bill Ohlhausen on Chase moving to Kelowna

Click here to download

It's not that I think the franchise will be a failure. I just question taking a team out of a community like Chase that passionately supported it from all accounts and moving it to a big city that already has the luxury of a couple of great junior teams. If the crowds they had in Chase (which were very solid from what I heard) were not getting it done maybe they had to change their budget? Maybe the team should have been put in the hands of a non-profit society. It just doesn't smell right to me.

Bennett beats Mellor for rookie award

Not a huge surprise today as Beau Bennett won the BCHL Interior Conference Rookie of the Year Award. Smokies forward Sam Mellor had a fantastic season and earned his nomination for the award. However, Bennett won the league scoring crown with 120 points. It's pretty hard for any other rookie to compete with that!

I am intrigued that the official award winner list has Bennett listed in a tie with Salmon Arm forward Mark Zengerle for the league's top scorer. While they both finished with 120 points, traditionally the player with the most goals is given the edge. Older hockey fans will remember that's what happened when Marcel Dionne beat Wayne Gretzky for the Art Ross Trophy back in 1979-80. Both players had terrific seasons so I don't really have an issue with them calling it a tie. I just wonder if that's the usual protocol.

I actually found the amount of ties in the awards this year quite annoying. What is this t-ball? We don't have to make everyone happy! Voters were too wishy washy this time around. Honestly though, what a regular season it was. We saw some incredible point totals including 3 guys with over 100 points and a 60 goal scorer. Every nominee and winner deserves the recognition they got... even if Todd Miller CLEARLY paid someone off to get the broadcaster of the year award. I'm on to you, Todd! We all know how Vernon likes to grease the wheel. That's what the internet tells me anyway... Congrats to Todd who is super talented and a class act. Plus somebody had to take that award from Hammer this year because we all saw how big his ego got last time!

Of note for the upcoming Westside/Trail playoff series, Warriors defenceman Brendan Ellis was named the top defenceman in the Interior. What is it with the Warriors and top d-men? That's three straight years the winner of that award has played for Westside. He'll be a key guy for the Warriors against Trail starting on Friday night on Mountain FM.

Don't forget Trail's home games next Monday and Tuesday will start at 7pm rather than the usual 7:30. That should make it a little more family friendly. As for awards, tonight is the Smoke Eaters Awards Banquet at the Riverbell. It'll be interesting and hopefully as usual a good time... even if we're starting during the Canada/Russia game!

Again click here for the official list of award winners.

KIJHL PLAYOFFS

Just a couple of notes from the KIJHL playoffs. Beaver Valley had a 4-2 lead after the second but fell 6-4 last night to Nelson. The Leafs now lead that first round series 3 games to 1. Castlegar lost 4-3 in Spokane last night and the Braves have now drawn even. Game 5 is tomorrow in Castlegar and Nelson.

Sam Mellor gets rookie nod, Monday Audio, KIJHL Playoffs

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...

Smokies Assistant Coach Barry Zanier on the Penticton game

Click here to download

Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey: Trail 6 Merritt 3

Click here to download

KIJHL PLAYOFFS

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 Colton Donselaar'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.

Nelson Leafs Coach Simon Wheeldon

Click here to download

Beaver Valley Nitehawks forward Colton Donselaar

Click here to download

Game Day: Trail at Penticton

September 23: Trail 3 at Penticton 5
October 2: Trail 2 at Penticton 8
November 29: Penticton 4 at Trail 2
January 5: Penticton 4 at Trail 5 (OT)
February 9: Penticton 6 at Trail 5 (OT)

POWER PLAY

Trail: 2/15 (13%)
Penticton: 8/26 (31%)

TRAIL TOP SCORERS

1. F Scott Jacklin (4-3-7)
1. F Nick Sandor (4-3-7)
1. F Sam Mellor (0-7-7)
4. F Travis St. Denis (2-3-5)

PENTICTON TOP SCORERS

1. F Beau Bennett (5-6-11)
2. F Denver Manderson (2-6-8)
3. F Ryan Viselli (2-4-6)
4. F Alex Szczechura (2-3-5)
4. F Logan Johnston (2-3-5)
4. F Garrett Milan (4-1-5)
4. D Joey Laleggia (1-3-5)

GOALTENDERS

1. Joel Rumpel (PEN) 3-0, 2.33GAA, 0.914%
2. Kiefer Smiley (TRA) 1-3, 5.28GAA, 0.860%
3. Garrett Beckwith (TRA) 0-1, 5.00GAA, 0.848%
4. Sean Bonar (PEN) 1-1, 6.58GAA, 0.831%

ROSTER

Trail

Penticton

BROADCAST

Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Play by Play is live on Mountain FM starting after the Canada/USA game at around 6:45pm with our City of Trail Pre-Game Show. Don't forget we'll also have radio coverage of that Olympic hockey game starting at 4pm. You can join us at 104.1FM in Trail and online at www.mountainfm.net

Post Penticton Audio

Smokies Assistant Coach Brian Youngson

Click here to download

Smokies Forward Scott Jacklin

Click here to download

Smokies Forward Justin Brown

Click here to download

Chris Wahl interviews Penticton Defenceman Isaac MacLeod

Click here to download

Video Highlights: Penticton 6 Trail 5 (OT)

The video file for the Alberni Valley game isn't working for me so that's why no highlights from that game thus far. We'll see. Don't forget to check out the Smokies truck raffle to support the club and win some great prizes. Overtime is back with a brand new show tomorrow night at 6pm on Mountain FM.

Post Game: Penticton 6 Trail 5 (OT)

Trail, BC - It seems like sixty minutes is never enough for the Vees and Smoke Eaters at the Cominco Arena. They've needed overtime six of the past seven times Penticton has been in Trail.

After the Smokies won the previous five games that went to extra time, Tuesday night it was Penticton's turn.

Beau Bennett scored his second of the game early in the 3 on 3 overtime period to lift the Vees to a 6-5 victory. It was the culmination of a come from behind effort for Penticton and gave Bennett his 100th point of the season.

Beau's brother Wade actually got on the scoreboard before he could in this one. Nick Sandor, Wade Bennett and Justin Brown scored in the first five minutes of the game to give Trail a 3-0 lead on their first 3 shots of the game. Penticton goaltender Sean Bonar got the hook without ever stopping a puck.

Jake Johnson responded for the Vees on the power play before Scott Jacklin restored Trail's 3 goal lead. However, the momentum turned in Penticton's favour. The 3rd ranked team in Canada controlled the second half of the first period and cut the Smoke Eater lead to 4-3 by the time a very busy first twenty minutes was complete.

Penticton scored the only goal of the second period as Joey Laleggia extended his point streak to 15 games with a power play goal. Trail actually out shot the Vees 12-8 in the period but were unsuccessful on 3 power play opportunities.

The Smoke Eaters would get their lead back as Scott Jacklin scored his second of the game on a gritty effort early in the third period. However, special teams turned the tide again when Logan Johnston tied the game on a shorthanded goal.

Special teams were unquestionably the difference in the game as Trail went 0 for 4 on the man advantage while the Vees were 2 for 3. The Smokies continue to struggle at home with their man advantage as it operates at 15% at the Cominco Arena but over 23% on the road.

Trail got a strong effort from their top line as Jacklin, Sam Mellor and Nick Sandor combined for 9 points. Penticton leaned on Bennett as he had 3 points while Jake Johnson added a goal and an assist.

The tie gives Trail a 4 point lead in Prince George for the final playoff spot in the Interior. They're also only a single point behind Merritt for 6th. The next action for the Smokies is back to back home games against the Westside Warriors on Friday and Saturday night.

ON THE TRAIL: Justin Brown returned to the line-up but Trail was still without Travis St. Denis, Mitch Kaufmann and Thomas Abenante due to injury. Tommy Rizzardo was a healthy scratch ... Kiefer Smiley stopped 35 of 41 shots in the Smoke Eater net while Joel Rumpel was solid in relief for Penticton with 27 saves on 29 shots against ... The spreading was spread out throughout the line-ups of both teams. 10 different players had points for the Vees while 9 different players chipped in for Trail ... The Smokies are now 1-3-0-1 against Penticton this season and will visit the Vees on their final game of the regular season.

Game Day: Penticton at Trail

September 23: Trail 3 at Penticton 5
October 2: Trail 2 at Penticton 8
November 29: Penticton 4 at Trail 2
January 5: Penticton 4 at Trail 5 (OT)*

*5 of the last 6 times Penticton has visited Trail, the Smokies have gone on to win the game in overtime

POWER PLAY

Trail: 2/11 (18%)
Penticton: 6/23 (26%)

TRAIL TOP SCORERS

1. F Travis St. Denis (2-3-5)
2. F Scott Jacklin (2-2-4)
2. F Nick Sandor (3-1-4)
2. F Sam Mellor (0-4-4)
5. F Matt Wilkins (0-2-2)

PENTICTON TOP SCORERS

1. F Denver Manderson (2-6-8)
2. F Beau Bennett (3-4-7)
3. F Ryan Viselli (2-4-6)
4. F Alex Szczechura (2-3-5)
4. F Logan Johnston (1-3-4)
4. F Garrett Milan (3-1-4)
4. D Joey Laleggia (1-3-4)

GOALTENDERS

1. Joel Rumpel (PEN) 2-0, 2.50GAA, 0.904%
2. Sean Bonar (PEN) 1-1, 3.33GAA, 0.875%
3. Kiefer Smiley (TRA) 1-2, 5.19GAA, 0.862%
4. Garrett Beckwith (TRA) 0-1, 5.00GAA, 0.848%

ROSTER

Trail

Penticton

BROADCAST

Home games are not broadcast on the radio in Trail but it will be on EZ Rock in Penticton with Ryan Pinder and I'll have the call on BCHL PPV.

Spruce Kings Clean House, Pickering Traded

A couple of days ago I suggested that the Prince George Spruce Kings were likely sellers at the deadline... and they were. However, what I didn't count on was how little they would actually do to help other BCHL clubs.

The Spruce Kings instead made 4 of their 5 deals with teams in the AJHL. All of the deals saw Prince George pick up future considerations in return. Next year's team could be an interesting one as a result. The only BCHL club to benefit from the Prince George house cleaning is the Surrey Eagles who add veteran defenceman Josh Pineiro. Pineiro is a very solid vet, but his production has tailed off after a start that had him on a point per game pace. He should help Surrey at both ends of the ice.

Prince George also moved Brooks Robinson back to Alberta as the son of former Caps Coach Scott Robinson is now a member of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons. Goaltender Steve Papciak also returns to the Alberta league, but this time with Canmore. As far as I can tell Papciak was the only goalie with a winning record for Prince George this season as they've kind of had a revolving door between the pipes. Talented Forward Marcus Watson's stay with PG was a short one as he is now off to join the Grande Prairie Storm.

As much as all of those guys could be key additions for the teams they find themselves with, I would say that Wes McLeod is likely the biggest fish leaving the Spruce Kings. I heard speculation all around the BCHL about who could get him. There were even people in Trail last night telling me the Smokies should go after him. Trust me when I say the price was way too high for a team with as much young talent as Trail. A lot of that talent would be in Spruce Kings colours next season if that was the move they made. There was talk that everyone from Vernon to Salmon Arm to Flin Flon wanted to take a crack at McLeod. Who won the sweepstakes? The Spruce Grove Saints.

Why is McLeod so valuable? Anyone who has seen him play doesn't need me to answer that question. He's a point per game guy from the back end who is very solid in all aspects. He played for Team Canada West and is a multiple time All-Star. He's also only 19 and as such doesn't take up a 20 year old spot. Why should we care that he's going to Spruce Grove? The Saints are the best team in Alberta and may in fact be the best team in Canada. They've only lost 3 times in regular all season. Now a team that good can add a player of McLeod's status... not paying the price to get him could end up coming back to haunt whichever team wins the BCHL championship and has to face Spruce Grove in the Doyle Cup.

It looks like (at least for now) Prince George Captain Sam Muchalla is staying put. The 1990 born forward could have fetched a huge price on the open market. However, he is a Prince George native and I bet the Spruce Kings wanted to keep him in their uniform before he heads off to school next year. The Sprucies also kept the likes of Zac Rasmussen, Joe Morgan and Brad Bourke who could have been key additions for contending clubs. While it certainly looks like Prince George is throwing in the towel on this season, they do still have some significant talent. The reason I say that is because I'm sure some fans in Trail, Merritt and Quesnel just got a little more comfortable with their playoff spot. Don't count on it yet! Ed Dempsey's club isn't going to go out without a fight. Sometimes a house cleaning of veteran talent like this can motivate guys and create an "us against the world" environment.

They've got nothing to lose so don't start making playoff reservations yet.

PICKERING A VEE

Former Smoke Eater Andrew Pickering is on the move again. After starting his career with Victoria he has now seen stops in Trail, Prince George, Merritt and now Penticton. As Brian reported over at Making Cents, Pickering apparently asked to be moved to a contender. His wish has been granted. There are few if any teams more poised to make a run for it all than the Vees.

In return the Cents will add the services of Sam Gemmell. Gemmell's stay with the Vees was a short one, but there should be an opportunity to prove himself with the Cents. The other good thing for Merritt fans is that Gemmell is only a 1990 born forward so he could return next season while Pickering is in his final year of junior.

I also heard about this deal from a couple of other sources earlier today but they were holding off reporting it until the league approved the deal. Where does Pickering fit in Penticton? I suspect there's an opportunity for him to see some offensive ice with Eric Filiou on the shelf. However, there is a lot of depth on that Vees forward group. He'll have to play and produce consistently to get the kind of ice time he's had in his previous stops. Andrew is a very skilled hockey player who sees the ice very well. It'll be interesting to see how he fits in with the Vees.

SMALL DEALS

There were a couple of other small moves. Vernon sent 19 year old defenceman Nils Erik Soderlund to Winkler of the MJHL for futures. Soderlund is a big and talented defenceman who just didn't get enough of a chance to play in Vernon. They have a deep club and Soderlund found himself in the stands more often than not. Now that he'll get a chance to play more I expect he'll turn some heads. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up back in this league next season. Now everyone is wondering if the move clears the way for Sahir Gill to return from the USHL.

Quesnel sent Defenceman Matt Hutchinson to the OCN Blizzard of the MJHL for future considerations. He looked solid in the games I saw him in but apparently wasn't in Quesnel's plans.

Is there more to come? Probably. A lot of these deals don't get reported until a full day later sometimes. Stay tuned for more including an update on the KIJHL. Also don't forget that teams can still add "free agents" if they have available cards. This isn't over just yet.

Post Game: Trail 5 Penticton 4 (OT)

Trail, BC - The Smoke Eaters finally got a happy ending in overtime. After dropping recent games to Merritt and Salmon Arm in extra time, Nick Sandor scored early in the second overtime to give Trail a 5-4 win over Penticton on Tuesday night.

Sandor scored after Scott Jacklin completed a hard working shift with a steal in the Vees zone and a perfect feed to the Smokies sniper. It was the 2nd of the night for Sandor and his 24th of the season.

The goal put a cap on a very entertaining and dramatic game. It was a throwback to the unprecedented 4 overtime wins the Smokies had over Penticton last season at the Cominco Arena.

Trail took an early lead on Sandor's first goal only 55 seconds into the game. Beau Bennett tied the game on the power play.

Each time one team got a lead the other struck back. When Mitch Kaufmann scored on a wicked hop off the glass to give Trail a 2-1 lead, Stefan Nicholishen answered for Penticton. After Eric Walker notched his third of the season to put Trail up again, Byron Sorensen answered with his first goal as a Vee.

The Smokies may have been having flashbacks to blown leads against the Centennials and Silverbacks as the Vees took a 4-3 lead early in the third period. However, Travis St. Denis won a face off by wiring a puck past Sean Bonar to send the game to overtime.

Kiefer Smiley made 32 saves in the win for Trail including several key stops in the third period. Sean Bonnar stopped 29 pucks in a losing cause for Penticton.

It was the first win of the season for the Smokies against the Vees and only their second against a team in the Interior's top 4. Their next action is against Merritt on Saturday night in Trail.

ON THE TRAIL: The line of Justin Brown, Paul Mailey and Steve Oursov was matched up consistently against Denver Manderson's line. While Manderson and Bennett both got multiple points, the two-way line for Trail was able to hold them off the board at even strength ... Penticton won the special teams battle with 2 power play goals on 3 chances while they shut down all 3 Trail advantages. Trail had a slight edge at even strength ... The Vees had a goal called back on a high stick ... The Smokies were again without defenceman Graeme Strukoff and forward Thomas Abenante due to injuries. Abenante is likely done for the remainder of the season after recent surgery on his ankle ... Smokies defenceman Eric Walker had an extra reason to celebrate as his cousin Luke won a gold medal as a member of Team USA at the World Junior Championship. The Americans beat Canada in overtime just as the Smokies and Vees were starting to play the first period.

Game Day: Penticton at Trail

It's a big game tonight for both the Vees and Smoke Eaters. Trail has a chance to stay ahead of Prince George in the race for the final playoff spot in the Interior. The Spruce Kings play their first game after the holiday break tonight in Powell River. As for the Vees, they can tie Vernon for top spot in the BCHL with a win in Trail this evening and a Vernon loss against Merritt. The Vees and Smokies have only played each other three times so far this season. The first and third games were actually quite competitive while the second game was only close after two periods because of Kiefer Smiley's spectacular early play. Penticton has one of the deepest and most skilled teams in all of Junior A hockey. Trail has to play a hard working and consistent hockey game to find the W tonight. We know they are capable of hanging with the league's top teams. Now is the time for them to prove they can do more than just hang in. Here is a look at the season series...

-September 23: Trail 3 at Penticton 5
-October 2: Trail 2 at Penticton 8
-Novembe 29: Penticton 4 at Trail 2

POWER PLAY

Trail: 2/8 (25%)
Penticton: 4/20 (20%)

TRAIL TOP SCORERS

1. F Travis St. Denis (1-3-4)
2. F Scott Jacklin (2-0-2)
2. F Nick Sandor (1-1-2)
2. F Matt Wilkins (0-2-2)
2. F Sam Mellor (0-2-2)

PENTICTON TOP SCORERS

1. F Denver Manderson (2-4-6)
2. F Beau Bennett (2-3-5)
2. F Ryan Viselli (2-3-5)
4. F Alex Szczechura (1-3-4)
4. F Logan Johnston (1-3-4)
4. F Garrett Milan (3-1-4)

GOALTENDERS

1. Sean Bonar (PEN) 1-0, 2.00GAA, 0.909%
2. Joel Rumpel (PEN) 2-0, 2.50GAA, 0.904%
3. Kiefer Smiley (TRA) 0-2, 6.07GAA, 0.850%
4. Garrett Beckwith (TRA) 0-1, 5.00GAA, 0.848%

ROSTER

Trail

Penticton

BROADCAST

Home games are not broadcast on the radio in Trail but it will be on EZ Rock in Penticton with Ryan Pinder and I'll have the call on BCHL PPV.

FUNDRAISER

Tonight's game is a fundraiser for 17 year old JL Crowe student Alannah Amantea who has a rare immune disorder. $3 from every adult/senior ticket and $2 from every student/youth ticket will go towards Alannah's trust fund which basically covers things like travel expenses for when she has to go out of town for treatment. I hope we can full the Cominco Arena for a worthy cause.