What can you say about last night's game? A few bad goals early spiralled into a huge blow out and an embarrassing loss. There are a lot of good hockey players on this Trail Smoke Eaters team who need to work themselves out of a serious funk. This team isn't as bad as the score would indicate. They just aren't. I'm not a hockey genius but I know that much. However, losing is contagious and they need to battle to get a couple of wins. They need build some positive vibes and momentum. The guys also need to have the right attitude going into this weekend because Quesnel and Williams Lake are not going to role over for anyone. They've both won against tough opposition and tested some other very good teams.
This is a very important weekend for the future of most of these players. We won't see a ton of moves before tomorrow's game... there just isn't enough time... but games like last night and the home opener could very quickly earn a few guys a ticket out of town. I hope that doesn't happen. I also hope the Trail fans don't jump right off the bandwagon so early in the season. The team needs a strong crowd now as much as they ever will. Here are the highlights from our broadcasts of Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters Hockey and a post-game chat with Brian Youngson.
Familiar foes face off for the first time this season as Trail visits the Westside Warriors. Trail only managed one win against Westside last season despite the fact that almost every game was decided by a goal or two. The Warriors swept the Smokies in the playoffs, but two of the games went to overtime after Trail held early leads. The Warriors just had Trail's number late in the game last season, but this is a new look Warriors squad with a new coach in Darren Yopyk. That being said, the Warriors do have several players who were dynamite against Trail last year. Trevor Bailey and Cam Reid are part of the first line with Scott MacDonald that has been tearing up the BCHL so far this season. Bailey and Reid were also Trail killers last year. Kyle Singleton and Alex Grieve had some of their best success against last year's Smoke Eaters as well.
However, the Warriors are without their one/two punch of Justin Schultz and Corey Pritz now that both players have moved on. They were the straws that stirred Westside's drink for the past two seasons and now it's up to returning vets like Brendan Ellis and Joel Woznikoski to carry the load. It will be interesting to get our first look at this year's Warriors. Traditionally these are two hard working teams that role four lines. However, Mark Howell is gone and we'll see what kind of game plan Darren Yopyk throws at the Smokies.
LAST NIGHT
You can click here for Ryan Pinder's recap of last night's game.
The Smoke Eaters may have lost 5-3 last night in Penticton, but the team is focusing on the positives. After getting down early (despite some great chances and another crossbar) the Smokies battled back and won the second half of the game. Their special teams also improved significantly in holding Penticton to 1-7 on the power play and in converting 2 out of 3 of their own power play opportunities. The forward lines all seemed to have a lot more jam and success on the attack. They still need to do a better job of converting their chances around the net, but that was the best the forward group has looked since the start of the season.
Trail does need to do a better job clearing the front of their net and in clearing their zone when given the opportunity. Too many open clearing opportunities ended up on a Penticton stick early in the game. Both first period Vees goals were scored on rebound scrambles in front of the Trail net. It's something Coach Ingram addressed and feels they were improving on in the remainder of the game.
I caught up with Smokies forward Scott Jacklin after the game. He had two points in what was a very strong game for the Kimberley Konnection line (Jacklin, Sam Mellor and Matt Wilkins) last night.
Jacklin is one of two Smokies (Tye Lewis is the other) who are currently at a point per game pace. Some of the other veterans are going to have to start putting pucks in the net for Trail to get their first win here tonight.
As always you can hear every road game on Mountain FM at 104.1 in Trail, 99.3 in Castlegar, 103.5 in Nelson and 96.7 in Grand Forks. It's also available online at our website. We'll have the City of Trail pre-game show starting at 6:45. I also want to say thank you and welcome to our new broadcast sponsor Nelson Ford. As of today our games will be known as Nelson Ford Trail Smoke Eaters hockey. Thank you to the folks at Nelson Ford for being a big part of making our broadcasts possible for this season!
(Tye Lewis showing another side of his game in the USHL)
As the two playoff overtime games against Westside slipped away from Trail to end last season there was a great cry from Smokies fans... if only we had that "one shot scorer" who could break a game open with one flick of his wrists. If only we had a sniper to convert all the chances our hard work generates. If only... Tye Lewis had been in town a little early?
Perhaps the search for that elusive one shot scorer is over. Through three games Tye Lewis has scored 2 out of 4 of Trail's goals. He didn't do anything fancy. There was no one timer or spectacular deke. Lewis just came down the left wing and ripped one shot far side and the other shot short side. He plain and simple beat two different goalies with clean and open shots. Professional quality shots.
Lewis' game isn't completely polished. He's a good enough athlete with a good enough shot that if his game were totally polished he'd probably be in college already. He has played in the USHL and the NAHL with his share of success. Now in his 20 year old season he has to prove he can be a go to guy in a top level Junior A league. However, he's got all the tools to absolutely be one of the best offensive players in the BCHL. It also gives Trail a look they haven't had since Jim Ingram took over. Most of the team's goals will still be scored by battling, driving the net, tipping pucks, making passes... but now they also have a guy who can flick his wrists and put the puck top corner. When the opponent has to respect that weapon they also have to leave some other space open elsewhere in the offensive zone. His addition should also make a difference on the man advantage though we haven't seen much from the power play yet.
Am I jumping the gun here? Probably. But you don't need to see a guy shoot the puck a thousand times to know what kind of a shot he has. That doesn't mean he's going to take advantage of his gifts the way he could. It doesn't mean he doesn't have to keep improving his all around game to be an overall plus player on the team. It doesn't mean his teammates are going to do a good enough job getting him the puck. It just means suddenly Trail has a one shot scorer who can change the game with that shot. I caught up with Tye last night on Mountain FM's Overtime and asked the junior hockey veteran about the team's reaction to Coach Jim Ingram's frustration with their recent play...
Tye seems to understand that he has to develop his whole game in order to move on to the next level. It's the age old story of a player with all the tools who just needs to keep learning how to use them. He of course isn't the only one. There are lots of players with offensive tools in their toolbox on this team. So far we haven't seen enough use out of them. Paul Mailey and Nick Sandor have the talent to be point per game guys and they've yet to get on to the score sheet. Colin Lidster and Darnell Dyck said this summer they want a chance to prove they can produce in the BCHL with more ice time, but they've yet to get on to the score sheet. Riley Loyst, Justin Brown and Sean Nugent all play a strong two-way game, but we haven't seen any scoring yet. Only two Smokies have more than a single point! Those are just a couple of names out of a whole team of players who have to start making things happen offensively or they're not going to keep getting those opportunities.
It is absurdly early and I'm not saying it's time to write anyone off. However, a couple of goals and an assist in four games should not mean that Tye Lewis has been involved in 75% of Trail's goals. If you want to be a go-to guy and earn a chance to continue your career in college and in the pros you have to produce against the best. Playing Vernon is no excuse if you want to play against Boston University. This game against Penticton is another opportunity for these guys to test themselves and see what they're made of.
NOTES
...Beaver Valley lost 3-1 to Spokane in KIJHL action tonight. 1992 born Braves forward Dylan Tappe scored a goal and has 12 points in 6 games so far. That's after scoring 50 points in 52 games as a 16 year old. How is this player still in Junior B? The loss means BV and Spokane split their two games this week as the Nitehawks beat the Braves 4-3 on Sunday. Spokane leads the Neil Murdoch Division, Nelson is 2 points back with a game in hand, BV is third, Castlegar fourth and Grand Forks fifth. There are players from Trail's spring camp and training camp all over this division. It's also a league that has produced a lot of future BCHL talent.
...As you read on the new Trail Smoke Eaters website, D KodiSawkwa (90) has been dealt by Trail to the Laronge Ice Wolves of the SJHL to make room for Marc-Antoine Chaput's addition. I only met Sawka briefly, but I could tell he's a class act and someone who deserves to find success if he does head to Laronge. If not, I could see him heading back to Lloysminster to lead his team to another provincial Junior B championship. Kodi is tough, smart and seemed to me to have good hockey sense. I think he could at least be a 5-6 guy for most teams at this level. Unfortunately the numbers game and being a 19 year old rookie can catch up to you even if you're good enough for the job.
...The BCHL message board is ripping Penticton Coach Fred Harbinson for trading forward JCLirette (89) to the WinklerFlyers for the playing rights of Sam Gemmell and future considerations. When someone moves in and out that quickly perhaps it just wasn't the right fit? Why does every trade have to be seen as a broken promise? Until you have an actual reason to believe that there was some kind of "betrayal" involved I don't think it's fair to speculate. Of course that's an easy game to play on an anonymous message board. I will admit all too often teams and players are all too willing to break commitments they made to each other. However, there is no reason to believe that was the case in this situation.
...Quesnel also made a deal with Winkler by trading D Josh Martin (90) to the MJHL team for future considerations. Martin is a solid stay-at-home type who hadn't played yet this season so obviously needed to find some playing time. I wish him luck in Manitoba, but I can't help but think of one thing whenever Josh Martin's name comes time mind...
Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram is one of the nicest guys I know. He's very easy to get along with and has rarely if ever allowed frustration to seep into our many interviews. That's how you know he was legitimately and seriously angered by what he saw in Trail's two games against Vernon this weekend. Anytime you talk to another coach about a Jim Ingram team the first thing that always comes up is work ethic. His teams are known for giving everything they have shift in and shift out. That work ethic was a big part of Trail's run to the top of the standings last fall. It's what took them to overtime with Westside twice in the playoffs last spring. It's a big part of why Ingram was nominated for Coach of the Year last season. Even when his teams have been decimated by injuries or got stuck in slumps, they never stopped giving it their all. When they win, they win by leaving it all on the ice. Coach Ingram felt like in the 7-1 and 5-1 losses to the Vipers the team didn't do that. Perhaps they did it for 40 minutes on Saturday, but the let downs late in that game and early in Friday's games were unacceptable. It's one thing to lose to a team as talented as Vernon. It's another thing to get what Ingram called an ass kicking. He reminds every player on the team in this interview that no one's job is safe until January 10th. If you're not going to bust your butt every second of every game... you might as well not even show up to the rink. That includes returning veterans. Those guys need to set the tone and show what it takes to be a Smoke Eater. They can't rest on their laurels. This is Jim Ingram as frustrated as I've ever heard him. If the guys don't come out with passion and intensity on Wednesday in Penticton and Thursday in Westside the roster could soon have a completely different look. It's that simple. As easy going as Coach Ingram can seem when you're just sitting and chatting with him on the bus, he takes the game very seriously. He's very passionate about Trail's reputation and he won't hesitate to send a skill guy packing if he isn't willing to pay the price. If you don't believe me just listen to the interview he gave me tonight on Mountain FM's Overtime...
What did I tell you? A very passionate Jim Ingram sends a clear message. I'm sure his actual conversation with the team went well beyond what he said there as well. Trail's next action is Wednesday night in Penticton and Thursday night in West Kelowna against the Warriors. They'll play four games in five nights by coming home against Quesnel on Saturday night and Williams Lake on Sunday. For a look at the enemy check out Boston Pizza Vees This Week with Ryan Pinder on his Vees Blog. I make a cameo at some point but I'm sure you're all getting sick of me by now. Stay tuned to Mountain FM's Overtime for a likely interview with Trail's new sniper Tye Lewis tomorrow night. There will also be a Tuesday night KIJHL game when Beaver Valley hosts Spokane.
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.
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