Post Weekend Audio

Wade Bennett is pictured here scoring his first BCHL goal. I had the chance to catch up with the first year Trail rover and Coach Ingram as the Smokies get set for Tuesday night's home game against Penticton.

Smokies forward Wade Bennett on his first BCHL goals

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Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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Post Game: Alberni Valley 5 Trail 4 (OT)

Well that one was tough to swallow for Smokies fans. They were only 20 minutes from a perfect weekend before Alberni's top end skill stole away a point. I know the club is disappointed they couldn't close out the win. However, 3 out of 4 points this weekend is nothing to sneeze at.

The Smoke Eaters needed to come out with a lot of passion and hunger this weekend with their playoffs lives at stake. They did just that. Trail went toe to toe with two of the BCHL's top teams and were with them the whole way. They also got scoring from the whole group rather than having to lean on any one guy or one line. The Bennett/Oursov/Wilkins line really seems to be clicking now. That's what you need so that if your top guys don't score a ton in one game you can look to your depth to get it done. Trail did that this weekend.

There were many positives from this weekend to build on as we head into Tuesday's game against the Vees. From the net out it was one of Trail's best weekends of the year. The schedule isn't easy, but these guys are proving they can play with and compete with anyone.

Hats off the Bulldogs as well who are obviously never out of any game. They have won 18 in a row on the road and 9 of those 18 games were decided by a single goal. That's the sign of a very talented club that knows how to win. If they make the finals this year it will be a huge test for whichever team makes it out of the Interior.

This is the kind of team I think the Smokies are capable of being. A lot of people will say "yah... next year" but don't count this year's club out. You learn a lot of lessons over a full season when you're a young team. The skill is not in question. It's just the consistency, the decision making and the lapses in work ethic we can see at times. If these guys are putting together their mental game it doesn't matter who they play... they can take down anyone in this league. Maybe after this weekend they'll realize it.

Here's my recap from trailsmokeeaters.com:

Trail, BC - It looked for 40 minutes like the Smoke Eaters were going to spoil Alberni Valley's party. Trail had a 4-2 lead and were a period away from breaking the Bulldogs' 17 game road winning streak.

Instead, Alberni came back with an overtime win that broke the record they had shared with two other teams. In addition to winning 18 straight road games the Bulldogs have also won 21 of their last 22.

The Smokies certainly didn't make it easy on them. Sean Nugent set up Mike Betz on the power play in the first period for the second straight game. This time the goal gave Trail a 1-0 lead after one.

Mark MacMillan set up Kevin Ross for the tying goal early in a wide open second period. The teams scored a combined 5 goals with Wade Bennett notching his first 2 BCHL goals for the Smokies. They also got one when Scott Jacklin tipped in a point shot by former Bulldog Curtis Tonello on the power play.

It was Jacklin's 20th of the year and 6th goal in his last 7 games. He becomes the third Smoke Eater to reach the 20 goal mark this season along with Nick Sandor and Sam Mellor.

The Bulldogs started their come back when Mitch MacMillan scored his league leading 60th goal of the season on a terrific set up by David Dziurzynski. Dziurzynski then stole a puck during a brief 4 on 4 and roofed his second of the game to tie it at 4 with 6:46 to go in the third period.

Dziurzynski struck again in overtime as he set up Mark MacMillan for the winner just over a minute into the 3 on 3.

Each team had their chances to win it in regulation and overtime, but both Kiefer Smiley and Scott Lewan came up with some big stops. Lewan made 28 saves for his 10th straight win, while Smiley stopped 37 pucks in a losing cause.

Matt Wilkins and Steve Oursov each had 2 assists for Trail. Betz added an assist to his goal for a 2 point night.

The Smokies are now 3 points ahead of Prince George for the final playoff spot in the Interior with 2 games in hand. They're also 2 points behind Merritt for 6th and 3 behind 5th place Quesnel.

Trail will host Penticton on Tuesday night.

ON THE TRAIL: Mitch Kaufmann, Justin Brown, Travis St. Denis and Thomas Abenante were all still out of the line-up with injuries. There is no time table for any of them although St. Denis appears to be the closest to returning ... 16 year old Keanan Patershuk of the KIJHL's Fernie Ghostriders played another solid game as an AP for Trail. The Kelowna native brought a physical edge and didn't look at all out of place ... The goals came fast and furious for Bennett in the second period. He had come so close but had yet to score his frist BCHL goal until tonight. While it took him 40 games to get the first one he only had to wait 8 minutes for the second ... Former Smoke Eater Tye Lewis got tossed from the game in the second period for a hit from behind on Steve Koshey. It was his only game at the Cominco Arena as a visitor ... Any Smokies fans who were scoreboard watching tonight got good news when Prince George lost to Victoria and Merritt dropped a home game against Cowichan Valley. Only 6 points separates the 5th and 8th team in the Interior with only a couple of weeks left on the BCHL schedule ... The Bulldogs broke the road winning streak record originally set by the New Westminster Royals in 1989-90. A comment on Evan Hammond's blog pointed out that one member of that team was non other than Smoke Eaters Coach and GM Jim Ingram. He came close to protecting his old club's place in history tonight, but I think the points for his current club were the only thing on his mind. Trail got 3 out of 4 on the weekend and that has to be considered a success.

Don't forget to tune in to Mountain FM's Overtime on Monday night from 6pm to get reaction from the game and the weekend as a whole. You can also check out Hammer's Bulldogs Blog for his perspective on the game. Sounds like their coach wasn't pleased with his team's effort for the most part. I don't think the Bulldogs were bad as much as Trail played well and tested them. The Smokies have been to overtime with Vernon and Penticton at home. Cominco Arena is not an easy place to play.

Post Salmon Arm Audio

Smokies goaltender Kiefer Smiely on his 100th game

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Trail Captain Paul Mailey

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Don't forget the Smokies host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs later today (tonight) at the Cominco Arnea. After last night's terrific effort I think we can expect another battle against the Dogs.

Post Game: Trail 3 Salmon Arm 2

Trail, BC - Smoke Eaters goaltender Kiefer Smiley celebrated his 100th BCHL game with a 3-2 win over Salmon Arm on Friday night.

Smiley made 23 saves and matched Tony Ierfino save for save in a dramatic third period. The Silverbacks netminder stopped 41 shots in a losing cause.

Ierfino kept Salmon Arm in the game as the Smoke Eaters carried the play through the first two periods. Despite doubling the Silverbacks in shots through two frames Trail only had a one goal lead.

Salmon Arm came on strong in the third period, but the Smokies shut the door and held on for a much needed victory.

Mike Betz, Paul Mailey and Steve Oursov scored for Trail.

The Smokies are still 2 points ahead of Prince George for the final playoff spot in the Interior Conference.

ON THE TRAIL: Graeme Strukoff and Curtis Tonello returned to Trail's line-up. Travis St. Denis, Justin Brown, Mitch Kaufmann and Thomas Abenante were still out of the line-up with injuries ... 16 year old Keanan Patershuk made his debut as an AP for Trail. The Kelowna native has 12 points in 43 games with Fernie in the KIJHL ... Strukoff, Tonello, Matt Wilkins, Wade Bennett and Sean Nugent had assists for Trail ... The Smoke Eaters earned went 2-3-1-1 against Salmon Arm this season ... The Alberni Valley Bulldogs make their only visit to the Cominco Arena on Saturday night ... The Smoke Eaters are 2 points ahead of Prince George for 7th but 3 back of Merritt for 6th and 4 back of Quesnel for 5th. The race is still tight between all four teams.

Game Day: Salmon Arm at Trail

September 29: Trail 5 at Salmon Arm 5 (OT)
October 23: Salmon Arm 1 at Trail 7
Novembe 6: Salmon Arm 6 at Trail 2
November 7: Salmon Arm 6 at Trail 3
December 4: Trail 2 at Salmon Arm 5
January 3: Trail 7 at Salmon Arm 8 (OT)

POWER PLAY

Trail: 7/32 (22%)
Salmon Arm: 6/28 (21%)

TRAIL TOP SCORERS

1. F Travis St. Denis (5-3-8)
2.F Nick Sandor (4-3-7)
2. F Scott Jacklin (1-6-7)
4. D Steve Koshey (0-5-5)
4. F Sam Mellor (2-3-5)
4. F Darnell Dyck (4-1-5)
4. F Matt Wilkins (1-4-5)

SALMON ARM TOP SCORERS

1. F Mark Zengerle (3-10-13)
2. D Greg Noyes (3-6-9)
3. F Tyler Gubb (8-2-10)
4. F David Killip (2-6-8)
4. F Corey Chakeen (4-4-8)
6. F Travis Statchuk (1-4-5)
6. F Devin Gannon (2-3-5)

GOALTENDERS

1. Tony Ierfino (SA) 2-1, 4.00GAA, 0. 883%
2. Kurt Williams (SA) 2-0-1, 4.30 GAA, 0.876%
3. Garrett Beckwith (TRA) 1-2, 4.85GAA, 0.860%
4. Kiefer Smiley (TRA) 0-2-1, 4.76GAA, 0.854%

ROSTER

Trail

Salmon Arm

BROADCAST

This is a home game so it's not on the radio. It is available via BCHL PPV and there's a live stream on the BCHL website of both my broadcast and that of Salmon Arm's play by play man Patrick Haas.

Gawryletz making an impression in the AHL

Former Trail Smoke Eater and Trail native Travis Gawryletz is having a break out season in professional hockey. He started the year with Elmira in the ECHL and made an impression. Travis was +15 in only 16 games while adding 6 points. His responsible and smart game was a big reason why he got the call to Lake Erie in the AHL. It's difficult for a guy without an NHL prospect contract to stick on an American Hockey League roster, but Travis was able to do it. Again he made it work by making the smart and simple play.

Recently Travis signed an AHL deal to take him through the remainder of the season. He is a +9 with 5 points through 27 games with the Monsters. This is a player who doesn't put up huge flashy numbers. Instead he is making an impression by making sure he does all those small things right... those small things that win hockey games.

I had a chance to catch up with Travis while he was back home in Trail during the AHL All-Star break. It's good to see his hard work pay off. A lot of people just pay attention to a prospect's counting numbers. However, the pro scouts are also looking for guys who you can go to war with. By winning the trust of his coach and teammates Travis appears to be on his way up.

Travis Gawryletz on Mountain FM's Overtime

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SUNY Geneseo penalized for aid violations

Bad news for three former Smoke Eaters today from the NCAA ranks. David Arduin, Stefan Decosse and one time Trail Captain Ryan Bulach play for SUNY Geneseo. It's the second season for Decosse with the club and the first for Arduin and Bulach. It's been kind of a fun story so far as the three have been playing together on a Smokies line.

Unfortunately, the NCAA came down on their school for "aid violations." What does that mean? As best as I can tell the school had the right to give out grants in order to recruit students from Canada. However, the NCAA is saying they used too many of those grants for student athletes to the point that it could constitute an unfair recruiting advantage.

Geneseo is now on two year probation for the violation and will not be able to participate in this season's playoffs. Obviously that is a blow to all the players on the team who have worked very hard to earn their place in the big dance. It's unfortunate for the young men that are being punished for something they are not responsible for.

Bulach, Decosse and Arduin are all class acts. I'm sure they'll take this bad news in stride and just keep working hard for their team. The bottom line here is that the three former Smoke Eaters are building a future for themselves with their education while playing the game they love. Losing out of the playoffs hurts, but the big picture is still a positive.

Of note, Decosse and Arduin are tied for third in team scoring with 18 points in 19 games. Bulach has started to pick up his production of late as well. It's great seeing them do well and I'm sure that will continue despite this set back.

On a light note, Decosse was interviewed by the "Rebecca Brings You The Sports" vlog. I'm still convinced he's going to end up stealing my job one day. Here's the video:



NOTES

...Eddie Gregory has word that the Burnaby Express are officially headed back to Coquitlam next season. They're hitting the reset button basically. Things started with such promise in Burnaby. It's hard to imagine a team that won a Royal Bank Cup and had Kyle Turris for two seasons moving only a couple of years later. They're not moving very far though. I'm sure a lot of the same fans followed both incarnations of the club. I wish them well after the move.

...Merritt hammered Salmon Arm 10-3 on Sunday. It's hard to know what to make of a game like that. Tony Ierfino's save percentage has taken a dramatic tumble for the Silverbacks while his back up Kurt Williams is taking some grief from fans for not being BCHL ready. There is of course extra pressure because he's on a team owned by his father. This makes for a shaky situation between the pipes right now for the Silverbacks. They've allowed at least 4 goals a game in 6 of their last 7 games even though 4 of those opponents have a losing record. This is a very talented club that needs to get their defensive house in order. It should be interesting to see how the Silverbacks look this Friday night when they visit the Smoke Eaters in key game for both teams. It looks like Salmon Arm's spot in the standings is basically decided so Trail should be the more desperate team. That being said, the Silverbacks have a lot of pride and are going to want to correct what has been a bit shaky of late.

...Things in the bottom 5 of the Interior are getting quite interesting. Merritt is ahead of the pack for 5th but they and Trail have far tougher schedules than Quesnel and Prince George. The Centennials and Smoke Eaters will have to pull off a couple of upsets down the stretch to have a shot at 5th. It could get very interesting. I know a lot of fans are watching the race for top spot in the Interior as well. The big question will be whether or not it truly is advantage to have to sit out and not play while everyone else takes up to a full week and a half to do a best of seven first round.

...Congrats to Mitch MacMillan who Hammer has discovered is now the single season points leader for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. We'll see Mitch and company for the only time this season on Saturday night at the Cominco Arena. I'm looking forward to seeing the Bulldogs under better circumstances.

...While I'm handing out links why not go check out Boson Pizza Vees this Week on Ryan Pinder's blog? Check out Brian's Making Cents Blog for regular updates on the Interior playoff picture. Ron Gallo has the latest on Prince George's quest to catch Trail for the final playoff spot over at his blog.

...If Darryl Sutter was a BCHL GM this week he'd be getting roasted over on Network 54! What on earth is going on in Calgary? Is there a prize for collecting the most mediocre forwards? All the good things Flames fans said about the Phaneuff trade in regards to their salary cap position were completely negated by the deal with the Rangers. Now instead of Phaneuff on the books next year the Flames will have Hagman and Kotalik for the same money. Is that really a better use of their dollars? To me that's really the trade. The short term rental of the Maple Leafs murderers row... Matt Stajan, Jamal Mayers and Ian White (though he is an RFA)... is supposed to be enough to right the sinking ship and get Calgary scoring again. This reeks of plugging some small leaks on the Titanic. I also don't know how Glen Sather keeps escaping the bad contracts he gives out. What's next? Some GM is going to take Redden now I can just feel it.

...Sidney Crosby scored a hat trick today and is up to 37 goals so far this season to only 34 assists. His NHL career totals have him scoring basically half as much as he puts up assists. What changed? It's almost like Crosby just decided he's going to score to prove that he can. He's already 2 goals away from matching his career high. Save some of that magic for Vancouver!

...Pretty cool to turn on Sportsnet today and see two different features on the old Smoke Eaters. A program on Canada's hockey legacy did stories on the 1939 and 1961 senior clubs that won World Championships. It's always nice to see the recognition for those great teams and this community.