Game Day: Trail at Merritt

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 BCHL Fanzone, 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...

Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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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.

Prediction Poll

Getting to know Kodi Sawka

(Sawka with the Lloydminster Bandits)

Sawka on Mountain FM's Overtime

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Sawka joined the Smoke Eaters after spending part of last season with the St. Albert Steel of the AJHL. He left the team mid-way through the season to join the Lloydminster Bandits of the NEAJBHL. The Bandits would go on to win their league championship and the provincial Junior B championship before coming up short at the Keystone Cup. Sawka describes himself as a physical blue liner, but he sure put some numbers up last season for the Bandits. Sawka scored 4 goals and 23 assists in 20 regular season games. Of course that physical edge also brought him 53 penalty minutes. He added 3 goals and 11 assists in 14 playoff games. Of course Junior B scoring success doesn't always translate to Junior A, but that is certainly an element of Sawka's game that may be more developed than he would suggest. I liked how in the interview he made it clear he's willing to take on any role that the team wants him to play. He'll battle in the corners, in front of the net, drop the gloves and is willing to play that kind of a role if other guys are going to be given the ball offensively. That kind of unselfish attitude will make it easier for him to make an impression and stick in the BCHL. He's one of five new faces on the blue line that will have to prove they can get the job done early in this regular season or the Smoke Eaters may be forced to make a move or two for veterans.

There are a number of other new Smokies (see the roster post bellow) that I'll be interviewing and hopefully profiling before the puck drops on Fiday in Merritt. Stay tuned to Mountain FM's Overtime (6pm to 10pm daily on 104.1FM in Trail and you can listen live at mountainfm.net) and this blog for the latest.

24

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
• Kodi Sawka (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 NHLer Gord 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.

Coach Ingram Interview

(Scott Jacklin and Nick Sandor - Photo Randy Emery)

I'm back from holidays and have got the hockey bug. I still can't believe I had to miss the exhibition tournament. Thanks again to Randy Emery for doing a great job keeping us all up to date on camp and the tournament. Word is that it was a great success and will likely happen again in the future.

Had the chance to chat with Smokies Coach and GM Jim Ingram today for Overtime. After the tournament Trail made some cuts to bring their roster down to 24 players. It's an interesting group that is especially deep up front from everything I've heard. Over the next two weeks I'll introduce you to the new Smoke Eaters that we haven't met yet. Here's the latest with Coach Ingram...

Coach and GM Jim Ingram

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So what's next? The Smokies still have to make one more cut in order to get down to 23 before their first regular season game in Merritt. They also have Adam Gummer's rights to deal with as the Alberta born forward didn't report to training camp. He wants to move back to the AJHL and one can imagine that deal will likely happen at some point. Gummer has a terrific shot and certainly some team in the AJ will see enough value in him to make a move. If that brought in another body things could obviously still change.

Stay tuned to the blog later tonight or tomorrow as we take a look at the roster as it is now and examine all the new Smokies.

Exhibition Game 3

Trail native Thomas Abenante (22) celebrates his second period goal which temporarily tied the game at 1 -1.

Penticton Vees 4

Trail Smoke Eaters 2

Game Summary

Period 1
14:54 Penticton - Holka (D. Johnson)

Period 2
3:46 Trail - Abenante (Koshey, Cici)
13:05 Penticton - Paltridge (Bennett)
14:38 Penticton - Slemp (Bennett, Laleggia)

Period 3
9:19 Trail - Sandor (Mailey, Strukoff) PPG
19:59 Penticton - Holka (unassisted) SHG/ENG

Power Plays
Penticton 0 - 7
Trail 1 - 7

Goaltender Saves
Faust (Penticton) 23
Beckwith (Trail) 26

Trail vs Penticton Live Blog

Ryan Pinder is live blogging Trail's final game of the exhibition tournament over at his Vees Blog. Click here to get live details of today's action between the Vees and the Smoke Eaters. Come back to visit this blog later to get Randy Emery's summary of the action. Thanks again to Randy for the great updates. I'll be back on Tuesday but Randy is still free to post his thoughts, stats or pictures on this blog whenever he would like.

NOTE: Click here for the announcement that former Smoke Eater Dylan Herold is Burnaby's new Captain. Great guy and gutsy player.