The Smoke Eaters play their final two home games of November, this weekend, beginning with tonight’s tilt against the West Kelowna Warriors.
The Smokies will work to bounce back from Monday’s 7-3 setback in Penticton, while the Warriors are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss last Saturday in Okotoks.
This is already the fourth meeting in the season series with the Smoke Eaters recording a 4-3 overtime win at home on September 21st and an 8-2 victory on October 4th at Cominco Arena.
The Warriors rebounded the next evening with a 3-1 win in West Kelowna.
Trail winger Dylan Lariviere leads both teams in the season series with four points on two goals and two assists. Smokies centreman Jack Ziliotto has also scored twice, as has Sam LeDrew of the Warriors.
He scored in his BCHL debut on October 4th and sniped the winner the following night in West Kelowna.
LeDrew leads the Warriors with nine goals in 14 games and his 14 points are three back of team leader Jackson Kyrkostas.
Trail scored an impressive 4-2 win in Vernon last Friday night, while the Warriors blanked Penticton 3-0 ten nights ago, before recording a 2-1 win in Blackfalds last Friday, so both teams have had recent success.
Warriors goalie Dawson Labre, who got the win over Trail with a 23-save effort on October 5th, was also named the BCHL’s second star of last week by recording his first BCHL shutout and stopping 47-of-48 shots in his two starts.
The Smoke Eaters will have every available healthy body in the lineup against the Warriors.
20-year-old defenseman and assistant captain Jack Kennedy, as well as 19-year-old forward Evan Sundar remain out with injuries. Sundar sits second in team scoring with 17 points, two back of defenseman Lucas Lemieux.
Trail will also be without overage winger, Attila Lippai, who has joined the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
The Smoke Eaters have also announced 18-year-old forward Cash Carter has made and NCAA Division-1 commitment to Minnesota State University.
The rookie from Berrymoore, AB, has two goals and four assists in 12 games this season.
He also scored in his very first game as a Smoke Eater last season.
The Smokies are just two points behind Salmon Arm and Penticton in the tight race for first place in the Interior West Division and for second in the Interior Conference, with both Cranbrook and Sherwood Park just two points behind Trail.
The Warriors have a chance to move to within four points of the Smoke Eaters.
It’s also Parents Weekend, as players’ families have traveled from across North America to see their Smoke Eater sons play tonight against West Kelowna and tomorrow night against the Penticton Vees.
