The Trail Smoke Eaters snapped an 0-for-18 slump on the power play with four goals on the man advantage, the difference in a 5-1 win over Spruce Grove at Cominco Arena.
The Smokies started slowly as the Saints had a substantial territorial edge in the first period, but were held at bay by the 11 opening period saves by Ryan Parker.
The tide started to turn just past the 15-minute mark.
Jack Kennedy sniped his first BCHL goal with a rising wrister from the point that found the top glove-side corner on Saints goalie Ryan De Kok on the first manpower advantage of the game.
The Smokies added another power play goal early in the second period when Christian Kim deflected in a point pass from Kennedy.
Gryphon Bucci made it 3-0 just 40-seconds later, ripping a wrister into the top of the net from close range.
The Saints struck back about four minutes later, when top point-man Josh Polak fed Brody Juck on a 2-on-1 break, and the former Smoke Eater defenseman shoveled a quick shot past a diving Ryan Parker.
Attila Lippai prevented the Saints from making it a one-goal game with a diving save during a mad scramble in the Smokies goal crease, preventing Polak from pushing the puck over the red line, after a wrap-around save by Parker on the other side of the crease.
Trail survived another furious flurry around their net just before the second period buzzer sounded.
Parker remained poised in the third period, making eight more saves including a pair of point-blank pad stops while Trail was still leading by a pair.
The Smokies put the game away late in the third period with two more power play goals, while Grayson Niehaus was serving a five minute boarding penalty for a hit on Smokies defenseman Noah Ziskie, who was able to return to the game about five minutes later.
Lippai poked home his own rebound after a great save by De Kok and Judah Makway jammed in a loose puck from just outside the blue paint just 34-seconds later.
Former Saint Evan Sundar chipped in with three power play assists as Smokies coaches made personnel changes on both units who concentrated on getting pucks to the net, resulting in a 4-for-7 performance with the man advantage. Meanwhile, Smokies penalty killers were 3-for-3.
Parker’s excellent 28-save performance produced his second win of the season, in front of a season-high crowd of 1,795.
The Smokies are now 9-5-1-1 on the season and are off until next Friday night when they meet the Vipers in Vernon.
