Smokies ripped on the PK in home and season opener
By Trail Champion staff
The Trail Smoke Eaters died by the sword Friday night in their season opener at home as they gave up three power play goals and succumbed to the Westside Warriors 7-3 at Cominco Arena.
The Warriors were 60 per cent on the power play (three for five) as they put five second period goals on 17 shots past Smokies netminder Matt Larose. He stopped 31 of the 38 total shots the Warriors directed towards him.
The deluge turned the game ugly in the third period as with one fight and two players being ejected, Smokies Adam Wheeldon for checking from behind, and Warriors Tyler Krause.
The two teams will go back at tonight (7:30 p.m.) in a rematch of the Friday night game.
Brandon Egli scored in the first for the Smokies, while Clayton Chessa and Kyle Horsman rounded out the scoring and the game late in the third period for the Smokies three goals.
The 7:30 p.m. game tonight is the second meeting of the year between the Interior Conference rivals. Last season the Smokies finished five points behind the Warriors in fifth place (68 points, 31-23-2) in the conference, bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.
In six exhibition games so far this season, the Warriors remain undefeated in regular time, winning three games and losing three in overtime.
The Smokies had a slower start to the exhibition season, winning only two of their six games.
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