DiMurro, Stevenson Highlight Smoke Eaters 3-2 Victory Over Vees
By Trevor Miller
The Trail Smoke Eaters used a two-goal performance from Diarmad DiMurro to help them to a 3-2 victory over the Penticton Vees on Saturday night at the Trail Memorial Centre.
Diarmad DiMurro scored his first two goals of his BC Hockey League career with Chase Stevenson opening the scoring with the Teddy Bear Toss goal to help the Smoke Eaters to the one-goal victory and pick up their third straight game collecting at least a point.
It didn’t take long for the Smoke Eaters to bring a plethora of plush to the ice in the opening period as just 1:36 into the 1st period, Chase Stevenson put the home side ahead. Stevenson cut his way down the right wing and flipped a backhand shot over the glove side of Vees netminder Jack LaFontaine for his 14th goal of the season to give the Smoke Eaters a 1-0 lead early in the hockey game.
Trail jumped ahead by a 2-0 score at the 5:48 mark of the opening period on a power play marker courtesy of Diarmad DiMurro, who registered his first career BC Hockey League goal. Stevenson passed back to the mid-point for DiMurro, who had his shot go through a maze of bodies and beat LaFontaine to extend the Smoke Eaters lead to 2-0, which would stand into the 2nd period.
Penticton came out with strong pressure to begin the second period and cut the Smoke Eaters lead to 2-1 at the 5:59 mark of the 2nd period. Eric Linell centered a pass from below the goal line on the blocker side for Cassidy Bowes in the high slot before he ripped a shot over the glove side of Smoke Eaters goaltender Adam Marcoux to make it a 2-1 lead for the Smoke Eaters.
2:32 after the Vees got on the scoreboard, Cole Shepard tied the game at the 8:31 mark of the middle stanza. Shepard worked his way to the slot before getting a pass from Andre Ghantous and beat Marcoux through the legs and knotted the game up a 2-2 heading into the 3rd period.
The 3rd period saw chances go either way before the Smoke Eaters took their third lead of the game as DiMurro found the back of the net for the second time in the night to give Trail a 3-2 lead. DiMurro’s original shot was stopped by LaFontaine with the puck being sticked away in a scramble by Stevenson and DiMurro shot past the blocker side of LaFontaine for his second of the night and a 3-2 lead.
The Smoke Eaters held the fort in the final moments of the 3rd period as Adam Marcoux made 28 saves on 30 shots for his 11th victory of the season while Jack LaFontaine turned aside 18 of the 21 shots in his 8th loss of the season.
FINAL SCORE: 3-2 Smoke Eaters
SHOTS ON GOAL: 30-21 Vees
SMOKE EATERS PP: 1/5
SMOKE EATERS PK: 3/3
3 STARS:
1) Diarmad DiMurro (2-0-2)
2) Chase Stevenson (1-2-3)
3) Owen Ozar (0-1-1)
Fortis Energy Player of the Game: Kiernan O’Hearn (0-0-0)
ATTENDANCE: 1,831
The Smoke Eaters (13-17-5-3) continue their three-game home stand as they host the Wenatchee Wild (22-10-2-0) on Wednesday night at the Trail Memorial Centre. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 PM with tickets available at the Smoke Eaters Main Office as well as at the door ahead of the opening face-off.
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