Weekend Recap – Smoke Eaters Split in Wenatchee, Now Look Ahead To Playoffs

The Smoke Eaters finished up the regular season in Wenatchee, earning a split over the two game set to take the season series as they get set for their first round playoff series against Penticton.

The Smoke Eaters came into Wenatchee on Friday and crashed the party, with the Wild looking to make a last minute push up the Interior Conference standings. Ethan Mann would set up Cobetto-Roy for the games opening goal just 1:16 in, as he tallied his 15th of the year from a near impossible angle.

The Wild would tie the game shortly after, but it was the back half of the first period that saw the Smoke Eaters take control of the game. First Brady Hunter and Adam Parsons combined for a short handed goal, with under five minutes to go in the first.

A minute and a half later Marshall set up Nicholas Remissong for a one timer in the slot, just after the Smoke Eaters penalty had expired, putting the Smoke Eaters up 3-1. Then 30 seconds later the Smoke Eaters would take advantage of a powerplay of their own where captain Evan Bushy would find the back of the net. Putting Trail up 4-1 heading to the second period.

Kendrick and Vlaha would battle it out in the second period, with neither giving an inch as the 4-1 Smoke Eaters lead would carry through to the third period. The Wild, looking to make a third period comeback would strike 8 minutes in to the third on another loose puck in front of Kendrick that this time he wasn’t able to keep out, with Littler on the doorstep for the finish. However that’s as close as the Wild would get, with Kendrick and the Smoke Eaters shutting the Wild out the rest of the way, adding one more to their tally as Schenk added an empty net goal, adding his 11th goal over the last 14 games.

On Saturday night the Wild would flip the script in their final regular season home game as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to two well placed deflected point shots. Before the first period was out, the Smoke Eaters would strike again with the powerplay as Hunter added his second goal of the weekend, after being denied on a penalty shot earlier in the period.

Wenatchee would add one more in the second period to take a 3-1 lead to the third period as Micah Berger tallied his second of the night for the Wild. Into the third period, the Smoke Eaters killed off a penalty to Willoughby that carried over from the second and then went to the other way to bring the game with in one. On his second breakaway chance of the night, Ethan Mann buried his 11th goal of the season for the Smoke Eaters.

That would be as close as the Smoke Eaters would get as the Wild would tally two more, one being an empty net goal to take the game 5-2.

Despite a plethora of injuries during the back half of the season the Smoke Eaters finished 20-27-3-4 for 47 points. They now get set for the post season, with a round one matchup against he Penticton Vees starting on Friday.