The Trail Smoke Eaters continued their impressive run, winning their sixth straight playoff game in a 5-4 overtime victory over the Vernon Vipers on Saturday.
With the win, the Smokies take a 2-0 series lead over the Vipers in the Interior Division semifinal, following a 3-1 victory in Game 1 Friday at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
“Our goal going in is to look for the split, so if you get the first one then you can really push in Game 2,” said Smoke Eaters coach and GM Jeff Tambellini. “And like any playoff game you just have to get the job done.”
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With Trail leading 4-2, Vernon scored two goals in the final 66 seconds to tie it, but Smokies forward Owen Ozar scored the OT winner just 12 seconds into the extra frame to ice it for the Smoke Eaters.
Smokies captain Braeden Tuck won the face off at centre ice back to Trevor Zins who head-manned to Ozar. The Smokies forward turned, then darted through the neutral zone, over the blue line, and fired a shot over the blocker of Vernon goalie Aiden Porter for his second goal of the playoffs.
“We’re not the first team to blow a lead then have to win in overtime,” said Tambellini. “It was a great test for our group. Sometimes you can get over-emotional of how we have to win it. It doesn’t really matter of how you get the job done in the playoffs because it’s about finding a way to process and execute when the game is on the line in overtime.”
The Smokies looked poised to win in regulation, but Trail defenceman Trevor Zins was whistled for a tripping penalty at 17:46, giving the Vipers a six-on-four advantage with Porter on the bench.
That lasted all of 31 second when Vipers veteran Jesse Lansdell took a cross-checking minor in the offensive zone, negating the power play and leaving both teams with four skaters aside. Lansdell was given a game misconduct for his third stick penalty of the game.
With Porter on the bench for an extra attacker, Connor Marritt scored his first of the playoffs at 18:54, deflecting a Jack Judson point shot past Trail goalie Donovan Buskey to pull the Vipers to within a goal.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Vernon gained control of the puck in the Trail zone, allowing Porter a third trip to the bench, and Michael Young ripped a one-timer from Judson under Buskey’s arm at 19:25 to tie the game.
But what could have been a momentum-changing breakdown for the Smokies, was turned into a positive as the Smokies remained poised and finished the Vipers off in OT.
“There are going to be some tough moments and they put on a push, and we get stuck on a 6-on-4 and 6-on-5,” said Tambellini. “Those are things that are going to happen, but the composure the guys showed between the third and overtime, just to stick with it and then go make a play, the young guys step up and that’s what you’re looking for at this time of year.”
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Trail opened the scoring on Braeden Tuck’s fourth of the playoffs at 10:09 of the first period. The Vipers responded with powerplay goals from Teddy Wooding at 16:01 and Matt Kowalski at 19:43.
Zins tied the game with the only goal of the second period at 14:38, and Trail took a 3-2 lead at 6:24 of the third on Carter Jones’ third of the playoffs. Kyle Budvarson scored his first of the playoffs, firing a point shot through a mass of traffic at 9:29 to give Trail a 4-2 edge.
The Trail Smoke Eaters can sweep the Vipers at home with wins in Games 3 and 4 tonight and Wednesday at the Cominco Arena, but Tambellini and the Smoke Eaters are taking it one step at a time.
“It’s never about more than the next day ahead,” said Tambellini. “We really have never talked about anything beyond the next game. So its play the game, you reset, then you get back to work … We leave all the distractions and all the talk to everyone outside the rink, and we just focus on the game at hand.”
Buskey finished with 26 saves while Porter made 16 stops as Vernon outshot Trail 30-21. Tuck had a four-point night with a goal and three assists.
On Friday, Buskey made a game-saving stop on a penalty shot by Teddy Wooding with 1:12 to play in regulation to preserve a 2-1 lead, and set up an empty-net goal in the 3-1 Smokies win.
Ben Sanderson opened the scoring for Vernon at 2:21 of the third period on a set up by defenceman Landon Fuller.
Trail tied the game 1:16 later when Braden Tuck scored his third of the playoffs, with assists to Max Kryski and Kieran O’Hearn. Spencer McLean got the game-winner at 5:49 tapping in a perfect backdoor pass from Mack Byers.
Buskey finished with 16 saves – Trail held Vernon to just eight shots through the first two periods – while Aidan Porter made 21 saves in goal for Vernon. Trail was 0-for-3 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill.
In Wenatchee, the Wild tied the semifinal series with the Cowichan Valley Capitals at one-game apiece, in a 6-3 victory.
Game 3 goes tonight (Tuesday) and Game 4 Wednesday at the Cominco Arena with the puck drop at 7 p.m.
With files from the Vernon Morning Star News.
sports@trailtimes.ca
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