The Trail Smoke Eaters split its exhibition series against Wenatchee Wild on the weekend.
This weekend’s series of games featured a unique format. Instead of a standard three period game, the teams played two separate “mini-games” of two periods apiece each day. With a larger number of players in camp battling to make the final roster for both teams, the format allows for more players to get the opportunity to compete in game situations.
In Game 1 Saturday, Trail earned a 3-0 win in the opener of the two mini-games, with veterans Tyler Ghirardosi, Levi Glasman, and Mack Byers tallying for the Smoke Eaters.
Wenatchee replied with an identical 3-0 win in the second two-period tilt. Mat Gosiewski got the Wild on the board at 14:56 to lead 1-0 after the first period. Murphy Stratton then snapped home a power-play goal at 2:35 and Lucas Sowder tipped in a Gosiewski pass from the left wing on a rush at 16:21 for the 3-0 final in the second game.
On Sunday, Trail again won the opener 2-0, while the Wild earned a 2-1 win in the late game.
In the first period of Game 1, Trail grabbed a 1-0 lead on a Braeden Tuck goal at 4:56, then sealed the win as Tuck found the empty net with :04 seconds left on the clock in the closing frame. The Wild outshot Trail 18-16 in the contest.
The second game saw Trail convert a power play chance at 3:42 as Levi Glasman got a tip on a Carter Jones shot that would have gone wide, putting the Smoke Eaters up 1-0. The Wild tied it up moments after a Wenatchee power play expired as Hunter Hastings hit the twine, assisted by Chad Sasaki and Christophe Tellier at 7:04.
Less than two minutes later, with the teams skating 4-on-4, Josh Arnold gave the Wild the lead, with assists from AJ Hodges and Brandon Koch. Shots on goal narrowly favoured the Wild in the second game by a margin of 16-15.
Trail plays a home-and-home with West Kelowna on Friday and Saturday to wrap up their exhibition season with the puck drop at the Cominco Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.