While the Trail Smoke Eaters sit on the sidelines, the BCHL playoffs continue to unfold for a pair of Trail natives.
Last night in Langley, Steven Koshey and the Surrey Eagles had a chance to wrap up their Coastal Conference semifinal against the Langley Chiefs.
The Eagles led the series 3-2 heading into last night’s game. Results were unavailable at press time.
Despite Koshey’s best efforts, Langley stayed alive in the series with a 7-5 win on Sunday.
Koshey helped Surrey’s third-period rally with a shorthanded goal, his first of the playoffs, and set up the Eagles’ fifth goal to cut the deficit to one goal with four minutes to play. Langley added an empty-net marker to seal the win.
Koshey, who was unavailable for comment, has eight points in nine games and ranks third among BCHL defencemen in playoff scoring.
Meanwhile, on Vancouver Island, Trail native Kyle St. Denis is limited to rooting on the Victoria Grizzlies in their quest to dethrone the two-time conference champion Powell River Kings.
Heading into last night’s game in Powell River, the Grizzlies held a 3-1 lead on the league’s top team.
It’s bittersweet for St. Denis, who returned to action in January after missing a year of hockey due to a concussion.
A tug-of-war over his rights landed the Trail product in Victoria where he immediately set the league on fire scoring 24 points in the final 13 games of the regular season.
However, he suffered a knee injury in the team’s first post-season game, against Nanaimo on Feb. 25 and hasn’t played since.
He returned home last week but was back in Victoria on Monday continuing physiotherapy that will keep him out of the lineup for at least another six weeks.
“It’s pretty frustrating,” he admitted. “Having to sit out now, especially in the playoffs.
“But they seem to be doing pretty well without me.”