The Trail Smoke Eaters defeated the Vernon Vipers 3-2 in overtime on Family Day Monday.
Smoke Eaters forward Adam Marshall took a pass from Ethan Warrener on the right wing, waited then snapped a shot through the pads of Vipers goalie Ethan David 2:18 into the extra frame for Trail’s first win in four games.
The 16-21-2-3 Smoke Eaters have been depleted by injuries and have stuggled in the new year. On the injured list are five of Trail’s top forwards in Trey Fechko, Ridge Dawson, Max Potvin, Ethan Mann and Trail’s Judah Makway.
The Smoke Eaters fell to the West Kelowna Warriors 5-2 on Friday night, losing ground in the Interior Conference standings, and sit in eighth place five points back of the Vipers.
On the positive side, the Smoke Eaters goalie Teagan Kendrick was better than good in the game stopping 36 shots, including game-saving stops in the final minutes of the third period to keep it tied at 2-2.
Vernon’s Walker Erickson opened the scoring with a power play goal with 3:22 to play in the opening frame. But 22 seconds later Josh Schenk finished a play from Brady Hunter and Marshall to tie it at 1-1.
After a scoreless second period, where Vernon outshot Trail 14-6, the Vipers Luke Pakulak scored a shorthanded goal 94 seconds into the third for a 2-1 lead.
But the Smoke Eaters regrouped, and Brady Hunter wired a shot from a bad angle to tie the game at 2-2 with 8:33 remaining for his 14th goal and 44th point of the season.
Vernon outshot Trail 38-29, and went1-for-4 on the power play, while the Smoke Eaters were 0-for-2.
Kendrick earned the game’s first star, Marshall second star, and former Smoke Eater Erickson third star for Vernon.
In Friday’s match in West Kelowna, Riley Sharun and Michael Salandra scored two goals each on the way to a 5-2 victory.
Kailus Green scored the other Warriors goal, and Hunter and Josh Schenk replied for Trail.
The Warriors outshot Trail 35-26, with another former Smoke Eater Cayden Hamming earning the win in goal.
Trail travels to Royal LePage Place in West Kelowna on Friday, Feb. 24 to play the Warriors, before returning home for a rematch against the Vipers. The puck drop at the Trail Memorial Centre is 7 p.m.
