The Trail Smoke Eaters season came to an end on Thursday night at the South Okanagan Event Centre, with a 5-1 loss to the Penticton Vees.
The Vees jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead and never looked back eliminating the Smoke Eaters in Game 5 of the Interior Conference quarter-final.
The Smokies suffered injuries to leading scorer Brady Hunter, who didn’t play a playoff game, and top forward Quinn Disher in a 2-1 loss in Game 4. After skating to a 5-3 Game 1 win, goals were hard to come by in the final four games for the orange and black, scoring just once in each of those matches.
Teddy Lagerback scored three of the goals including the lone marker in Thursday’s Game 5 match up. Penticton had five different scorers including Bradly Nadeau, Stefano Bottini, Spencer Smith, Brett Moravec and Josh Nadeau.
Penticton outshot Trail 40-18, and went 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Smoke Eaters were 0-for-5.
The Vees will advance to Round 2 and play either the seventh seed Wenatchee Wild, if they can upset Salmon Arm, or the winner of the Prince George - Cranbrook series, which the Spruce Kings lead 3-2.