The Trail Smoke Eaters went 3-for-3 in a shootout to beat the Cranbrook Bucks on Sunday at the South Okanagan Event Centre.
Smokies forward Coalson Wolford scored the shootout winner and added two goals and an assist in regulation as Trail came back from 1-0 and 3-1 deficits to secure the 4-3 shootout win.
With the score tied at 3-3 and nothing solved in the five-minute overtime, Chase Dafoe and Kalen Szeto evened the shootout at two goals apiece. Wolford then walked in and went forehand, backhand and roofed the game winner over the shoulder of Bucks goalie Nathan Airey to give Trail the advantage.
Cranbrook forward Cam Reid had the final chance to tie it, but fired wide on Smokies goalie Cayden Hamming.
The win lifted the Smoke Eaters record to 6-6 following a 4-1 loss to the Penticton Vees on Friday.
Trail carried the play in the opening frame outshooting the Bucks 16-11, but a goal by Nick Sombrowski in the final minute gave Cranbrook a 1-0 lead.
Wolford tied the game 6:25 into the middle frame, just getting enough on a Brady Hunter slap-pass to tip it past Airey.
However, nine seconds later the Bucks restored the lead. Nathan Fox was left all alone in front and he sniped it past Hamming for his second of the year.
Cameron Kungle made it 3-1 Bucks with seven minutes left in the period, with a blast from the point.
However, Trail battled back as Wolford notched his third of the season on a powerplay at 4:32 on a deflection off a Dafoe shot.
Trail tied it before the period was out, when Wolford worked the puck down low then sent a pass back to Carson Golder who leaned into a shot that went through traffic and beat Airey for Golder’s first BCHL goal.
Camming was solid in the win especially late in the third period and early in the overtime period, making a number of key saves to earn his second win of the season.
The Vernon native stopped 32 shots, while the Bucks’ Airey made 36 saves in the shootout loss.
On Friday, Penticton skated to a 4-1 victory over the Smoke Eaters.
Brady Hunter tied the game up at 1-1 early in the second period, but a goal by Finlay Williams midway through the frame gave the Vees a 2-1 lead.
The game would stay that way until the final minutes when Trail pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie the match, but an empty netter by Tyler Ho, and a late goal by Williams sealed the Vees 11th win.
The Vees outshot Trail 32-18 and both teams were 0-for-1 on the power play.
Trail is back on the ice versus Penticton on Monday at 7 p.m. Smokies fans can watch the games online at HockeyTV.com.
Read: Trail Smoke Eaters reach midway point of season with win
Read: Smoke Eaters split weekend games
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