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GAME PREVIEW: Vees Host Smoke Eaters In Search Of Third Straight Win To Open Season

PHOTO: Jack Murray

The Penticton Vees (2-0-0-0) look to make it three wins in a row to begin the season as they host the Trail Smoke Eaters (1-2-0-0) in the first of five meetings between the two sides on Friday night at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

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2021/22 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE VS. TRAIL

Friday, October 15th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (7:00 PM)

Saturday, December 11th @ Cominco Arena (7:00 PM)

Saturday, February 5th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)

Saturday, February 12th @ Cominco Arena (7:00 PM)

Saturday, March 5th @ South Okanagan Events Centre (6:00 PM)

The Vees enter Friday night’s clash after earning a 3-2 overtime victory against the Wenatchee Wild on Saturday night at the SOEC. Josh Nadeau scored his first two career BC Hockey League goals before captain Fin Williams buried the overtime winner as the Vees completed a perfect 2-for-2 opening weekend. Colin Purcell collected his first win in between the pipes for the Vees, turning aside 19 of the 21 shots thrown his way.

Penticton and Trail have seen a lot of each other over the last year and a bit, playing each other a total of ten times during the Penticton Pod last season with the Vees emerging victorious in nine of the ten meetings between the two teams. In the last regular season with travel involved, the Vees won four of the six matchups head-to-head against the Smoke Eaters, including going 2-1 on home ice.

Vees Leading Scorers:

Fin Williams (2-2-4)

Josh Nadeau (2-0-2)

Josh Niedermayer (2-0-2)

Casey McDonald (1-1-2)

Frank Djurasevic (0-2-2)

Josh Nadeau turned in a terrific performance on Saturday night, a game in which the Vees hit three posts in the opening period of play and seemed to never really be able to find their rhythm but battled for the victory. Nadeau, a Maine University commit, came to the Vees after being named the Maritime Hockey League (MHL) Rookie of the Year last season, scoring 13 goals and adding 18 assists for 31 points in just 15 games played as a 17-year-old, garnering an All-Rookie Team selection as well as a First Team All-Star nomination.

Vees captain Fin Williams continued his strong start offensively, scoring the overtime winning marker exactly three minutes into the extra frame while registering a goal and an assist for the second straight contest. The overtime winner served as the third game-winning goal of the University of Michigan commit’s career and his second with the Vees while it marked the first overtime goal of his tenure in the league.

There was plenty of commitment news for the Vees during the week as a current and future player landed collegiate hockey destinations. Defenceman Frank Djurasevic secured a commitment to Merrimack College on Tuesday and will join former Vee Devlin O’Brien with the Warriors. The New Rochelle, New York native is in his second season with the team, scoring 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points during the Pod Season a year ago while adding a pair of assists in two games this season. Future Vees forward Eli Sebastien also made his post Junior hockey decision to play as the new recruit will head to Northeastern University and become a member of the Huskies once his college career begins.

The Trail Smoke Eaters come into Friday night’s contest with three games already under their belt for the 2021/22 season, including a 5-4 setback to the West Kelowna Warriors on Wednesday night at Cominco Arena. Zach Michaelis, Teddy Lagerback, Quinn Disher and Connor Michaud each scored singles in the losing effort while Evan Fradette turned aside 26 of the 31 shots thrown his way in his 2nd loss of the season.

Smoke Eaters Leading Scorers:

Zach Michaelis (3-0-3)

Teddy Lagerback (2-1-3)

Quinn Disher (1-2-3)

Jordan Hendry (0-3-3)

Connor Michaud (1-1-2)

The Smoke Eaters have some familiar faces returning from last year’s Pod Season in Penticton as 12 players make their way back to Trail, including 20-year-old captain Coalson Wolford. Joining the third-year BCHLer up front is Connor Michaud, Brady Hunter, Nicolas Roussel, Jackson Krill and Quinn Disher. Garrett Valk, Ethan Willoughby, Jordan Hendry and Cam Moger are back on the blue line while Cayden Hamming returns in between the pipes for the Smoke Eaters.

With a goal in each of his first three games in the BCHL, the Smoke Eaters and forward Zach Michaelis could not have asked for a better start to the season. The Elk River, Minnesota native has tallied in every game this season, including a pair of power play goals and a game-winning tally to add to his totals as well. A commit to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Michaelis split last season with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League (USHL) and the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), where he posted 6 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in 35 combined games between the two leagues.

Special teams has been a common theme in the Smoke Eaters opening three games to the season, leading the league with 18 power play opportunities while surrendering the third most power plays against, going to the PK 12 times this season. Trail has scored a league-high five power play tallies, including a pair from Michaelis and singles from Teddy Lagerback, Quinn Disher and Ethan Willoughby. Despite having spent a bit of time on the penalty kill, the Smoke Eaters have been rather efficient with their shorthanded time, going 11-for-12 to begin the campaign.

The Vees and Smoke Eaters will do battle in the first of five meetings throughout the 2021/22 season on Friday night from the South Okanagan Events Centre. Tickets are available for purchase at the SOEC Box Office as well as online at valleyfirsttix.com. If you can’t make it to the rink, the broadcast is available on Bounce 800 as well as BCHLTV.ca beginning with the pre-game show at 6:40 PM.