The Trail Smoke Eaters and Cranbrook Bucks renew BCHL their Kootenay rivalry tonight (Tues) in Cranbrook.
The New Year’s Eve clash features two teams who have won four of their last five games.
The Smokies are also among the hottest teams in the BCHL with an 8-1-1 record in their last ten games.
Smokies centreman, Judah Makway brings a four game goal scoring streak into the East Kootenay contest.
The 20-year-old from Trail has seven goals and five assists in the last six games and is tied atop two team scoring categories.
The recent commit to the University of Anchorage-Alaska is tied with centreman Jason Stefanek with 14 goals and winger Evan Sundar with 27 points.
Drew Anastasio is also on a roll.
The 19-year-old defenseman has scored in three straight games and now has seven on the season, just one behind team mate Lucas Lemieux and two off the league lead for blueliners.
It’s the third meeting this season between the Bucks and Smoke Eaters.
Cranbrook scored three unanswered third period goals to post a 4-3 win in Trail on October 18, while just over a month later Trail turned the tables with a 4-3 win in Cranbrook.
On that night a Callas Pierce late second period deflection of a Noah Ziskie shot stood up as the winning goal, with Carter Matthews scoring a shorthanded marker and Teagan Kendrick stopping 37 shots.
Swedish import Rasmus Svartstrom of the Bucks leads all players in the season series with three goals and four points.
The game will feature Cranbrook’s 28.9% power play on home ice against Trail’s 84.5% penalty kill on the road.
It could also feature the BCHL’s top two goaltenders who are still in the league.
Cranbrook’s Jaden Cholette has a 2.33 GAA and .924 SP, compared to Trail’s Teagan Kendrick at 2.48 and .921. Kendrick is also the active league leader in wins with 15.
Bryce Sookro of the Bucks leads the BCHL points race among defensemen at 31, which also ties the Nelson native with forward Jacob Fletcher for the team lead.
Smokies 19-year-old defenseman Lemieux is ranked second in goals among rearguards with eight.
The Smokies have announced two roster moves.
19-year-old forward Zach Coutu has joined the team from Canmore of the AJHL, where the 6’2” Edmonton native has posted 29 points in 28 games this season. He also played for Canada West at the World Jr-A Challenge.
19-year-old defenseman Noah Ziskie has left Trail to join Tri City of the USHL and 20-year-old winger Aidan Castle acquired from Blackfalds, has left to be closer to his Toronto area home and will play in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Game time on Mixlr and FloHockey is 5 p.m. Pacific.
