Jim Bailey/Trail Times
With files from the Cranbrook Bucks
The Cranbrook Bucks pulled off a 4-1 victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters in their first home game as captain Briggs Gammill and Dane Dowiak led the way with a pair of goals apiece, Friday, Nov. 6, at Western Financial Place.
Gammill opened the scoring 18:10 into the first with a centring feed from Dowiak. Dowiak then scored 2 straight with a tap in after a pass from Briggs Gammill and then tipping in a Cole Assailly shot for his second.
Trail would add a goalie on a snapshot from Drew Elser before Cranbrook sealed the game with an empty netter from Gammill.
The win proved a satisfying result for the Cranbrook community, who celebrated the return of Junior hockey to Western Financial Place. It was the Bucks first home game in the BCHL after having their initially scheduled game cancelled last week due to maintenance problems with the chiller.
In the rematch Saturday, Captain Cody Schiavon’s overtime winner lifted the Trail Smoke Eaters to a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Bucks t Western Financial Place.
Schiavon one-timed a centering pass from Connor Michaud 80 seconds into the overtime period to give the Smoke Eaters a 3-2 lead in the Kootenay Cup series with the Bucks.
The win also earned the split in Cranbrook, following the Bucks 4-1 victory in its inaugural BCHL game at Western Financial on Friday.
Trail rallied back from a 3-0 deficit, after the Bucks’ Michael Hagen, Dane Dowiak and Briggs Gammill tallied in the first 5:05 of the middle frame.
Jordan Hendry fired a low shot from the top of the circle to get the Smoke Eaters on the board at 13:32 of the second.
Quinn Disher scored his first as a Smoke Eater on the power play to cut the lead to one, and Jaden Senkoe tied it at three, when he jumped on a rebound and lifted it top shelf on Bucks goalie Nathan Airey.
In the final minute of the period, the Smoke Eaters Ben King fired it over the glove of Airey from a sharp angle, to put Trail up 4-3 and cap off a wild seven-goal middle frame.
Mitchell Prowse, on loan from the Lethbridge Hurricanes, gave Trail a 5-3 lead 4:19 into the third.
However, the Bucks battled back, with Gammill notching his second of the night and fourth of the exhibition season midway through the period, and Carson Kurylo tied it on a nice individual effort with 6:43 remaining.
Yet, Dowiak took an interference penalty 10 seconds into the overtime period, to set up Schiavon’s heroics.
The next Cranbrook Bucks game is Friday, November 13 against Prince George at Western Financial Place in Cranbrook.