The Trail Smoke Eaters outworked, out skated and out muscled the Westside Warriors Friday in drawing first blood in their best-of-seven first round BCHL playoff series.
Cullen Bradshaw scored twice while Scott Jacklin added a goal and an assist leading the Smokies to a 4-2 victory over the hometown Warriors.
Despite winning all six regular season meetings between the two teams the Warriors were not hungry enough and didn't get the effort they needed from the leaders of the club.
“We need some guys to play harder. They wanted it a lot more than we did tonight and hats off to them,” says Warriors coach Darren Yopyk.
“We just didn't work hard enough. They out battled us, they out competed us tonight. They're a good hockey club and we knew it wasn't going to be a short series but if we play like it will be unfortunately.
Nic DeSousa also scored for the Smoke Eaters.
Alex Grieve just after a power-play elapsed and Quinn Gould on a power-play replied for the Warriors.
Trail took a 2-0 lead on goals from Bradshaw on a first period man advantage and DeSousa midway through the second.
Grieve banged home a rebound seven minutes later to pull the Warriors to within a goal, but Bradshaw's second power-play marker in the final minute seemed to take the wind out of the Warriors sails.
Kyle Singleton had two great chances to score but was thwarted by Kiefer Smiley both times.
Smiley made a blocker save on a shorthanded breakaway early in the first then flashed the leather with a sparkling glove save moments after Grieve had brought the Warriors to within a goal.
The rest of the night the Warriors were unable to get to the net making Smiley's night relatively easy.
“If you're not going to get to the net, and again, it comes down to effort, but if we don't get to the net, any goalie can make the save. We got to the net twice and we scored on both of them.”
Yopyk says the team will be ready to go Saturday.
“We'll get a good meal tonight, get some sleep, and get in for a 10 O'clock meeting tomorrow, the same as usual. You're got to win four games or lose four games and we're guaranteed three more games.”
The Smoke Eaters won game one of the first round series a year ago before the Warriors roared back to win the next four.
Game two in the series goes Saturday night at Royal LePage Place with games three and four in Trail Monday and Tuesday.
If a fifth game is needed it would be played back at Royal LePage Place next Thursday.
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