After a 4-3 victory over the Penticton Vees on Friday in Trail, the Smoke Eaters split their home-and-home with the Vees in a Saturday loss in Penticton.
In the final game of the championship weekend, five different Vees players scored in a 5-1 victory Saturday at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Trail and Penticton paid tribute to its World Championship teams with Trail wearing a replica jersey from the 1963 Trail Smoke Eaters who played in the World Championships, and the Vees donned the 1955 jersey of the Penticton world champions.
Related read: Championship weekend for Trail Smoke Eaters
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Vees forward Liam Malmquist continued his strong play, sniping a shot over the blocker of Smokies goalie Logan Terness at the 12:54 mark for a 1-0 lead. Tristan Amonte made it 2-0 with 1:34 to play in the opening frame banging in a rebound off a Colton Kalezic shot, as Penticton outshot Trail 13-8.
The home team’s Jackson Niedermayer wired a shot glove side for a 3-0 lead with 19 seconds to play in the middle frame, and Tyler Ho made it 4-0 just 2:47 into the third.
Newly acquired Matt Osadick scored his first goal as a Smoke Eater, tipping in a Braden Costello shot with 3:25 remaining in the final stanza to spoil the shut-out bid of Penticton goalie Carl Stankowski. But the Vees Danny Weight finished the scoring 27 seconds later for the 5-1 final.
The win restores the Vees 10-point lead on the Smoke Eaters for the top two spots in the Interior Division standings, winning the season series 4-2.
Penticton outshot Trail 32-18 and both teams were 0-for-4 on the power play.
On Friday, Braden Costello scored twice and goalie Terness stopped 43 shots for Trail in a tight 4-3 win at the Cominco Arena.
After a scoreless first period, in which Penticton outshot Trail 15-6, Costello opened the scoring, taking a centering pass from Carson Briere and firing it by Vees goalie Yanev Perets three minutes into the second period.
Kent Johnson then notched his league best 31st goal, skating around the defenceman and faking out Perets before wrapping it by the right post for a 2-0 lead 42 seconds later.
Penticton came back with David Silye cutting the lead to 2-1, and Weight tying the game at 4:38 to send it to the third.
The Smokies Costello scored his 10th of the season, this time firing in a Jaden Senkoe set up in front for a 3-2 lead 3:06 into the final frame. Terness was solid through the period, and the Vees gambled pulling their goalie with 2:32 to play for the extra attacker.
However, Johnson carried the puck out of the Smokies zone, up to centre ice and fired it into the empty net for what proved to be the game winner at 2:05.
With the Vees net empty, Malmquist blasted a shot from the high slot for the 4-3 final with 63 seconds left on the clock.
Penticton outshot Trail 46-27, with Costello earning first star, Johnson second star, and Malmquist third star. Terness earned his sixth Fortis Energy Player of the Game honour.
Trail plays the Merritt Centennials on Tuesday, in what will be a make up game for last week’s cancellation. The puck drop goes at 7 p.m. at the Cominco Arena.
See more in Tuesday’s Trail Times.
