TRAIL 4 VICTORIA 2
Special teams were certainly distinguished for the Trail Smoke Eaters on Friday night as they scored three power-play goals and added a shorthanded effort en route to a 4-2 win over the Victoria Grizzlies.
The visiting Grizzlies opened up an 8-0 shots advantage in the first period, but surrendered the opening goal as Victoria native Braden Pears - who played four games for the Grizzlies last season - popped a power-play goal at 11: 55 for Trail.
Victoria fell behind 2-0 on another Trail power-play goal, this time on a 5-on-3 advantage, as Shane Poulsen upped the lead at 2: 15 of the second period on just the team's eighth shot.
Myles Fitzgerald got one back for the Grizzlies at 5: 01, but just 1: 12 later Djordje Leposavic added the third man-advantage goal for Trail on a strange evening at Cominco Arena. All three Smoke Eaters' goals came from defencemen.
Jake Lucchini added the short-handed goal early in the third for Trail, while Brett Hartskamp replied late on a 6-on-4 situation for Victoria, which outshot the hosts 41-16.
The loss snapped a four-game win streak for the Grizzlies. Trail won for the first time in eight outings.
Brady Rouleau suffered the loss in goal for the Grizzlies as they slip to 10-5-0-1, while Lyndon Stanwood stood tall for the victors.
Victoria will attempt to bounce back against the B.C. Hockey League-leading Penticton Vees today at 5 p.m., before ending the three-game road trip in Merritt on Sunday.
IN THE DEN: Grizzlies netminder Mike Stiliadis received a late invitation to the Canada West camp for the upcoming World Junior A Challenge and joins teammates Nolan DeJong and Dante Hahn for a tryout.
