The Trail Smoke Eaters continue their quest to secure second place in the BCHL’s Interior West Division tonight at Cominco Arena.
It will be the fourth and final regular season showdown against the Spruce Grove Saints.
The Trail troupe is coming off last Saturday’s character 2-1 come-from-behind overtime win over the Bucks in Cranbrook.
The Smokies fought through the fatigue of having to play the night before in the Edmonton area and the close to 800 km of travel to the East Kootenay, while the Bucks did not play the night before.
Erik Pastro tied the game with three minutes left in regulation, scoring his 18th goal of the season and Zach Coutu got the OT-winner converting on his third breakaway of the night, making a winner out of goalie Lyam Leblanc who turned in a 40-save gem, including 17 superlative stops in the first period.
It was Coutu’s second overtime winner of the campaign and 11th tally of 2025-26. He has thrived on a newly formed line with team-leading goal producer Cash Carter at centre and team-leading point man Christian Kim on the other wing.
The win snapped the Smokies 10-game road losing streak.
But defenseman Matthew Keller didn’t return after a heavy hit into the boards in Cranbrook, needing assistance to get to the dressing room and will not play tonight.
David Tyler Greene meanwhile is questionable. The 18-year-old winger who has two goals in his eight games as a Smokie suffered a lower body injury this week during practice.
The Saints have won the last two head-to-head matchups against Trail.
They held off a late two-goal charge by the Smokies to take a 4-3 decision on Jan. 20, as Trail had a one-game trip to the Edmonton area.
The Saints also triumphed 3-0 in Trail on Feb. 14.
That game featured a starring performance by newly acquired Chris Battaini. The 20-year-old who came over in a trade from Powell River set up the game’s opening goal early in the second period by Declan Waddick and converted a high-speed give-and-go with Waddick about eight minutes later.
The Saints put the game away with an empty-net goal with a minute left in the third period.
Spruce Grove has also been bolstered by the return of Josh Polak from the USHL. The 19-year-old forward has eight goals and six assists for 14 points in ten games since rejoining the Saints.
Trail won the opening game of the season series 7-4 in Spruce Grove on Oct.3 and have emerged victorious in three of their last four games.
If the Smokies win tonight and tomorrow night when Salmon Arm visits Trail and the Silverbacks lose tonight at home against division-leading West Kelowna, the Smokies will clinch second place.
Both clashes at Cominco Arena commence at 7 o’clock.
