Smoke Eaters Sputter Out In 7-3 Home Loss To Cranbrook Bucks

By Andrew Chernoff, CanucksBanter

September 17, 2022

In a high scoring one sided exhibition game, the vistiting Cranbrook Bucks scored late with a vengeance with four unanswered goals to break open a hotly contested affair, serving the Trail Smoke Eaters a 7-3 loss, their second in three exhibition games Fiday night.

The home and home weekend series concludes tonight in Cranbrook.

Cranbrook led 2-1 after the opening period, as the two teams combined for all three goals in 83 seconds in the first five minutes of the game.

In the middle frame, the Smoke Eaters evened the score at 2-2 a few minutes into the period but Cranbrook would go back in front 3-2 with a late goal before the intermission.

Returning for the final period, the home team wasted little time in making it anybodys game, scoring in the first 14 seconds to knot the game at 3-3.

Anybody ended up being Cranbrook as it turned out.

In a span of 3:19, before the 8 minute mark of the third, Cranbrook would break the game open with three goals, including one three seconds into a power play, to take a commanding 6-3 lead.

The visitors would add one more goal with 78 seconds left in the game for good measure.