The Langley Rivermen made headlines around the CJHL last night, after ending the Penticton Vees 23 game winning streak at the Langley Events Centre. Max Kaufman was the hero scoring the game winning goal with 1:20 left to play in the third period. It was a complete team effort from start to finish, but the win is now in the rear-view mirror with the ‘Smokies in town for their only visit to the LEC.
Trail is finishing up a three-game road trip this weekend. After beating Victoria 3-2 on Thursday, they took a 7-2 loss to the Nanaimo Clippers last night at Frank Crane Arena, and will play their third game in three days when the puck drops this evening. In 24 games, Trail has a record of 10-14-0-0 for 20 points and sit fifth in the Interior Division.
After going 4-6-0-0 in October, the month of November has been decent for the ‘Smokies with a 4-4-0-0 record. They are led by rookie forward Nick Halloran who has 21 points in 24 games.
“Trail played a pretty physical game against us up in their rink, and we are expecting no different tonight. We are a team that will push back and can play just as physical though. It should be another good battle against them,” said Rivermen captain Jordan Schneider.
For the Rivermen, Matthew Graham and Max Kaufman have been putting up the points of late. Both enter tonight on a six game point streak, while Dominic Franco has four goals in his last five games.
“The Smoke Eaters are a tough team to play against. They are very opportunistic and work really hard. They are a group that is never out of the game and are always looking to push the pace, so we have to be ready to go from the start,” said Rivermen leading scorer Matthew Graham.
