The Cranbrook Bucks made history Sunday by finally making it through the opening round of the BCHL playoffs for the first time in franchise history, they did it at the expense of the Trail Smoke Eaters by way of a 1-0 victory in game six.
The Bucks and Smokies battled to a scoreless draw after a tightly contested first period. Cranbrook outshot Trail 11-8 in the opening frame, with Bucks goalie Jaden Cholette and Smokies tender Teagan Kendrick putting in strong efforts.
The second period was shaping up to produce another stalemate, but a late goal from Blake Cotton broke the deadlock and put the Bucks in a 1-0 lead at 16:49. Trail began to press harder, but failed to gain any ground ahead of second intermission.
Cranbrook shifted to defensive-minded game in the third period, and managed to efficiently shut down Trail’s top attackers. The Bucks were able to fend off any late pushes from Trail, and cruised to a 1-0 victory in front of 2,299 fans to claim the series 4-2.
Sunday’s win vaults the Bucks to the second round of the playoffs where they’ll meet the Penticton Vees. Keep an eye on our social media for details regarding the schedule and tickets.
Buck Tracks:
- Blake Cotton nets lone goal, finishes the series with 4g
- 29 save shutout win for Jaden Cholette, his first BCHL playoff shutout
- Bucks become first Cranbrook-based junior hockey team to win a playoff series since 2014
