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Bucks suffer weekend losses to Smoke Eaters, Vees

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Cranbrook Bucks forward Blake Cotton pressures the net in front of Penticton Vees goaltender Will Ingemann during a BCHL game at Western Financial Place on Saturday, Feb. 24. Trevor Crawley photo.

It was a tough weekend for the Cranbrook Bucks, as the club dropped a pair of home games against the Trail Smoke Eaters and Penticton Vees.

The Bucks were in tough against one of the top teams in the BCHL, as they were shut out 4-0 by the Vees on Saturday evening.

James Fisher tallied his 19th goal of the season on the powerplay to put Penticton ahead in the first period.

Connor MacPherson doubled up the lead in the second period, with a helper from his twin brother, Ryan, while Conyr Hellyer notched another goal late in the frame.

Zacg Stringer scored the final goal of the affair early in the third period.

The Bucks had trouble getting shots on net, testing Vees netminder Will Ingemann 14 times, while Carter Capton made 32 saves for the The Herd.

Earlier, on Pink the Rink night on Friday, the Bucks were undone by two third period goals from the Smoke Eaters, who skated away with a 4-1 win.

In the first period, Lucas Lemieux put the Smokies ahead late in the frame.

Bryce Sookro responded for the Bucks five minutes into the second, however, Ridge Dawson tallied the go-ahead goal just after the halfway mark.

In the third period, Judah Makway scored the insurance marker, and Mathieu Cobetto-Roy put the game out of reach in the final minute.

Smokies netminder Ryan Parker made 29 saves, while Bucks goaltender Braedyn McIntosh turned aside 31 shots.

The night brought out a sea of colour, as Pink the Rink drew a crowd of 2,685 fans.

The Bucks are tied with the Merritt Centennials for seventh place in the Interior Conference, and will have the week off before hosting the Salmon Arm Silverbacks for a weekend double-header on March 8-9.



Trevor Crawley

About the Author: Trevor Crawley

Trevor Crawley has been a reporter with the Cranbrook Townsman and Black Press in various roles since 2011.
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