A hat trick performance from Michael Betz’s hat-trick performanc was all Trail Smoke Eaters needed to record a 5-2 victory on home ice over the Williams Lake Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Darnell Dyck opened the scoring late in the first period to give Trail a lead after 20 minutes, but Clayton McEwan evened the game only 27 seconds into the middle frame. That set the stage for Betz, who answered with two goals six minutes apart, including the eventual game winner with 1:11 remaining in the second period.
After Paul Mailey increased the Smoke Eaters’ lead to 4-1 after 40 minutes, Williams Lake answered with an early third-period goal by Jason Diehl. It wasn't long, however, before Betz added the insurance marker on a play set up by Mailey and Justin Brown.
The home side dictated the play throughout, outshooting the visiting Timberwolves by a margin of 48-24. Garrett Beckwith picked up the victory with a 22-save effort while Sean Donnelly turned aside 43 shots in the loss.
The Smoke Eaters will have a few days to savour the win before travelling to face Powell River on Wednesday. The Timberwolves, who are in the middle of a tough stretch that has them playing four games in five nights, visit Salmon Arm on Sunday afternoon.
