The Cranbrook Bucks were once again on the road this weekend, taking on the Trail Smoke Eaters on Saturday for Game 3 of their pre-season Kootenay Cup series.
Nathan Aiery, Cranbrook’s newest commitment, stopped 21 of 25 shots in a 4-2 loss. Aiery played for IHA Midget Prep in the CSSHL last season, playing 29 games with a .879 SV%, winning 6 games. The 17-year-old also won the AMBHL (Bantam AAA) in 2018 with the Airdrie Xtreme.
“Nathan is a young man that we believe has an extremely high ceiling as both a player and a person,” said Ryan Donald, Head Coach and GM of the Bucks. “His character and ability make him a prospect that we believe can be an excellent player for us as we grow our program here in Cranbrook. We are thrilled that Nathan has decided to play in Cranbrook this season to pursue his goals of NCAA hockey.”
Although Aiery’s first appearance for the team resulted in a pre-season defeat, the Bucks still had some positives on the night. Both Dane Dowiak and Jarrod Smith found the back of the net for Cranbrook as they outshot the Smoke Eaters 33-25.
Although Trail now holds a 2-1 lead in the Kootenay Cup, the Bucks will look to even the series in Game 4 this coming Friday. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 pm (MT) on HockeyTV.