The Prince George Spruce Kings recognized their achievements on the ice with the presentation of the annual player awards. In front of over 150 fans, volunteers and other members of the hockey club a total of eleven trophies were presented on Monday.
The awards presentation started with a thank you to the billet host families and the volunteers and that led into the first award of the night to the Volunteer of the Year, Edna Stitt. With over fifteen years of volunteer work with the Spruce Kings as an off-ice official, Stitt has given tirelessly to the Spruce Kings.
The second trophy was the Craig Dziuballe memorial for Outstanding Community Service presented to RJay Berra, who also heard his name called out for the Scholastic Player of the Year and the Seventh Man. The awards recognized Berra’s commitment to the team and himself to excel both on the ice and in the classroom.
The other multiple award winner was Sam Muchalla who picked up this year’s scoring title, Most Dedicated Player and MVP. In his third season, Muchalla finished fifth in the BCHL scoring race with 29 goals and 58 assists. With a three season career total of 161 games, 64 goals and 117 assists, Muchalla has his name in the Spruce Kings record book for games played, goals, assists and points.
Another player that played himself into the top ten categories for defenceman was Justin Fillion who won the Defenceman of the Year award. Nick DeSousa shot out the lights in the second half of the season to score almost four times as many goals from his rookie season and was recognized with the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Lyndon Martell won Rookie of the Year; the youngest player on the roster joined the Spruce Kings at the quarter mark of the season and finished with 44 games played, 13 goals and 18 assists. The Most Inspiration Player award was handed out to Zac Rasmussen; sometimes seen as an agitator on the ice, “Raz” backed up his character with big points in his final year scoring 25 times including 5 game winners.
The night ended with the recognition of four graduating players including the three twenty year olds Joe Morgan, Zac Rasmussen and Brad Bourke as well as the nineteen year old Sam Muchalla who has committed to a four year scholarship to Northern Michigan set to begin in the fall of 2010.
The Spruce Kings look to close out the regular season on a high note as they finish the year with two games on home ice. Tonight the Williams Lake Timberwolves limp into the Coliseum for a positive at the end of the season for themselves. With a woeful record in their first season back after a two year abscence, the Timberwolves have found some successes in their season and have a win and a tie in nine games against the Spruce Kings.
For Prince George, they are playing for pride and for next season after missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. That isn't something that sits well with any of the players and they will be looking to hold their head high with strong performances in each of their two remaining games. The Spruce Kings have a chance to go 8-1-1-0 against the Timberwolves and finish with a five game winning streak against their Interior Conference rivals. On Saturday night it will be a chance to redeem themselves against the Burnaby Express.
After Wednesday's game, Sam Muchalla moved into the top five among league leaders with 85 points and that total also moved the third year player ahead of his rookie year mentor for points in a single season with the Spruce Kings. With a NCAA Division I scholarship in his back pocket for Northern Michigan, Muchalla will leave his name all over the Spruce Kings record book for everything from career games played to points. There are handful of other players that will be playing in their final games and will be looking for that exclamation point to close out their Junior 'A' careers.
Zac Rasmussen has surpassed the 50 point mark this season which is twice as many as both of his seasons combined with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. Joe Morgan who has played in four seasons, including six games in 2006-07 as an AP, hit the 40 point mark this season and will be playing in his 169th game with the Spruce Kings tonight. Brad Bourke is the only other twenty year old on the schedule and will want to play a significant role as a shutdown player on the blue line this weekend.
Game time tonight is 7:00pm in the Prince George Coliseum and will be broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as online from the Spruce Kings website. Aaron Dubois will start the broadcast at 6:40pm with a pregame show followed by all the play-by-play action. The Spruce Kings will close out the regular season on Saturday night with a game against the Burnaby Express. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Williams Lake Timberwolves
1 Sean Donnelly (G 5'11" 170 4/21/90 White Rock, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 2 Stephan Virtanen (D 6'02" 185 2/27/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 45 PIMs) 3 Clayton McEwan (D 6'00" 180 11/26/91 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 2 A 8 Pts 10 60 PIMs) 4 Christopher Allbee (F 5'11" 170 1/01/92 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 0 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 5 Michael Jorgensen (D 6'00" 180 3/02/92 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 3 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 7 Calvin Johnson (F 5'10" 165 5/28/92 Smithers, BC, CAN) (GP 15 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 9 Brady Fuller (D 6'00" 190 5/28/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 20 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 75 PIMs) 11 Ryan Stanimir (F 6'00" 175 3/04/90 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 24 A 25 Pts 49 69 PIMs) 12 Jordan Hirano (F 5'08" 175 12/10/92 Fernie, BC, CAN) (GP 14 G 2 A 0 Pts 2 12 PIMs) 13 Cody Wiseman (F 5'09" 170 1/05/93 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 18 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 15 Kurtis Bond (F 6'02" 185 5/10/93 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 4 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 16 Anthony DeLong (F 6'00" 165 2/08/91 Castlegar, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 7 A 12 Pts 19 41 PIMs) 17 Tanner Clarkson (F 6'01" 185 6/08/93 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 06 PIMs) 19 Cameron Hoffman (F 6'01" 185 7/01/91 Lake Stevens, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 5 A 1 Pts 6 68 PIMs) 20 Danny Merth (F 6'00" 190 4/19/91 Anmore, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 10 A 17 Pts 27 49 PIMs) 21 Keenan Bailey (F 6'00" 175 2/10/91 Westbank, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 4 A 9 Pts 13 50 PIMs) 22 Justin Bardarson (F 5'10" 190 6/06/90 Burns Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 11 A 25 Pts 36 91 PIMs) 23 Trent Murdoch (F 5'11" 155 7/31/91 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 57 G 17 A 26 Pts 43 19 PIMs) 24 Jake Harcoff (D 5'10" 185 10/17/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 56 G 3 A 8 Pts 11 54 PIMs) 27 Jason Diehl (F 6'02" 195 7/24/89 San Diego, CA, USA) (GP 49 G 19 A 17 Pts 36 75 PIMs) 28 Kyle Beaulieu (D 6'03" 195 1/16/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 2 A 14 Pts 16 81 PIMs) 55 Evan Dauenhauer (G 5'11" 175 12/19/89 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 12 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 17 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 58 G 6 A 37 Pts 43 89 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 55 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 24 A 18 Pts 42 41 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 54 G 7 A 28 Pts 35 65 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 56 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 23 PIMs) 12 Tyson McCallum (F 6'04" 170 6/21/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 3 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 13 A 16 Pts 29 18 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 50 G 11 A 13 Pts 24 64 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 16 A 24 Pts 40 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 0 A 6 Pts 6 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 105 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 58 G 16 A 20 Pts 36 15 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 24 A 27 Pts 51 113 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 56 G 29 A 56 Pts 85 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
The Spruce Kings head out on the road for their final road game of the regular season, the first half of a home-and-home with the Williams Lake Timberwolves. Although both teams now they will not be playing in the post-season, don't think that this or any of ther remaining games don't mean something to the players on the ice or even the coaches behind the bench. In head-to-head meetings this season, the spruce Kings have a decided edge with a record of 6-1-1-0; but the Timberwolves will only be looking at these next two games.
Looking to build on their futures, players on both sides of the ice will be out to prove their worth and also to end the regular season on a positive note. Looking at just the Spruce Kings roster there are a total of 20 players on that list that will want to leave their mark on the game. From the AP Jordan Duncan who would like to show that he is ready to make the jump to the next level to Sam Muchalla who has already found numerous spots on the franchise top ten lists. There are those that are still looking for some firsts in their seasons and others looking to add to their career seasons.
The Spruce Kings have been fighting the hockey gods for most of the season and have found some success lately with big wins and big performances; easing up on the gas pedal now would be a step backward. The Spruce Kings want to finish strong and will be battling hard tonight with the Williams Lake Timberwolves. Already having won the season series, the Spruce Kings will be looking to take both of their games against the T'Wolves with an exclamation mark. Prince George's best season series record is against the Williams Lake Timberwolves (81.25%) followed by the Merritt Centennials (75%), the Nanaimo Clippers (75%) and the Quesnel Millionaires (50%).
Other numbers that favour the Spruce Kings include goals for (41), goals against (22), shots for (286), shots against (235) and their most recent records. In their past ten games the Spruce Kings have a record of 3-6-0-1 while the Williams Lake Timberwolves are 0-10-0-0 and still looking for their first win since the turn of the calendar. This game for the Spruce Kings will be an opportunity to close out the season with a .500 record. On personal levels, the players know that if they stick with a defense first approach there will be a ton of chances for offensive numbers to be accumulated as well.
Game time tonight is 7:30pm form the Cariboo Community Complex and will be broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as online from the Spruce Kings website. Ron Gallo will start the broadcast at 7:10pm with a pregame show followed by all the play-by-play action. Following the game, the Spruce Kings will return home for their final two games of the season. The Spruce Kings will host the Williams Lake Timberwolves on Friday night and the Burnaby Express on Saturday. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Williams Lake Timberwolves
1 Sean Donnelly (G 5'11" 170 4/21/90 White Rock, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 2 Stephan Virtanen (D 6'02" 185 2/27/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 45 PIMs) 3 Clayton McEwan (D 6'00" 180 11/26/91 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 2 A 7 Pts 9 58 PIMs) 7 Calvin Johnson (F 5'10" 165 5/28/92 Smithers, BC, CAN) (GP 14 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 9 Brady Fuller (D 6'00" 190 5/28/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 19 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 73 PIMs) 11 Ryan Stanimir (F 6'00" 175 3/04/90 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 21 A 25 Pts 46 69 PIMs) 12 Jordan Hirano (F 5'08" 175 12/10/92 Fernie, BC, CAN) (GP 14 G 2 A 0 Pts 2 12 PIMs) 13 Cody Wiseman (F 5'09" 170 1/05/93 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 18 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 15 Kurtis Bond (F 6'02" 185 5/10/93 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 3 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 16 Anthony DeLong (F 6'00" 165 2/08/91 Castlegar, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 7 A 12 Pts 19 41 PIMs) 17 Tanner Clarkson (F 6'01" 185 6/08/93 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 06 PIMs) 19 Cameron Hoffman (F 6'01" 185 7/01/91 Lake Stevens, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 5 A 1 Pts 6 68 PIMs) 20 Danny Merth (F 6'00" 190 4/19/91 Anmore, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 10 A 17 Pts 27 49 PIMs) 21 Keenan Bailey (F 6'00" 175 2/10/91 Westbank, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 4 A 9 Pts 13 50 PIMs) 22 Justin Bardarson (F 5'10" 190 6/06/90 Burns Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 11 A 24 Pts 35 91 PIMs) 23 Trent Murdoch (F 5'11" 155 7/31/91 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 56 G 17 A 25 Pts 42 19 PIMs) 24 Jake Harcoff (D 5'10" 185 10/17/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 3 A 8 Pts 11 52 PIMs) 27 Jason Diehl (F 6'02" 195 7/24/89 San Diego, CA, USA) (GP 48 G 19 A 16 Pts 35 73 PIMs) 28 Kyle Beaulieu (D 6'03" 195 1/16/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 2 A 14 Pts 16 79 PIMs) 55 Evan Dauenhauer (G 5'11" 175 12/19/89 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 11 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 17 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 57 G 6 A 34 Pts 40 87 PIMs) 6 Jordan Duncan (F 5'09" 180 1/28/92 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 51 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 22 A 17 Pts 39 39 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 53 G 7 A 28 Pts 35 61 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 55 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 23 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 18 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 49 G 10 A 13 Pts 23 64 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 15 A 23 Pts 38 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 0 A 6 Pts 6 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 57 G 15 A 19 Pts 34 15 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 23 A 26 Pts 49 113 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 29 A 52 Pts 81 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
Well this is all unfamiliar territory for the Spruce Kings as they will miss the post season for just the third time in its 14 year BCHL existence. The undesirable became all too real on Sunday night when the Spruce Kings were kept off the score sheet in Penticton. Perhaps unfortunately, the ending was inevitable as the Spruce Kings struggled to maintain leads and put away opponents when they could.
As a team the Spruce Kings could not make it into the post season but looking at players, there have been a lot of personal successes. Perhaps this shows just how much puck luck can impact a game as anything. The Spruce Kings had two players consistently in the top twenty among league scorers up to the trade deadline, they also saw players double their career numbers and improve on rookie season totals.
With three games still to go in the regular season, all players stand to improve their numbers even more. Good news for a pair of rookie defenceman that have yet to hit the score sheet with their first BCHL career goals. It should come as no surprise that there are defenceman on the team still looking for their first goal of the season; preventing goals against is a defenceman's first priority. Just the same it would be nice to be able to call out the names of Jeff Datoff and Jesse Scrimbit before the end of the 2009-10 season.
Between the pipes, the Spruce Kings had their fair share of issues that was highlighted by the departure of Alex Wright to the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League. If that wasn't bad enough, his replacement was hit hard by the injury bug. Steve Papciak was earning wins and posting decent numbers in goal before the trade deadline.
Things are much better between the pipes with the acquisition of Andrew Walsh from the Langley Chiefs and the noticeable improvements of Kyle Nielsen. Since the Christmas break Nielsen has shown that he is committed to being better and in that first game back from the break was the best player on the ice for the Spruce Kings. From then on, I noticed that Nielsen had become a more focused player prior to game time and recently I have seen an intensity in him that was missing earlier in the year. Back to Andrew for a moment, his season highlight actually came away from the rink when he won the opportunity to run with the Olympic Torch in its final leg before the opening of the Olympic games.
The Spruce Kings have been blessed over recent seasons with defenceman that have the ability to jump up on the rush. Perhaps it is something that the coaching staff encourages and develops through practice or it is something that is actively recruited, either way it always adds for excitement in the game. Reid Blinkhorn, who came up from the Junior B ranks and hasn't looked out of place, scored a highlight reel goal against the Merritt Centennials in his first game with the Spruce Kings.
Brad Bourke and Justin Fillion are two other defenceman that aren't afraid to jump up on the rush and along with their lion's share of ice time, the pair have posted some respectable offensive numbers. Currently sitting third among team scoring, Fillion has more than doubled his points from last season with a majority of those a result of setting up team mates. Bourke has also seen a significant increase in his numbers and has had seven multi-point games so far this season.
The other defenceman on the Spruce Kings roster has also enjoyed dual duty throughout the season playing up front on a forward assignment. Moving out west with his family in the off-season, Jonathan Gibson is one goal away from tripling his previous season in the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Another player that can boost of a better than 300% increase in goals this season over last year is sophomore Nick DeSousa. In his rookie year DeSousa finished with 7 goals and this year he sits with 22. Without any special teams goals etc last year, this season DeSousa has 5 power play goals, two shorthanded goals and a game winner to his credit.
In his final season of Junior 'A' eligibility, Joe Morgan is closing in on a 40 point and a 20 goal season. Although Joe broke the twenty goal mark last season, he came up one point shy of that 40 point benchmark. As a sixteen year old, Morgan played in six games as an AP and then started full-time with the Spruce Kings in the 2007-08 season. With 167 games played for the Spruce Kings, Morgan will move into the top ten among alumni and top five among forwards for games played wearing the Crown.
A sixteen year old on the roster this season, Lyndon Martell has quietly accumulated five powerplay goals as part of his 13 goals and 15 assists in 41 games. Martell started the season with the Cariboo Cougars squad and was producing on such a pace that, even after he joined the Spruce Kings in mid-October, he still earned the player of the month of October in the BC Major Midget League.
Five other rookies have each left their mark on the 2009-10 edition of the Spruce Kings. Jeremy Wiebe has always been prepared to step in to defend the honour of a team mate. Kyle Manlow has taught many an opponent to keep their head on a swivel with some hard body checks that led many times to a change of possession. Luke Hannas leads the team in penalty minutes, but as of late has developed a taste for time on the ice, especially in front of the net. Scoring twice in consecutive games recently, it isn't surprising to find Hannas making space for himself and calling for the puck.
Stewart Lambert took a year off away from the rink to attend to his educational commitments has come back this year and has been working as hard on the ice. Earlier this season, Jeff Earnest became the latest member of the Spruce Kings to earn a NCAA Division I scholarship. Earnest is set to move up to the college ranks in the 2011-12 season giving this forward another year to develop in the Junior 'A' ranks.
Saving the top line for last, the trio of RJay Berra, Zac Rasmussen and Sam Muchalla were recently placed together on the top line and they found immediate chemistry. Working on getting to that 20 goal plateau, Berra has already doubled his goals and tripled his assists from last season. In a single season Rasmussen has more than doubled his points from his two years with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and is three away from doubling his goals. Many of these goals have been big for the team as well with 5 on the powerplay, 2 shorthanded and 5 eventual game winning goals.
Sam Muchalla has been producing a frantic pace and has been moving through the top ten among the league. Muchalla currently sits just three points behind his rookie year mentor - Jordie Christian. In his third season with the Spruce Kings, Muchalla has earned a spot on the team's top ten list for points in a single season and is four points away from moving into the top five for a career. The name Sam Muchalla will be all over the Spruce Kings record book not just for points and goals but also for games played and assists as well as powerplay goals and game winning goals.
Well there is a brief on all of the players on the Spruce Kings roster as the 2009-10 season will come to a close on Saturday night. On Monday the team, the players and the volunteers will convene in the Cariboo Restaurant for the Annual Player Awards and Banquet. Among the hardware to be handed out will be a chance to send the players off to next stop in their hockey careers and wish them well along the way.
Prior to Monday night I will look at the list of awards and look back at some of the names on those awards as they get shined up and ready to be presented to their 2009-10 recipients.
If things can go the way the Spruce Kings are hoping they can, this very well may not be the final visit to the South Okanagan Events Centre this season. This game is the final regular season meeting between the two teams as the end of the 60 game schedule nears for both squads. If Prince George can start a streak here against the Vees, they stand to catch the Merritt Centennials for the final playoff spot and that would mean a date with the team that finishes second in the Interior Conference - right now that is the Penticton Vees.
The Spruce Kings will have to be every bit as good tonight in the areas that they were good in last night and better in the areas that they weren't. Against the Vernon Vipers, RJay Berra scored a powerplay goal which was the first one against the Vipers all season and they also held the Vipers without a man advantage goal. Kyle Nielsen was good in net and had very good rebound control not giving the Vernon snipers very much of a chance at banging in garbage.
Those were the good things that need to be duplicated here again tonight; scoring only one even strength goal is something the Spruce Kings will have to be better at tonight. The last time they were in the SOEC, the Spruce Kings did all the little things right and had a trio of powerplay goals and were leading the Vees 3-2 in the second period. In their last meeting back in Prince George the Spruce Kings again spotted themselves a lead after the first period and were able to stay close into the third period.
A quick start again tonight is key as the Spruce Kings now have their backs to the wall and will have to dig down and find some stuff to keep their playoff hopes alive. The players certainly haven't given up and will be looking for their first win over the Penticton Vees this season tonight. Game time tonight is 7:05pm with the pregame show at 6:45pm on 93.1 CFIS-FM and online from the Spruce Kings website.
Tonight is also the night that someone will win the house in the Spruce Kings Show Home Lottery. Joining Ron Gallo live in the second intermission will be Jim Young with the winner's information from the draw that will be held at the house at 8:00pm. Interested people are welcome to witness the draw at 2638 Links Drive in the Aberdeen Glen Subdivision.
Rosters ...
Penticton Vees
1 Sean Bonar (G 6'01" 170 2/12/91 Delta, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs) 6 Derik Johnson (D 5'11" 180 2/01/90 Scottsdale, AZ, USA) (GP 55 G 1 A 14 Pts 15 76 PIMs) 7 Byron Sorensen (D 5'10" 170 1/25/91 Kyle, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 1 A 6 Pts 7 08 PIMs) 8 Bo Dolan (D 5'11" 185 3/26/90 St. Paul, MN, USA) (GP 35 G 7 A 16 Pts 23 41 PIMs) 9 Ryan Viselli (F 5'10" 175 4/19/89 Windsor, ON, CAN) (GP 50 G 10 A 17 Pts 27 45 PIMs) 10 Eric Filiou (F 5'11" 178 10/05/89 Vaudreuil, PQ, CAN) (GP 41 G 11 A 13 Pts 24 34 PIMs) 11 Denver Manderson (F 5'10" 175 4/22/89 Fergus, ON, CAN) (GP 50 G 40 A 73 Pts 113 18 PIMs) 14 Alex Szczechura (F 5'09" 175 5/01/90 Brantford, ON, CAN) (GP 51 G 24 A 32 Pts 56 29 PIMs) 15 Stefan Nicholishen (F 6'02" 215 4/30/93 Tottenham, ON, CAN) (GP 51 G 2 A 5 Pts 7 12 PIMs) 17 Joey Laleggia (D 5'10" 170 6/24/92 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 12 A 46 Pts 58 17 PIMs) 18 Isaac MacLeod (D 6'04" 205 2/22/92 Nelson, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 0 A 20 Pts 20 47 PIMs) 19 Joey Holka (F 6'03" 182 6/05/90 Phoenix, AZ, USA) (GP 56 G 26 A 22 Pts 48 84 PIMs) 21 Logan Johnston (F 6'00" 200 6/28/91 Penticton, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 13 A 16 Pts 29 109 PIMs) 22 Garrett Milan (F 5'08" 150 4/05/91 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 27 A 26 Pts 53 15 PIMs) 23 Ben Sexton (F 6'00" 193 6/06/91 Kanata, ON, CAN) (GP 46 G 11 A 26 Pts 37 70 PIMs) 26 Hayden Trupp (F 5'07" 152 6/08/92 Penticton, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 1 A 2 Pts 3 08 PIMs) 27 Jake Johnson (F 5'08" 160 6/27/89 Duluth, MN, USA) (GP 44 G 9 A 16 Pts 25 12 PIMs) 28 Andrew Pickering (F 5'10" 175 6/02/89 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 13 A 30 Pts 43 61 PIMs) 33 Joel Rumpel (G 6'03" 175 3/14/91 Swift Current, SK, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 43 Luke Curadi (D 6'05" 255 5/14/91 Cheshire, NY, USA) (GP 54 G 7 A 10 Pts 17 92 PIMs) 44 Matt Paltridge (D 5'11" 165 8/11/89 Tecumseh, ON, CAN) (GP 56 G 11 A 22 Pts 33 42 PIMs) 78 Beau Bennett (F 6'01" 180 11/27/91 Gardena, ON, CAN) (GP 52 G 40 A 68 Pts 108 16 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 10 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 15 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 56 G 6 A 34 Pts 40 85 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 51 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 22 A 17 Pts 39 35 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 7 A 28 Pts 35 61 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 54 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 23 PIMs) 12 Jordie Cool (F 5'10" 165 4/16/92 Tumbler Ridge, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 16 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 48 G 10 A 13 Pts 23 64 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 15 A 23 Pts 38 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 0 A 6 Pts 6 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 56 G 15 A 19 Pts 34 15 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 23 A 26 Pts 49 107 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 29 A 52 Pts 81 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
With the regular season coming down to the wire, the Prince George Spruce Kings find themselves on the road where they will meet two of the top teams in the league. In a season when things just haven't come easy for the team, this weekend certainly isn't any different as the Spruce Kings continue to fight for a playoff spot and will meet the Vernon Vipers tonight. The Spruce Kings are coming off a three game homestand that saw the team pick up some much needed points, the offense some much needed confidence and three players get short listed for league player of the week honours. Building on those positives and finding their first points against the top team in the BCHL, is the goal tonight.
The current BCHL Player of the Week is Zac Rasmussen who went on a three game tear scoring a total fo seven goals including his first BCHL career hat trick. His linemates, Sam Muchalla and RJay Berra, also had big games as the trio combined for a total of 13 goals and 17 assists. The line is expected to stay together for the weekend as the spruce Kings go looking for those all important two points in their games against the Vernon Vipers and the Penticton vees on Sunday. A strong supporting cast will be required both offensively and defensively if the Spruce Kings are to pick up points against a possible first round playoff opponent.
Not prepared to write off the season just yet, the players are looking at sending a message to "Goliath" of the BCHL and were in the Wesbild Centre last night when both the Vees and the Vipers faced off against each other. The game on Friday night featured the top two teams in the BCHL in a game that could ultimately decide the League Champions. The Spruce Kings watched as the two battled it out and in the end it was the Vernon Vipers that held off the Penticton Vees to post a 5-2 victory in advance of their final meeting against Prince George. In two other games tonight that impact the Prince George Spruce Kings, the Penticton vees will be hosting the Merritt Centennials and the Westside Warriors will play the second of a double header against the Trail Smoke Eaters.
If the Spruce Kings are to make it into the playoffs they have to find wins and hope that the teams they are chasing don't. Both the Trail Smoke Eaters and the Merritt Centennials were victorious last night putting the pinch on Prince George. The Spruce Kings are currently six points back of Trail and seven points back of Merritt with two games in hand on the Centennials. This weekend set against the Vipers and the Vees are the toughest of the five remaining games for Prince George, but points should not be considered completely elusive as both of the top two teams have shown that they too can be beaten.
Prince George will have to come out strong, manufacture scoring chances and convert on those chances to take advantage of the fact that the Vipers did have a tough game against Penticton vees just the night before. They will have to play a smart and disciplined game against a team that has shown lots of success with the man advantage and have been as effective on the penalty kill. In the three previous meetings, the Spruce Kings have not scored an odd man advantage goal in ten opportunities. The top line of Muchalla, Rasmussen and Berra will have to be flying again tonight with offensive support coming from the next two waves with Morgan, DeSousa and Earnest expected to fill out the second line.
Line combinations and other news, notes and thoughts about tonight's game can be heard on 93.1 CFIS-FM beginning at 6:40pm with the Spruce Kings broadcast. Ron Gallo will provide the live broadcast on both the radio and online from the Spruce Kings website. Following the game, the Spruce Kings will turn their attention to the South Okanagan Events Centre and the Penticton Vees for a Sunday night game. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Vernon Vipers
3 Garrett Noonan (D 6'01" 205 1/28/91 Norfork, NC, USA) (GP 53 G 2 A 13 Pts 15 56 PIMs) 5 Mike Collins (F 6'00" 180 5/25/90 Boston, MA, USA) (GP 55 G 28 A 45 Pts 73 41 PIMs) 6 Darrin Robak (D 6'02" 180 11/05/91 Red Deer, AB, CAN) (GP 14 G 2 A 5 Pts 7 23 PIMs) 7 Dan Nycholat (D 6'02" 190 2/04/92 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 54 G 6 A 34 Pts 40 41 PIMs) 8 Curtis Gedig (D 6'03" 190 9/14/91 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 11 A 9 Pts 20 20 PIMs) 9 Dylan Walchuk (F 5'09" 170 2/04/92 McBride, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 19 A 27 Pts 46 20 PIMs) 10 Connor Jones (F 5'09" 165 8/16/90 Montrose, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 34 A 41 Pts 75 36 PIMs) 11 Cory Kane (F 6'03" 190 9/15/90 Irvine, CA, USA) (GP 55 G 21 A 27 Pts 48 44 PIMs) 12 Cole Ikkala (F 6'01" 195 7/27/90 Philadelphia, PA, USA) (GP 53 G 21 A 22 Pts 43 28 PIMs) 14 Braden Pimm (F 6'00" 175 12/28/89 Fort St. John, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 25 A 41 Pts 66 65 PIMs) 15 Kellen Jones (F 5'09" 165 8/16/90 Montrose, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 10 A 38 Pts 48 18 PIMs) 17 Sahir Gill (F 5'10" 180 4/21/92 Terrace, BC, CAN) (GP 12 G 0 A 8 Pts 8 04 PIMs) 18 David Robinson (F 5'10" 170 6/09/90 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 15 G 10 A 9 Pts 19 19 PIMs) 19 Jonathan Milhouse (F 5'10" 170 1/30/89 Yorba Linda, CA, USA) (GP 51 G 19 A 31 Pts 50 20 PIMs) 20 Rob Short (F 6'00" 200 6/05/89 Coldstream, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 20 A 23 Pts 43 34 PIMs) 21 Kevin Kraus (D 6'02" 205 9/05/89 Garden Grove, CA, USA) (GP 52 G 4 A 20 Pts 24 70 PIMs) 22 Sawyer Mick (F 6'01" 180 9/22/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 9 A 13 Pts 22 31 PIMs) 24 Steve Weinstein (D 5'09" 165 8/13/90 Los Angeles, CA, USA) (GP 55 G 4 A 18 Pts 22 00 PIMs) 27 Bryce Kakoske (F 6'01" 200 4/27/90 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 12 A 27 Pts 39 12 PIMs) 28 Adam Thompson (D 6'01" 190 6/27/90 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 5 A 17 Pts 22 22 PIMs) 29 Patrick McGillis (F 5'10" 185 3/14/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 36 G 7 A 13 Pts 20 13 PIMs) 30 Brad Voth (G 5'10" 170 12/27/91 Herbert, SK, CAN) (GP 21 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 35 Graeme Gordon (G 6'02" 183 4/15/89 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 9 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 13 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 6 A 34 Pts 40 85 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 51 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 22 A 17 Pts 39 35 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 51 G 7 A 28 Pts 35 59 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 53 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 21 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 16 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 47 G 10 A 12 Pts 22 62 PIMs) 18 Riley Spraggs (F 5'09" 175 11/23/91 Coldstream, BC, CAN) (GP 4 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 14 A 23 Pts 37 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 0 A 6 Pts 6 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 55 G 14 A 19 Pts 33 15 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 23 A 25 Pts 48 105 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 29 A 51 Pts 80 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
Yes I enjoy math and believe that numbers are your friend ... and in this case they most certainly are still being friendly to the Spruce Kings. With five games remaining in their regular season schedule, the team now finds themselves four points out of a playoff spot after the Trail Smoke Eaters earned a point in an overtime loss to the Penticton Vees. In the only other Tuesday night game, the Vernon Vipers came from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Merritt Centennials 7-3.
Now for the magic numbers and how they are still working for the Prince George Spruce Kings. As mentioned the royal ones have five games remaining, which means they have 10 points waiting for them. If they can sweep their games against the Vernon Vipers, Penticton Vees, the home-and-home with Williams Lake and the regular season wrap up with the Burnaby Express, the Spruce Kings could finish in fifth place with 47 points.
In order for the Spruce Kings to finish that high of course, it means that the other teams would have to lose all of their remaining games. Unfortunately that's not going to happen because for one the Merritt Centennials and the Trail Smoke Eaters still have a game to play against each other. Speaking of the other teams, their number of games remaining has to be taken into consideration in this equation.
Let's start with the team currently in fifth place in the Interior Conference with 43 points - the Quesnel Millionaires. The Mills have six games remaining of which only one is on home ice and five are against Coastal Conference opponents. If the Quesnel Millionaire win two of their six remaining games they will effectively prevent the Spruce Kings from taking over fifth place. The footnote here is to remember the tie breaker would go to the Millionaires. This leaves the Merritt Centennials and the Trail Smoke Eaters.
The team with the fewest points ahead of Prince George is Trail, but they have a game in hand on the Spruce Kings. With the overtime loss to the Penticton Vees, the Smoke Eaters sit with 41 points and hold onto that final playoff spot in the Interior Conference. The Smokies have three games against the surging Westside Warriors and singles against the Surrey Eagles, Merritt Centennials and Penticton Vees. If the Smoke Eaters perform at a .500 level, they too will prevent the Spruce Kings from catching them.
The Merritt Centennials, who sit in sixth place right now with 42 points, failed to take over fifth from the Millionaires and lost some cushioning on the Trail Smoke Eaters with their loss to Vernon on Tuesday night. The loss really puts the squeeze on the Centennials as they only have four games remaining in their regular season including a pair against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and singles against the Penticton Vees and the Trail Smoke Eaters. The Centennials have to win three games to keep the Spruce Kings out of the playoffs; two wins and an overtime loss would not be enough as Prince George wins this tiebreaker.
Again the caution in all of this is that the Spruce Kings have to come up with wins; as things sit right now, nothing less than three wins will keep the magic number and a playoff spot possible. The actual magic numbers right now are Quesnel: 19, Trail: 17 and Merritt: 14 ... any combination of points gained by the Spruce Kings and points lost by those teams will put the Spruce Kings into a playoff spot. In those three numbers is a requirement for the Spruce Kings to find a minimum amount of points as well ... against the Mills: 7, the Smokies: 5 and the Cents: 5 ... and for the other team to lose all their remaining games.
As much as the numbers are being friendly to the Spruce Kings right now, the team itself has to be their own best friend as they embark on their final five games of the regular season. It all starts this Saturday night versus the Vernon Vipers and then Sunday in Penticton to face the Vees. On Friday night the team will get a chance to scout both of their weekend opponents as they will be on hand in the Wesbild Centre to watch the two top teams in the Interior Conference fight over top spot in the Division and possibly the League.
Congratulations to Zac Rasmussen on being named the BCHL Player of the Week following a three game set that saw the Spruce Kings forward pick up a total of nine points. Zac started with a pair of goals and an assist against the Williams Lake Timberwolves on Wednesday. He then followed that up on Friday with a self proclaimed "career game" against the Nanaimo Clippers scoring the game winning goal as one of his two power play tallies and also a shorthanded shot that resulted in his first BCHL hat trick. One night later he followed that up with another two goal and one assist performance against the Victoria Grizzlies.
Rasmussen first joined the Spruce Kings on their first road trip of the season and immediately started making an impact with his new team. Often seen as a bit of an agitator, Raz's game can be as much getting under the skin of the opposition as it is racking up points. The twenty year old forward is second in team scoring and has put up as many numbers this season in Prince George as he did in both of his seasons with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
After the weekend, Zac has played in 49 games with Prince George and has a record of 23 goals and 25 assists good for a point a game average. His offensive production has resulted in a team leading 5 game winning goals, 5 powerplay goals and 2 shorthanded goals. He has also served his fair share of time in the sin bin having been credited with a total of 107 minutes in penalties this season. Perhaps one stat that should be measured is the amount of penalties that the other team has taken because of him.
A true character player and a true team first player, Zac is a leader on and off the ice and the league recognition of his play this past week is a nice honour. It's also an honour that he was quick to dismiss pointing out that Sam Muchalla has been on fire lately and had a big week too. The line combination of Rasmussen, Muchalla and Berra came away with a total of thirty points (13 goals, 17 assists) and figured in all but 14 of the 17 goals scored in the three games.
I had a chance to talk to Zac about being named the BCHL Player of the Week and what this means to the third year player in the league ...
Will it be the same story as last night? There are certainly a number of similarities between the story lines as the Spruce Kings get set to play their second inter-divisional game in as many nights against a team that they last met a week ago and hasn't been to Prince George in over two years. Tonight it is the Victoria Grizzlies that will stroll into the Coliseum as they continue on their northern road swing that featured a big come-from-behind win on Thursday night in Quesnel. It is the Grizzlies first visit to Prince George since December 2007.
Looking back over the meetings between these two teams show that the Spruce Kings haven't fared very well against the Grizzlies, but that didn't stop them last night. On Friday night the Spruce Kings opened the scoring and never trailed in posting their biggest win ever against the Clippers defeating them 5-2. The score wasn't indicative of just how close this game was with Prince George holding off Nanaimo with a 1-0 lead from the mid way mark of the opening period until the last minute of the second. In the third, after the Spruce Kings made it a 3-0 game, the Clippers scored twice on the power play to put a scare into the home team and home fans until Sam Muchalla potted the insurance marker and Zac Rasmussen completed his first ever BCHL hat trick with a shorthanded empty netter.
Again the top line of Sam Muchalla, Zac Rasmussen and RJay Berra were instrumental in the game finishing with a combined 5 goals, 6 assists and a plus eight rating. Berra opened the scoring, Rasmussen scored both power play goals as well as the short handed empty netter and it was Muchalla's goal that brought back the crowd late in the third period when the Clippers were pressing hard for the tying goal. Both Berra's and Muchalla's goals were perfect hard shots and goal scorer's goals while the two power play goals and even the shorty were a result of perfect positioning and puck anticipation by Rasmussen.
Again on Friday night there was a large supporting cast starting with Andrew Walsh in net who turned aside 36 of 38 shots as the Spruce Kings were outshot on the night 38-21. His 94.74 save percentage and key saves from a determined Clippers squad earned Walsh his 14th win of the season and third star honours on the night. Brad Bourke quietly contributed on the back end setting up three of the goals and making it difficult on the opposition to get anything of consequence in on the Prince George goal. Up front the play of AP Dylan Richardson was once again a promise of great things to come in the seasons ahead for the seventeen year old from Williams Lake. Richardson had at least two good scoring chances, a number of hits and found himself in another fight after drawing the ire of Cody Bremner following a hit in the Clippers zone.
In tonight's game there is only one lineup change expected as Tyson McCallum will rejoin his Major Midget squad leaving a hole in the fourth line. The top three lines will go untouched by the coaching staff who have watched the top line producing at an unprecedented pace and injecting confidence into everyone on the bench. The second and third lines have looked dangerous as well and will be looking to start clicking tonight as Joe Morgan, Nick DeSousa, Jeff Earnest, Lyndon Martell and Dylan Richardson have had their chances in the past three games. Defensively the Spruce Kings will have to be sharp again tonight against the Grizzlies that have former Spruce King Alex Allan second in team scoring with 53 points, two back of line mate Dustin Mowrey.
Last Sunday in the Bear Mountain Arena, Alex Allan had two breakaways and a penalty shot but came up with only a single point setting up a power play goal mid way through the second period that seemed to deflate the Spruce Kings. Late in that game Allan and Muchalla dropped the gloves perhaps more out of frustration than anything, but that seems to have been the spark for Muchalla as he has picked up eight points (2G, 6A) in the last two games. Another big game tonight could put the Prince George minor hockey product and three year vet with the Spruce Kings in the running for BCHL Player of the Week honours.
That pales in comparison to what Sam and the rest of the squad have in mind as they continue to fight for that elusive playoff spot. Of the four teams in the running for the final three playoff spots in the Interior Conference, only the Merritt Centennials failed to pick up any points last night. The Quesnel Millionaires overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Williams Lake Timberwolves 3-2 and the Trail Smoke Eaters held off the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to also post a 3-2 regulation time victory; the Merritt Centennials dropped a 7-3 decision to the Vernon Vipers. Tonight the Quesnel Millionaires will be doing some scoreboard watching while the Merritt Centennials host the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Trail Smoke Eaters host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
As for the Spruce Kings, tonight's game should be another entertaining game as the players seem to be building on some confidence and getting some bounces going their way. Game time tonight is 7:00 with a pregame show at 6:40pm starting off the live broadcast from the Coliseum. Aaron Dubois and Todd Doherty will provide the call of the game on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website and the pay-per-view broadcast on the BCHL Fanzone. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Victoria Grizzlies
2 Nick Buchanan (D 6'04" 195 5/09/91 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 1 A 9 Pts 10 31 PIMs) 3 Jake Baker (D 6'04" 205 7/18/91 Port Moody, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 0 A 8 Pts 8 44 PIMs) 4 Jordan Heywood (D 6'01" 193 3/06/89 Regina, SK, CAN) (GP 50 G 13 A 33 Pts 46 51 PIMs) 5 Brad Pawlowski (D 6'03" 219 1/17/89 Marathon, ON, CAN) (GP 43 G 10 A 25 Pts 35 101 PIMs) 6 Jared Eng (D 5'09" 178 8/16/92 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 3 A 12 Pts 15 20 PIMs) 7 Brett Kolins (D 6'01" 172 1/12/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 1 A 3 Pts 4 85 PIMs) 8 Sean Robertson (D 6'01" 174 2/28/91 Cobble Hill, BC, CAN) (GP 6 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 02 PIMs) 11 Mike Tebbutt (F 6'04" 215 5/09/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 13 G 4 A 4 Pts 8 19 PIMs) 12 Graeme McCormack (D 6'02" 195 4/22/91 Thunder Bay, ON, CAN) (GP 35 G 6 A 15 Pts 21 16 PIMs) 13 Dylan Nowakowski (F 5'07" 150 9/14/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 53 G 7 A 16 Pts 23 35 PIMs) 14 Alex Allan (F 5'10" 180 8/28/89 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 53 G 18 A 35 Pts 53 23 PIMs) 16 Madison Dias (F 6'01" 175 11/02/92 Penticton, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 11 A 23 Pts 34 49 PIMs) 17 Joel Lowry (F 6'02" 173 11/15/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 51 G 15 A 25 Pts 40 49 PIMs) 19 Bryce Twa (F 5'11" 170 1/09/91 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 2 A 5 Pts 7 10 PIMs) 20 Wesley Myron (F 6'02" 175 9/16/92 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 9 A 11 Pts 20 06 PIMs) 21 Dustin Mowrey (F 5'09" 178 2/12/91 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 28 A 27 Pts 55 66 PIMs) 22 Derek Bacon (F 5'08" 160 9/27/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 7 A 19 Pts 26 48 PIMs) 24 Sam Grist (D 6'03" 200 6/27/93 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 2 A 4 Pts 6 49 PIMs) 25 Spencer Copp (F 6'02" 200 1/12/90 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 51 G 7 A 17 Pts 24 15 PIMs) 26 Brandon Fagerheim (F 5'10" 172 12/13/90 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 18 A 25 Pts 43 60 PIMs) 27 Gregory Simpson (F 6'00" 195 6/08/90 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 7 A 8 Pts 15 102 PIMs) 31 Ryan Holfeld (G 5'11" 180 6/29/89 Leroy, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 04 PIMs) 35 Colin Fernandes (G 5'11" 170 11/15/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 11 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 8 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 11 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 6 A 33 Pts 39 83 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 49 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 21 A 17 Pts 38 35 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 50 G 7 A 27 Pts 34 55 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 52 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 21 PIMs) 12 Dylan Richardson (F 5'11" 170 7/16/92 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 12 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 12 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 46 G 10 A 12 Pts 22 62 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 14 A 23 Pts 37 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 0 A 5 Pts 5 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 13 A 17 Pts 30 15 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 21 A 24 Pts 45 105 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 28 A 48 Pts 76 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
Although these two teams played each other just last week, this is the first time in two years that Prince George fans will get to see the Nanaimo Clippers. Last season saw the league test a half-interlock schedule that saw teams visit only half of the rinks outside their conference and host the other half. The Spruce Kings were in Nanaimo on Wednesday January 27 in a game that saw Prince George claim only their second point ever against the Coastal Conference rival.
On the strength of two goals by Joe Morgan and another by Nick DeSousa, all three of which were setup by sam Muchalla, the Spruce Kings spotted themselves a 3-1 lead in the third period of play. As the game progressed a pinball shot found its way into the net to make it a one-goal game and then a seeing eye shot from the high slot tied it up to force overtime. It was the second consecutive game between these two teams that has required extra time: unlike the previous season where it ended in a 2-2 tie, the Clippers completed the come-from-behind victory with a goal in double overtime.
Two seasons ago it was another close game between the Clippers and the Spruce Kings with Nanaimo squeaking out a narrow 3-2 victory. The last time the spruce Kings beat the Clippers was in the RBC Royal Bank Cup year and a game that was played in the CN Centre in front of 2,286 fans. That game also required extra time and it was Prince George coming away with the 4-3 overtime victory. In the past three seasons, all but one game have been decided by a single shot and tonight should be just as entertaining with the Clippers coming off a 4-3 regulation time win over the Quesnel Millionaires on Wednesday night.
On that same night, the Spruce Kings picked up their second consecutive win on home ice in a 6-2 victory over the Williams Lake Timberwolves. The win moved Prince George to within a game of the last playoff spot in the Interior Conference. The seventh and final playoff spot is currently occupied by the Trail Smoke Eaters who have two games in hand on the Spruce Kings. The Smoke Eaters are hosting the Salmon Arm Silverbacks tonight and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs tomorrow night and then they will host both the Penticton Vees and Westside Warriors to make up those two games in hand.
The playoff race has provided a rollercoaster ride of emotions for players, coaches and fans who have seen some lopsided wins and dissappointing losses. Now with the recent wins over Williams Lake and Merritt as well as the single point against the Nanaimo Clippers last week, the Spruce Kings dressing room is once again full of confidence and enthusiasm. Look for the same lineup tonight as Wednesday night with the top line featuring Sam Muchalla, Zac Rasmussen and RJay Berra; the trio combined for 4 goals and 5 asssits and were a combined plus 12 in the game.
Lyndon Martell and Joe Morgan were both 1-1 while Jesse Scrimbit helped out with a pair of assists, Jeff Datoff one assist and Nick DeSousa also picked up a helper. Andrew Walsh, who earned his 13th win of the season stopping 18 of 20 shots, is expected to get the start in goal again tonight. Both of the APs from Wednesday will also be dressed again tonight with Tyson McCallum wearing jersey #6 and Dylan Richardson #12. In his first game with the Spruce Kings, Richardson was solid creating a number of turnovers in the offensive zone and leveling out a few big hits, one of which led to a fight at centre ice in the second period.
Should be an interesting game tonight as both teams are looking to keep recent turn-arounds going in their favour. Game time tonight is 7:00 with a pregame show at 6:40pm starting off the live broadcast from the Coliseum. Aaron Dubois and Todd Doherty will provide the call of the game on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website and the pay-per-view broadcast on the BCHL Fanzone. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Nanaimo Clippers
3 Tyler Mah (D 6'03" 210 6/01/90 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 4 A 9 Pts 13 67 PIMs) 4 Nick Bell (D 6'00" 200 3/27/91 Nanoose Bay, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 59 PIMs) 5 Nicholas McIntyre (D 6'00" 195 3/25/90 Dollard Des Ormeaux, PQ, CAN) (GP 51 G 7 A 13 Pts 20 26 PIMs) 7 Keifer McNaughton (D 6'03" 205 8/25/93 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 20 G 3 A 2 Pts 5 33 PIMs) 8 Victor Newell (D 5'10" 170 2/23/93 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 7 A 25 Pts 32 43 PIMs) 9 Andrew Gladiuk (F 6'01" 180 3/07/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 16 A 22 Pts 38 18 PIMs) 10 Brett Hartskamp (F 5'11" 190 5/16/92 Port Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 11 Colton Cyr (F 5'11" 175 9/13/91 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 15 A 11 Pts 26 49 PIMs) 14 Kyle Yamasaki (F 6'00" 200 7/13/91 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 5 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 15 Kyle Weber (D 6'00" 185 7/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 1 A 7 Pts 8 60 PIMs) 16 Carson Schell (F 5'11" 192 1/01/89 Saskatoon, SK, CAN) (GP 54 G 6 A 26 Pts 32 101 PIMs) 17 Joe Perry (F 6'02" 200 8/29/89 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 7 A 19 Pts 26 42 PIMs) 18 Luc Olivier Blain (F 6'03" 195 11/16/89 Longueuil, PQ, CAN) (GP 52 G 26 A 28 Pts 54 64 PIMs) 19 Cody Bremner (F 6'01" 181 6/05/90 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 25 A 24 Pts 49 44 PIMs) 20 Todd Gebert (D 6'03" 220 5/24/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 62 PIMs) 21 Ty Morton (D 6'00" 188 2/20/91 Port Hardy, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 16 PIMs) 22 Kyle Kramer (F 5'11" 170 4/15/92 Qualicum Beach, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 11 A 9 Pts 20 72 PIMs) 23 Brayden Jaw (F 6'01" 188 4/24/92 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 8 A 17 Pts 25 39 PIMs) 24 Tristan Lowenberger (F 6'00" 175 5/15/92 Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 2 A 13 Pts 15 46 PIMs) 25 Mike Puddifant (D 6'00" 192 6/27/91 Salmon Arm, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 1 A 3 Pts 4 74 PIMs) 27 Mike Domsodi (F 6'03" 215 5/09/90 Kirkland, ON, CAN) (GP 51 G 4 A 16 Pts 20 25 PIMs) 30 Loic Boivin (G 6'00" 190 6/10/90 McMasterville, PQ, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 06 PIMs) 41 Rhys Hadfield (G 6'00" 175 7/21/91 Edmonton, AB, CAN) (GP 11 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 61 Teal Burns (F 5'11" 190 10/10/92 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 19 A 30 Pts 49 76 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 7 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 11 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 6 A 33 Pts 39 81 PIMs) 6 Tyson McCallum (F 6'04" 170 6/21/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 47 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 21 A 17 Pts 38 33 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 49 G 7 A 24 Pts 31 55 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 51 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 21 PIMs) 12 Dylan Richardson (F 5'11" 170 7/16/92 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 1 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 05 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 10 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 45 G 10 A 12 Pts 22 60 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 14 A 23 Pts 37 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 5 Pts 5 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 31 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 53 G 12 A 16 Pts 28 13 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 18 A 23 Pts 41 105 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 51 G 27 A 44 Pts 71 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
It has been over two months since these two teams last met in a home-and-home series that saw the Spruce Kings take both sides of the double header with a pair of 6-3 victories; since November 10th, much has changed for both teams. The Timberwolves will come into the Coliseum with no less than six new players on their roster including one-time Spruce King, Clayton McEwan. The roster changes for the Spruce Kings have been well documented over the season, but they will have a pair of new faces in their lineup tonight too with APs Dylan Richardson and Tyson McCallum.
The Spruce Kings are looking to pick up where they left off some ten days ago after an 11-3 victory over the Merritt Centennials. In their season series so far, the Spruce Kings have a decided edge over the Timberwolves with a record of 5-1-1. The Timberwolves have struggled in 2010 with their last win coming back on December 16th when they doubled up the Burnaby Express 4-2. Prior to that the Timberwolves did have a big victory against the Westside Warriors, winning 4-3 in overtime. They also forced overtime against the Spruce Kings in a game that ended in a 3-3 draw and their last victory against the Spruce Kings was a 4-2 win in the Cariboo Community Complex back on October 3rd.
The Spruce Kings are coming off a tough road trip through the Vancouver Island based teams of the Coastal Conference that netted a single point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nanaimo Clippers. Returning home for the Spruce Kings finds the team sitting four points out of a playoff spot behind the idol Trail Smoke Eaters. Tonight's game will give the Smokies a pair of games in hand on the Spruce Kings making tonight's game in the Castle a very important one for finding two points and dropping that magic number to get into the post season down.
During the Coastal Conference road trip, the Spruce Kings added another D-man to their roster acquiring Reid Blinkhorn from the Revelstoke Grizzlies. Blinkhorn scored a highlight reel goal in the victory over the Merritt Centennials and has proven to be a solid defenceman for the Spruce Kings eating up a lot of ice time on the blue line along with Brad Bourke and Justin Fillion. For the game tonight, look for Cariboo Cougars forward Tyson McCallum ('93) to wear jersey #6 and Castlegar Rebels forward Dylan Richardson ('92) to wear jersey #12.
For Richardson, this will be his first game with the Spruce Kings; in 30 games Dylan has 25 points (9-16) and 123 minutes in penalties. McCallum also has 25 points (9-16) in 31 games with the Major Midget squad in Prince George. A pair of McCallum's team mates will dress on the opposite side of the ice tonight as Chris Allbee and Mike Jorgensen have been given the call to play for the Williams Lake Timberwolves.
Should be an interesting game as these two teams play game number seven of a ten game regular season series with a home-and-home to wrap it all up in the last full week of regulation play. Game time tonight is 7:00 with a pregame show at 6:40pm starting off the live broadcast from the Coliseum. Aaron Dubois and Todd Doherty will provide the call of the game on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website and the pay-per-view broadcast on the BCHL Fanzone. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Williams Lake Timberwolves
1 Sean Donnelly (G 5'11" 170 4/21/90 White Rock, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 2 Stephan Virtanen (D 6'02" 185 2/27/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 21 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 37 PIMs) 3 Clayton McEwan (D 6'00" 180 11/26/91 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 2 A 5 Pts 7 46 PIMs) 5 Michael Jorgensen (D 6'00" 180 3/02/92 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 7 Calvin Johnson (F 5'10" 165 5/28/92 Smithers, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 96 PIMs) 9 Brady Fuller (D 6'00" 190 5/28/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 11 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 51 PIMs) 11 Ryan Stanimir (F 6'00" 175 3/04/90 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 19 A 21 Pts 40 63 PIMs) 12 Jordan Hirano (F 5'08" 175 12/10/92 Fernie, BC, CAN) (GP 8 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 00 PIMs) 15 Christopher Allbee (F 5'11" 170 1/01/92 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 0 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 16 Anthony DeLong (F 6'00" 165 2/08/91 Castlegar, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 7 A 10 Pts 17 39 PIMs) 17 Tanner Clarkson (F 6'01" 185 6/08/93 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 00 PIMs) 19 Cameron Hoffman (F 6'01" 185 7/01/91 Lake Stevens, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 5 A 1 Pts 6 68 PIMs) 20 Danny Merth (F 6'00" 190 4/19/91 Anmore, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 9 A 17 Pts 26 42 PIMs) 21 Keenan Bailey (F 6'00" 175 2/10/91 Westbank, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 4 A 8 Pts 12 39 PIMs) 22 Justin Bardarson (F 5'10" 190 6/06/90 Burns Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 45 G 10 A 21 Pts 31 80 PIMs) 23 Trent Murdoch (F 5'11" 155 7/31/91 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 15 A 24 Pts 39 12 PIMs) 24 Jake Harcoff (D 5'10" 185 10/17/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 45 PIMs) 27 Jason Diehl (F 6'02" 195 7/24/89 San Diego, CA, USA) (GP 40 G 16 A 14 Pts 30 48 PIMs) 28 Kyle Beaulieu (D 6'03" 195 1/16/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 2 A 11 Pts 13 68 PIMs) 55 Evan Dauenhauer (G 5'11" 175 12/19/89 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 22 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 6 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 02 PIMs) 5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 6 A 33 Pts 39 72 PIMs) 6 Tyson McCallum (F 6'04" 170 6/21/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 1 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 47 G 0 A 5 Pts 5 38 PIMs) 8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 47 PIMs) 9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 21 A 16 Pts 37 33 PIMs) 10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 48 G 7 A 24 Pts 31 53 PIMs) 11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 50 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 21 PIMs) 12 Dylan Richardson (F 5'11" 170 7/16/92 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 0 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs) 14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 12 A 14 Pts 26 10 PIMs) 15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 2 A 6 Pts 8 123 PIMs) 16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 44 G 10 A 12 Pts 22 58 PIMs) 19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 13 A 22 Pts 35 24 PIMs) 20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 13 PIMs) 21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 09 PIMs) 22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 44 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 99 PIMs) 23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 11 A 13 Pts 24 13 PIMs) 25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 16 A 23 Pts 39 105 PIMs) 26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 26 A 42 Pts 68 61 PIMs) 30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs) 35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
The Prince George Spruce Kings recognized their achievements on the ice with the presentation of the annual player awards. In front of over 150 fans, volunteers and other members of the hockey club a total of eleven trophies were presented on Monday.
