Spruce Kings Snuff Out the Smoke Eaters

Already down six players, there was a lot of concern after
Braiden Epp was hit against the boards late in the game

The Prince George Spruce Kings started off their three game Interior Division road trip with a 5-2 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters Friday night. An otherwise close game was blown open when the Spruce Kings scored on back-to-back powerplays to pull away from the Smoke Eaters. The win, coupled with a Langley Rivermen's loss, leaves the Spruce Kings just one point back of top spot in the Mainland Division and tied for third overall in the BCHL.

The game featured some unbelievable saves by both goaltenders who robbed the other teams of goals that would have otherwise seen this game get completely out of hand. In the end, a small blunder that saw the puck left sitting in the crease resulted in the eventual game winning goal. Other than that, goals were hard to come by especially in the first fifty minutes with both teams having chances to turn a close game into a blowout.

The game's first goal was the result of another strong play by the team's youngest player - Brogran O'Brien. With injuries changing the complexion of the Spruce Kings roster and line combinations, the sixteen year old found himself centering a line with Mike Iovanna and Justin Rai on the wings. Five minutes into the first period, Skylar Pacheco spotted the youngster along the right side wall and let O'Brien do most of the work from there.

O'Brien drove hard down the wall and then cut to the net as he entered the zone. He fired the first shot on goal hard enough to have the rebound bounce out to the left side of the net where Iovanna was waiting to send his second of the season and second in as many games into the back of the net. The goal would hold up for just over seven minutes before a former Spruce King would get his second of the season.

At 10:04 of the first period, O'Brien was called for tripping put the Smoke Eaters on the first man advantage of the game. Although they were unable to score on their first powerplay, they were able to gain some momentum off a wild flurry in the final twenty seconds with the extra attacker. Alex Murray turned aside all three glorious scoring opportunities that Trail came up with.

A few seconds after the penalty expired, a stoppage in play resulted in the BCHL which has become known for its trademark ability to create exciting scoring chances. This one would turn into a goal for the Trail Smoke Eaters as Cody Bardock found the puck at the top of the left side faceoff circle and waited for the Spruce Kings defenceman to become his own screen. Bardock shot the puck high to the blocker side through the screen finding the top corner behind Murray who had no chance to make the save.

After that goal, it was the Spruce Kings that went on the attack for the final seven minutes. Prince George fired a number of shots in on Riley Corbin who stood tall in net for the Trail Smoke Eaters and came up with some saves that could have easily seen the game get out of hand in the first period. Instead the first period would end with the teams tied 1-1 and the Spruce Kings leading 14-9 on the shot clock.

Five minutes into the second period and Karan Toor would start a play that he would be able to finish as well. After being hemmed inside their own zone for the better part of shift, it was Toor that found the puck and was able to get out. Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke took over from there and carried the puck into the Smoke Eaters end. Unable to get a clear shot on goal, the puck came back to Toor who was waiting for it in the high slot. He too would wait for the seam to open up and fired another high shot, this time to the glove side, that found the top corner for the defenceman's fourth goal of the season.

A few minutes later it would be another defenceman that would spot Prince George a two goal lead. Skylar Pacheco carried the puck down the wall and fired a hard shot to near side post that the goaltender stopped. Most of all the other shots that Corbin took off the body were bouncing out to the other side so the goaltender slid to his right only to leave the puck behind sitting loose in the crease not six inches from his big pads. Pacheco spotted that puck and was able to tap home the eventual game winner and his seventh of the season to make the score 3-1.

The Trail Smoke Eaters were not about to go away just yet and would get a bounce of their own when the Spruce Kings were guilty of a soft D-to-D pass. Travis Stephens, the Smoke Eaters leading scorer, blocked the pass and sprung himself loose on a break-away with Jake Kauppila in on the rush. Stephens drove hard to the net and then slid the cross-crease pass over to Kauppila who banged in his fifth of the season. Although that gave the home side a spark, it would never be ignited as it was the last goal that Trail would score on the night.

It was beginning to look like neither team was going to score another goal as both sides continued to have chances although most of them were going to the Spruce Kings. The Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game would come just past the midway mark of the third period when Cody Bardock was called for a high stick. It was only the second powerplay of the game for Prince George who had already given up four powerplay chances to the Trail Smoke Eaters.

A minute into that second man advantage and Mitch Eden would work his way from the left point to the faceoff circle where he snapped a hard shot. The shot was a little over waist high catching the goaltender on the outside of the arm. The puck bounced up and over the goaltender and broke the plane of the goal with the referee standing right there. Although the puck never hit the ice as it was batted out of mid air by the defender and the goal light never came on, the referee indicated goal giving Prince George a 4-2 lead in the game.

The goal seemed to deflate the Smoke Eaters who never really got another good chance to cut into that lead. A couple of minutes later in a goal mouth exchange, Scott Davidson two handed Justin Rai across the mouth resulting in a double minor. Rai would also be assessed a penalty for roughing, but that still left Prince George with their third man advantage. Again about a minute in, the Spruce Kings would cash in off a signature move by Chad Staley.

The second year vet, and now the team's leading goal scorer, swooped in under the goal line behind the net and fed the puck back out to Jeremiah Luedtke who was following on the play. Luedtke's shot was stopped in another rob job by the goaltender but the rebound came out to Staley who came around the net found the puck and waited to take his shot before firing it high to the blocker side of Corbin.

Staley's ninth of the season gave Prince George the 5-2 lead and all but put the game out of reach for the Smoke Eaters, who then seemed to become frustrated and started taking a few runs at Prince George players. Certainly the Spruce Kings do not need to lose anymore players to injury already down six players, five to injury. Brogan O'Brien was caught from behind and hit against the back wall with no call. Luedtke and Staley were also tagged with questionable hits that came after the play with no call.

With less than three minutes to go in the third period, Braiden Epp had the puck along the wall and was able to get rid of it just as Valik Chickkin came in with a flying elbow to the head. Again there was no indication that the referee was going to make the call as Epp lay on the ice. A few Spruce King players had enough and there was some pushing and shoving and few words exchanged. The linesman who saw the hit informed the referee of the dangerous hit and a five minute major for a blow to the head was called resulting in a game misconduct to Chichkin.

The Spruce Kings used the powerplay to kill off the remaining time in the period and leave the Comico Arena with two points and their twelfth win of the season. The three stars on the night included Mitch Eden, Jeremiah Luedtke and Chad Staley; although a number of other players could have been seriously considered for the honour including both goaltenders. Prince George peppered Corbin with a total of 43 shots while Murray picked up his eighth win of the season stopping 26 of 28 shots he faced.

After the game, the Spruce Kings got back on the bus and headed for Vernon where they will meet up with the Vipers on Saturday night in Kal Tire Place at 7pm. The game is the first meeting between the two teams since the infamous hit on Jake LeBrun that has resulted in the Prince George hockey product missing out on twelve games and counting. With the extent of injuries to the Spruce Kings lineup, the expectations is that there will be some emotion on the ice but the only kind of retribution Prince George will be looking for will be on the scoreboard.

A Gift Goal Wins It

The Spruce Kings celebrate after Sean Landrey scores
the game's first goal en route to a 3-2 win

The Prince George Spruce Kings took the gift they were given and traded it in for two points in a 3-2 win over the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday night. Three highlight reel goals from Sean Landrey, Brogan O'Brien and Jeremiah Luedtke provided the Spruce Kings with their tenth win of the season and third in a row.

Although the game finished with fans holding on to the edge of their seats, the game certainly didn't start that way and was more of a yawner with no energy on the ice and no atmosphere in the stands. It took over five minutes for the first shot on goal to be registered by either team. Perhaps it was that first shot that turned the tide when Matt Painchaud worked his way underneath the Cowichan Valley Capitals defence and drove hard to the net looking to poke the puck in five-hole.

On the next shift, the Spruce Kings would get two more shots and that then seemed to ignite the road weary Capitals. The visitors applied the pressure and had good puck possession in the Spruce Kings end but were having difficulties finding the net firing pucks high and wide. Hemmed inside their own zone, things would change quickly for Prince George when Riley Hawes jumped on a loose puck at the top of the faceoff circle and spotted Sean Landrey breaking out of the zone.

Hawes fed a perfect pass through the middle that Landrey picked up on the fly. With a step on the defender, Landrey let go a snap shot that beat the Capitals goalie high to the blocker side. For Landrey it was his second goal of the season and second in as many games coming at 14:07 of the first period on the Spruce Kings fifth shot on goal. The goal would hold up as the only tally in the opening period and, for a while, looked like it was going to be the only goal of the second period too. Prince George headed to the dressing room leading 12-6 on the shot clock.

On Thursday night the Spruce Kings were put on their heels in the second period but they weren't about to let that happen to them on this night. Even with Karan Toor sitting in the penalty box with over three minutes remaining in a double minor, the Spruce Kings created chances. The best came off the stick of Chad Staley who stole the puck and was looking for the far side of the net before he was hauled down. Some fans in the building were wondering if a penalty shot would be awarded with a penalty shot again, but it was only called a two minute minor. The four on four situation only lasted for a short while before Justin Rai was called for an interference penalty giving the Capitals a 4-on-3 to work with and 12 seconds of 5-on-3.

Even with the extra ice and short two man advantage, the Cowichan Valley Capitals couldn't get anything on Alex Murray. The next three powerplays all went to the Spruce Kings, but they too struggled to get quality shots on goal with the man advantage despite controlling much of the play in the offensive zone. Before the end of the second period, the Cowichan Valley Capitals would get their third powerplay of the game and would make the most of it, scoring the tying goal at 19:10. Despite outshooting the visitors 14-8 in the middle frame, the Spruce Kings could not capitalize on any of their chances.

With the start of the third period it looked like the Capitals were on the verge of taking over the game's momentum and very well might have had it not been for a stunning play by the Spruce Kings youngest player. Coming around from behind his own net, Danny Kiraly spotted Brogan O'Brien the puck just inside the Prince George blue line. The sixteen year old took off with speed through the middle, shook off a couple of checks and stepped around two more defenders. As O'Brien made his way around the last guy, he lost his footing and fell to his knees but never gave up on the puck. From his knees, O'Brien was able to pull the puck from his backhand to his forehand and bury on Robin Gusse (pronounced goose) before sliding into the net himself.

The goal left the entire building in a buzz with people asking the same question all around the Coliseum - "did you see that?" Before the reality of the goal could sink in for the fans in the stands, the Cowichan Valley Capitals answered right back to again put the game into a tie. The tie would hold up for sixteen minutes as both teams traded chances. The Capitals had the best chance to score the go-ahead goal when Mitch Ball had the game on his stick and was robbed by a reach back glove hand save by Alex Murray.

Not a minute later a tense crowd would explode in a goal celebration that was tempered with more disbelief. In the Spruce Kings zone, the Capitals had complete control of the puck and were working it along the left side wall back to the point. The pass back got away from the defenceman and went the length of the ice. Gusse left the net and went into the corner to play it. Jeremiah Luedtke followed the puck into the Capitals end and then curled in towards the slot. Just as Luedtke was passing between the faceoff circles the unbelievable happened. In a bold maverick move to find the far side defenceman, Gusse passed the puck right to Luedtke who grabbed it and fired in to the empty net with 44 seconds remaining in the third period.

After the horror of the situation sunk in for Gusse and the Capitals, they would control the final seconds of play inside the Spruce Kings zone but couldn't find the equalizer before the final buzzer sounded. The Spruce Kings posted the 3-2 regulation time victory sending the hometown fans home happy and the visitors on the bus still shaking their heads on the one that got away on them. After the game, Alex Murray was given the hard hat after making 24 saves on the night including two huge saves in the third period.

Sean Landrey who played a strong game all night long was awarded the game's first star while Brogan O'Brien picked up the second star for his highlight reel goal and smart play all night long. With the three stars being selected a few minutes before the end of the game, the third star came as a bit of a surprise after it was awarded to the player that gave the puck away in the dying seconds of the game - Robin Gusse. Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke were on the short list for Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game, but it would be Staley that picked up the honour after putting together another solid sixty minute effort.

On a side note, both Caleb Thompson and Jake LeBrun who have been out of the lineup for the most of the month of October, were both at the game. At this point it is unclear if either player will be able to travel with the team next weekend for their next set of games. The Spruce Kings will be in Surrey on November 1st and Langley November 2nd.

The Langley Rivermen maintained their two point cushion over the Spruce Kings in top spot in the Mainland Division with a 3-2 overtime win over the West Kelowna Warriors. The Spruce Kings are now four points up on the Coquitlam Express who were idle tonight. After losing 3-2 to the Chilliwack Chiefs, the Surrey Eagles sit seven points back of Prince George in fourth place and the Chiefs are stuck in the basement with nine points.

Eagles Soar in the Third

Alex Murray made a nice save on this break-away chance
photo courtesy Garrett James Photograpy

The Surrey Eagles took flight in the third period changing a close game through forty minutes into a 6-1 blowout on Friday night over the Prince George Spruce Kings. After two periods it was a 2-1 game with the Spruce Kings enjoying a BCHL career first goal for Brogan O'Brien and wondering what could have been if not for a goal post.

On the very first play of the game the Spruce Kings found themselves down 1-0 when Ryan Fraser-Lee broke up a play in the neutral zone and sent Nic Pierog in on a three-on-two chance. As Pierog stepped over the blue line he let a deceptive wrister go that handcuffed Alex Murray and opened the scoring just ten seconds into the game on the first shot on goal.

The Spruce Kings would settle down and keep the Eagles of the shot clock for some time including the full two minutes of a penalty kill. That penalty kill also turned out to be a momentum changer as the Spruce Kings carried much of the play especially on the very first shift registering four shots on goal. Unfortunately all of those shots would be turned away by the one time netminder for the Prince George Cougars.

Devon Fordyce went from the Cougars to the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was recently acquired by the Surrey Eagles getting his first BCHL start on Wednesday night. That turned into a 5-4 and the end of a five game losing streak for the Surrey Eagles. Fordyce earned second star in his second game with the Eagles after posting the 6-1 win. For as little as Fordyce was tested in the first period, the Spruce Kings made the opposition netminder earn his star in the second period.

In the middle frame the Spruce Kings would end up with eight shots on goal and created no less than four glorious scoring chances. The only goal that Prince George would get would come off the stick of the sixteen year old rookie, Brogan O'Brien playing in his seventh BCHL game.

Off an offensive zone faceoff by Chad Staley that led to a shot on goal by Jeremiah Luedtke, O'Brien found the puck in the slot and was able to slip it from his forehand to his backhand and flip his first in behind a down and out Fordyce. The goal tied the game at one a-piece and provided the Spruce Kings with another chance to grab onto some momentum.

A few minutes later it would be the Surrey Eagles that would get the go-ahead goal that the Spruce Kings could never answer back. Under pressure in their own zone, the Spruce Kings would ice the puck forcing a defensive zone faceoff with no opportunity to change the players on the ice. With the puck pinned up against the wall, Johan Renouf would dig it out and find Danton Heinen at the top of the faceoff circle who would snap home his third of the season.

On the very next shift the Spruce Kings would have their best chance to tie up the game when Bryant Christian spotted Brent Lashuk with the puck through the middle. Lashuk went into the Eagles zone with speed and fired a hot shot of his own that beat Fordyce but not the goal post. The second period would end 2-1 in favour of the home team with the Spruce Kings leading 17-15 on the shot clock.

In the third period the Spruce Kings would get one more chance to tie up the game but again they would come up empty only to have the Eagles go the other way. Pierog got the puck and headed up the ice starting a give and go with Brent Mulchay, as he got the puck back he let another quick wrister go from the top of the slot that found the back of the net to make it a 3-1 game.

Not finished there, Pierog would come back for more scoring his hat trick goal at 12:16 of the third period. The Eagles would still add two more from Mulchay and Renouf on the powerplay to finish with four goals in the third on 13 shots total.

The 6-1 loss is the first time the Spruce Kings have allowed more than five goals against and the first time they have lost by more than a three goal spread. The Spruce Kings will have to put all of that behind them, learn from the experience and get ready to respond as they will be right back in the South Surrey Arena on Saturday night for a return matchup. The game has a 7pm scheduled opening puck drop and will be broadcast live on the Spruce Kings Mixlr channel and Fasthockey.com.