Spruce Kings Never Give Up

Mitch Gillam and Kirk Thompson took a little extra time
to congratulate each other at the end of the game

The Prince George Spruce Kings season came to an end Wednesday night in Chilliwack after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Chiefs just 24 hours after PG extended the series with an identical score in the Coliseum. Perhaps it was the short series highlighted by a quick turnaround from Game 4 in Prince George to Game 5 in Chilliwack with an eight hour bus ride to the Fraser Valley, but both teams had to do it. As much as it hurts to say it, the better team did win this series but not without having to earn it and both teams were better teams after the series than before the post season started.

Both teams started the game running on adrenaline but it was obvious to see that they had been playing on for the previous four games was missing. The plays were more calculated and more defensively minded as opposed to the hard hitting in your face style that we had witnessed in the games leading up to this fifth and deciding contest.

An early goal by Prince George send waves of excitement rippling through the Province as a future star with the Spruce Kings opened the scoring just 73 seconds into the game. Lyndon Martell and David Stephens hopped over the bench with Braiden Epp joining the pair for the trio's first shift of the game. The play started with a nice defensive stick by Martell who stole the puck away and tapped it up to Stephens. The hockey product from Whitehorse took off up the left wing with Epp jumping up through the middle creating a two-on-one rush for Prince George.

With David Stephens looking to feather a pass through to Braiden Epp, the Chilliwack Chiefs defenceman committed to taking away the pass and threw his body in the lane. Stephens took an extra step to the left that pulled Mitch Gillam into no man's land and then saucered a pass over to Epp in the slot. Committed to the Prince George Spruce Kings for the 2013-14 season, Epp took the pass on his forehand with Gillam overcommitting to get back to cover a one-timer from the youngster. Epp pulled the puck back to his back hand and lifted the puck over a vulnerable Gillam for his first BCHL goal.

The lead would hold up for only six minutes before the BCHL's Coastal Conference Rookie of the Year took matters into his own hands and led a Chiefs rush down the ice the other way. Luke Esposito showed his ability to turn on the jets on this play as he drove hard down the right side wall before letting a hard shot go from outside the faceoff circle. Kirk Thompson got all of the shot with his big pads but the rebound went right out to Josh Hansen who was coming down the middle and was able to corral the puck and move in on Thompson untouched. Hansen made no mistake going blocker side on Thompson to the tie the game at a goal a-piece.

The toll of the bus ride started to show on both teams as they didn't have the legs or the life in them as the period wore on. The opening twenty minutes would end in a 1-1 tie with Chilliwack posting 17 shots on Thompson and Spruce Kings getting 8 on Gillam. In stark contrast to previous games, the first period had no penalties to show for either team; which was as much an indication of how the game was being called as it was being played. The four man officiating crew let a few borderline calls that didn't have any malice to them go on both sides.

In the second period, the teams traded penalties with Cooper Rush getting called for the hold at 2:14 putting the Spruce Kings on the game's first powerplay of the game. The Spruce Kings were able to work the puck around quite nicely and kept the pressure in the offensive zone for almost a full minute before the Chiefs were able to relieve the pressure and send the puck down the ice. Eight players were able to change with only Mitch Eden left on the ice as he went to retrieve the puck from deep in his own zone. The Spruce Kings put more pressure on Chilliwack with their second unit but couldn't get anything past Gillam. Even after being on the ice for the full two minutes and a few extra seconds, Eden came off still looking as fresh as he did when the powerplay started.

Through the next few minutes the game took on a feel that the next goal was going to win the game even though there was lots of hockey still to be played. The teams were playing defensively cautious hockey and the offense wasn't looking to get caught in a situation that could lead to an odd-man rush for the other team. Both sides were playing this one close and safe and then Chilliwack got their first powerplay of the game with Trevor Esau was called for interference after not releasing a player off the wall after the puck came loose.

Fortunately the Chiefs first powerplay was also ineffective despite getting some good cross seam passes through. The one-timers were either wide or blocked and the ones that did get through from the peripheral, Thompson was able to stop. In what looked like the makings of the Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game for Prince George, just seconds after Esau was released from the sin bin, the Chiefs captain was sent to sit for two or less on a cross checking call at 9:33 of the second.

The Spruce Kings power play that had looked so good earlier in the second period on their first chance came up empty and they spent very little time in the Chiefs zone with any kind of pressure or possession. In one foreshadowing play, the Spruce Kings struggled to get the puck into the offensive zone and had to circle back no less than three times and by then the team's second powerplay was over. To make matters worse, 14 seconds later Skylar Pacheco was called for high sticking while trying to wrap the puck around the back wall.

The Chiefs embraced their second powerplay that started at 11:47 and lasted 51 seconds before the BCHL Playoff Scoring Leader was credited with his seventh goal of the post season. In a flurry of action, Philip Zielonka received a pass from the left side wall to where he was standing at the bottom of the right side face off circle. Zielonka's shot hit Kirk Thompson and redirected across the ice into the left corner. Before I could finish extolling the greatness of that save, the puck was fired back to Zielonka who took one more shot towards the net.

In a flurry of movement in front of the net and beside it, Thompson was back in position and down on the ice to take away the high percentage shot coming from Zielonka. Good positioning by Thompson was trumped by better luck from Zielonka as his shot deflected off a defender at the side of the net and ended up fluttering over the reach of Thompson and landed on the ice just over the goal line. The goal spotted a the Chiefs their first lead of the game and marked the first time in the series that a team was able to erase a deficit in a game they trailed in.

As predicted the goal changed the tide and left the Spruce Kings to try and open things up looking for the equalizer that would never come. The second period ended as a 2-1 lead for the Chilliwack Chiefs despite being outshot 13-11 in that middle frame by a desperate Spruce Kings squad. Both teams had just the two powerplays in that middle frame to work with.

To start the third period, the Spruce Kings came at Chilliwack in waves who for just the second time this series seemed content to recede into a defensive shell. The only other time I saw that from the Chiefs was late in the first game after the Chiefs scored their first goal to take away Thompson's shutout. After scoring that goal, the Chiefs just carried the puck into their own end of the ice and waited for the clock to expire. The difference between game one and game five was that there were only four seconds on the clock in game one and still twenty minutes of hockey to be played in this deciding game.

Even when playing a defense-first style of game, when opportunities present themselves, you have to take them and that happened very early in the third period for Chilliwack when Spencer Graboski forced a turnover in his own zone and was able to go down the ice with Mathieu Tibbet. Although not an offensive threat in the regular season, Tibbet provided depth for Harvey Smyl's team and on this play would pick up his third goal of the post season and seventh point.

With the Chiefs now up 3-1, Zielonka and Esposito were noticeably absent as they sat on the bench resting in case they were needed later on in the period. It was instead a steady diet of Spencer Graboski, Autin Plevy and Mathieu Tibbet for the Spruce Kings to deal with. On one particular play Plevy dove for a loose puck and ended up falling face first onto Cameron Lawson's stick.

In noticeable discomfort, Plevy went straight to the bench and the trainer started working on him. It became quite apparent that Plevy had broken his nose as the trainer put it back into place and cleaned up the forward. No sooner was Plevy back in the game then he was on the scoresheet. Just moments after having his nose broke, Plevy was set up Graboski in front and whistled his fourth of the post season past Thompson at 7:26.

Just over two minutes later, the Spruce Kings were able to get on the board on a nice play that started with Jake LeBrun protecting the puck in the left side faceoff circle while playing keep-away from three defenders. LeBrun put the puck off the wall to Shayne Morrissey who was standing behind the Chiefs net. Morrissey faked one way and came out the other passing the puck through the top of the crease to Sean Landrey who was on the inside of the left face off circle.

Landrey didn't spend any time thinking of what shot to take, he just let instinct take over and knew that Gillam would be coming back to protect the short side so he fired top shelf far side beating Gillam's glove for his first of the post season. The goal gave the Spruce Kings bench some life as they now had 10:16 remaining in the third period to come up with two more goals to tie this game up.

Dreams of seeing this game go to overtime were not shared by Chilliwack who concentrated on their defensive game first and foremost leaving the Spruce Kings with very little to go on. As time ticked down on the Spruce Kings season and the tanks empty from the adrenaline laced game just one night prior in Prince George, it started to become apparent that this series was going to go to the home team.

In one last valiant effort to maybe find fumes, Dave Dupas pulled Kirk Thompson and sent Coltyn Hansen on the ice as an extra attacker. The gamble looked like it might actually pay off as the Spruce Kings used the artificial man advantage to create a couple of scoring chances but again Gillam was not going to be letting anything more in on this night. As if the time on the clock hadn't already sealed the deal, Austin Plevy made sure of it scoring an empty net goal with four seconds remaining on the clock. Prince George outshot Chilliwack 16-11 in that final frame but only the Landrey shot beat Gillam.

The two teams shook hands at centre ice taking a little extra time to congratulate different players on both squads. While watching the graduating players go through the line, it was clear to see that there was a lot of respect for what Kirk Thompson and Trevor Esau brought to the series. It is a strange feeling to know that a pair of rookies just three season ago that gave so much to the Spruce Kings and to the City of Prince George will no longer being wearing the Crown on the ice, but will always wear the Crown on their hearts.

With the season done, the team will return to Prince George to clean out their dressing room, hold exit interviews and present recognize individual achievements with the annual Player Awards Banquet on Saturday night. I will have a wrap up of those awards that feature two new ones this year to recognize areas of play in a game that are very important to Dave Dupas and his coaching staff. Perhaps the hardest trophy to find a single recipient for will be that of Playoff MVP with so many players elevating their game in the post season and showing the true character of what it means to be a Spruce King.

Spruce Kings Take Game One

Chad Staley (22) was able to stay in the game
after taking a blindside hit from Eric Roberts.

The Spruce Kings went in to Chilliwack and did what not very many people thought they could do ... take the first game in the Mainland Divisional Semi-Final best-of-five series. The final score was 3-1 for Prince George, but the shots told a much different story with Chilliwack outshooting their opponents 44-20. The game lived up to its billing of being a physical contest with some heavy hits, a couple of tilts and even the lights going out.

In a scoreless first period of play, with the Spruce Kings just starting to get their wits about them after being outshot 10-1 prior to the BCHL timeout, four lights went out in Prospera Centre above the Spruce Kings blue line. The outage happened just as Prince George was heading up the ice looking to cash in on some of the momentum that they had got to swing their way.

On the first shift after the BCHL timeout, Jeremiah Luedtke got the Spruce Kings first real shot on goal and first quality scoring chance after rifling a shot on goal that Mitch Gillam had difficulties containing and ended up watching slide just past the far post. On the very next shift Shayne Morrissey elected to go for the shot on a two-on-one, this time Gillam was square to the shooter but gave up a juicy rebound that just got away from Morrissey. On the next shift it was Karan Toor who danced through the top of the slot before firing a shot on Gillam.

With 3:52 remaining in a scoreless first period of play, the lights went out prompting the officials to send the teams to the dressing room for an early intermission. At the time of the early dismissal, the Chilliwack Chiefs were outshooting the Prince George Spruce Kings 15-5 and when the first period resumed, they added three more for a first period total of 18-5.

The games first penalty came in the second period to David Stephens who was called for tripping. The Spruce Kings, who had been working on their penalty kill, were successful in killing of the Chilliwack man advantage and tried to use that as leverage to get back in the game with some offense. The offense didn't come easy for the Spruce Kings on this night who found themselves being turned around at every corner and challenged to every puck. The difference was the stellar performance between the pipes of Kirk Thompson.

At the 15:31 of the second period, a bit of a scare was put into the Spruce Kings bench when Eric Roberts caught Chad Staley in an awkward position and checked him into the boards with a blindside hit. The referee's arm went up in the arm immediately. Jace Hennig took exception to the hit and went right after Roberts with the two dropping the gloves and trading a couple of blows. When the dust settled, the Spruce Kings ended up with their second man advantage of the game. Roberts received two minutes for boarding, two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and a five minute major for fighting. Henning was assessed an instigating minor, fighting major and a ten minute misconduct. With the man advantage, Mark Begert was able to use some time and space from the left point to feed the puck to David Stephens standing in the left faceoff circle. Stephens shot the puck towards the net and had the puck deflect off of Cameron Lawson's skate and into the net. With very little dispute or discussion, the goal counted and the Spruce Kings found themselves up 1-0 at 16:43 of the second.

The Chiefs poured it on immediately after that looking for the equalizer and with time ticking down in the second period, everybody in the building was brought to the edge of their seat when Luke Esposito had a chance with a shot into a wide open net. The puck fluttered on Esposito and a Spruce Kings defender may have been able to get a stick on the shot as well, but either way the end result was the same with Esposito lifting the puck over the open net and firing off the glass on the back wall. The second period ended with the Spruce Kings leading the Chiefs 1-0.

The third period was a little more even with the difference coming at the 6:38 mark when David Stephens found Coltyn Hansen on the left wing. With his deceptively quick speed, Hansen found himself a stride ahead of the defender inside the Chiefs zone as he cut to the net. From the top of the blue ice and with an extra little push of the stick, Hansen was able to get the puck to go through Gillam, who had sprawled going for the poke check. After the goal Gillam was seen looking at his jersey and his equipment for a hole or at least an explanation as to how that puck got through him.

With plenty of time left in the game, the Chilliwack Chiefs sent out a steady diet of the top line trying to manufacture a goal from the combination of Luke Esposito, Austin Plevy and Philip Zielonka. The three would all have chances with Esposito actually finding the net but only after the puck was ruled to have been touched by the hand of another Chiefs player. As the time ticked away in the third period, the game remained a 2-0 lead for Prince George with Chilliwack looking to cut that lead in half. With 1:41 remaining in the third period, Gillam was pulled in favour of the extra attacker giving Prince George a chance at the empty net.

Coltyn Hansen would get two attempts to put this game out of reach and wouldn't miss on his second try. Taking a bit of a gamble by taking the shot from the Spruce Kings side of centre ice, Hansen watched as the puck bounced into the open cage with 16 seconds remaining in regulation time giving Prince George a 3-0 lead. On the ensuing faceoff, the Chiefs forced a turnover from below the goal line where Brodyn Nielsen fed the puck to an open Matthiew Tibbet in the slot. Thompson was caught out of position with the traffic in his crease giving Tibbet the easy tap in ruining the shutout bid of Thompson.

With their loan goal coming with less than 4 seconds remaining in the game, the Chilliwack Chiefs seemed content in knowing that they had found a way to beat Thompson and score on the Spruce Kings, they didn't even bother looking for another offensive chance. The win was Kirk Thompson's first post season win and something that had eluded him in his Junior A career.

The Spruce Kings went into the game with the mantra of having "attention to detail" and although they picked up the win, they know there is still room for improvement in their game. Mitch Eden was given a ten minute misconduct for not having his jersey tie down secured, which became apparent early in the second period when he was partially jerseyed in an altercation. Jace Hennig was also given a ten minute misconduct for instigating a fight after Chad Staley was hit in the boards and in the third period Kevin Guiltinan ended up with a two minute minor for checking from behind and a game misconduct for the penalty. There should be no further discipline for that call, despite what I said on the broadcast, because the penalty was only a minor and not a major.

The Spruce Kings will get a chance now to double up their lead on Chilliwack and take a stranglehold in this short series with game two on Saturday night. Certainly the Chiefs will have something to say about that as their goal will be to get a split on home ice and force a game four in Prince George. Faceoff for game two tonight is set for 7pm from Prospera Centre with the game broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as online from the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and pay-per-view broadcast on FASTHOCKEY.com.

Regular Season Leaders

Coltyn Hansen (10) finished the season as the team's
leading scorer hitting the 50 point plateau

At this time of the year the stats keepers are quick to release information regarding how players fared during the regular season. I guess that makes me no difference because the Spruce Kings have their statistical leaders in all those common categories too. Perhaps the best test is to compare some of those numbers around the League and through the years. I'll look a little more in depth into those numbers but for now here are those common numbers.

Coltyn Hansen finished the season as the team's leading scorer with 21 goals and 29 assists reaching the 50 point plateau. With skates a-flash, Hansen used his speed on many occasion to create scoring chances for himself and the Prince George Spruce Kings. His speed can be attributed to more than just a handful of his goals this season.

That 21 goal performance was tied by Cameron Lawson who counted 7 powerplay goals, 2 short handed goals and 5 game winning goals in that number as well. Unfortunately for Lawson, a late season injury prevented him from maybe passing his roommate and taking over sole possession of that particular stat.

Honorable mention has to go out to a pair of Spruce Kings in defenceman Mitch Eden and forward Shayne Morrissey in this category. For much of the first half of the season, Eden was the team's leading scorer contributing with setup plays from the blue line that were often initiated by him carrying the puck from coast to coast. Speaking of going from coast to coast, Shayne Morrissey came out west from St. John's, Newfoundland at the beginning of October. Even though he missed out on the eight games in September, Morrissey came to within one goal of a three way tie for goals scored and finished one point behind Mitch Eden for total points.

Being able to play a full season is no easy feat, especially this year when the team battled the flu and normal winter colds leaving the team short benched for a few games. Two of the three players were rookies this year which is sometimes its own hurdle in getting in a full compliment of games. Bryant Christian and Chad Staley were the two rookies that managed to suit up for all 56 games and play through it all this season. The other player to strike up an iron man streak in 2012-13 is Skylar Pacheco who is actually up to 71 games dating back to February 3, 2012.

There are a few stats that are kept but not listed on the BCHL website that coaches like to have at their disposal to measure some of the intangibles of a player's on-ice performance. Blocked shots and plus/minus can be huge to determine how effective a player is when he's on the ice even when there aren't necessarily any points to show for it on the scoresheet. Coltyn Hansen won the plus/minus title finishing with a plus 16 followed by Justin Rai and Skylar Pacheco.

Blocked shots is interesting stat and one that just doesn't get enough recognition. When a team is having difficulties finding a lane and getting shots through, it is because of these players that are sacrificing themselves for the team. The undisputed fearless leader for 2012-13 is Trevor Esau who blocked a total of 254 shots in 51 games. Coming in second in this category was the rookie defenceman, Karan Toor with a season total of 202 blocked shots. The entire Spruce Kings lineup all contributed to an overall team total of 1369 blocked shots, 998 among defenceman.

Between the pipes there is no question as to the contributions of Kirk Thompson who found himself in 50 of the team's 56 games for a franchise record of 2806 minutes played in a single season. Thompson also set the single season franchise record for wins at 24 with both stats helping him lay claim to the franchise record for career minutes played (6705) and career wins (46).

Spruce Kings Clinch Third With Win Over Rivermen

This unassisted tally from Coltyn Hansen (10) was the Studio Cuts
Crowning Moment taking the wind out of the sails of the Rivermen

Write it in stone, the Prince George Spruce Kings will play the Chilliwack Chiefs in the first round of the BCHL Mainland Division playoffs later this month.

The Spruce Kings locked up third place in the division on Saturday night with a 4-1 win over the Langley Rivermen at the Coliseum.

Shayne Morrissey scored once and set up another one as the Spruce Kings took the first of a weekend double header against their division rivals.

With Prince George leading 3-1 early in the third period, Morrissey drove to the net and tried a nifty shot between his legs. Rivermen goaltender James Barr was able to make the first save but Chad Staley crashed the net and cashed in the rebound at 2:29 to give the home side a comfortable cushion. Morrissey and Justin Rai picked up the assists.

Kirk Thompson authored another brilliant performance between the pipes for Prince George, with his signature save coming in the third period off Evan Campbell. The Prince George keeper slid post-to-post then flashed the leather to make the stop on the one-timer. Thompson finished with 33 saves, while Barr stopped 25 pucks.

Despite the win, the Spruce Kings can no longer catch Chilliwack for second place and home ice advantage in the playoffs. The Chiefs were 3-0 winners against Cowichan Valley on Saturday and clinched second place. The Rivermen were unable to clinch a playoff berth Saturday, keeping the Coquitlam Express alive for the fourth and final spot in the division.

The Spruce Kings came out flying to start the game, opening up an 11-2 lead on the shot counter and a 2-0 advantage on the scoreboard in the opening minutes. Mark Begert opened the scoring when his point shot snuck through traffic in front of Barr and found the back of the net.

David Stephens and Lyndon Martell picked up the helpers at 3:06. Just over five minutes later the Spruce Kings added to their lead on the power play. After breaking into the zone on a three-on-two, Cameron Lawson found Morrissey on the right wing and there was just enough room for Morrissey's sharp-angle shot to get past Barr at 8:25. Skylar Pacheco also picked up an assist.

Thompson wasn't tested much in the opening 20 minutes, but did stop Langley sniper Mario Puskarich from point blank range.

Puskarich didn't waste any time in the second period, burying a shot over Thompson's shoulder for his 39th goal of the season at 1:45. Evan Campbell and Turner Popoff picked up the assists.

The Rivermen came within inches of tying the game on a late-second period power play when Tanner Johnson rung a point shot off the post. Thompson had to be aware to cover up the rebound in the blue paint.

The Spruce Kings' goalie made a great save later in that same penalty kill off a hot shot from the slot by James Robinson.

Prince George also generated its own short-handed scoring chance when Morrissey and Coltyn Hansen broke in two-on-one, but Hansen's saucer pass bounced as Morrissey tried to bat it into the net. On his very next shift Hansen elected to shoot rather than pass on an odd-man rush and beat Barr with a nifty shot at 18:25. Hansen stripped a Langley player of the puck at the Prince George blue-line to start the rush on his unassisted goal.

Playing without Sean Landry (injury) and Jeremiah Luedtke (injury), the Spruce Kings were forced to use a pair of defencemen as forwards on the fourth line. Mitch Eden, who often acts like a fourth forward due to his puck-carrying abilities, didn't look out of place up front and neither did Spencer Schoech. Eden moved back to his traditional spot on the blue line for the third period.

The Spruce Kings and Rivermen complete their nine-game season series at the Castle on Sunday afternoon with a 3 p.m. matinee. There will be a fan skating opportunity after the game.

Vipers Slither Past Spruce Kings In 2OT

Liam Board (28) came back to the Coliseum and led
the Vernon Vipers to a 5-4 win over PG in overtime

The Prince George Spruce Kings entered the final homestand of the regular season seeking consistency heading into the playoffs, but Friday it was inconsistency that was their undoing in a 5-4 double overtime loss to the Vernon Vipers.

The extra session hasn't been friendly to the Spruce Kings all season and they got bitten again Friday at the Coliseum when Brendan Persley converted at 4:23 of the second OT session to give the desperate a Vipers a win. After Bryant Christian charged to the net for the Spruce Kings but was unable to score, Persley led a 3-on-1 rush the other way for Vernon. He faked a pass which froze Spruce Kings goaltender Kirk Thompson and then fired home the game winner.

Although Vernon had the lead three times during regulation, it was Prince George who carried the play much of the game. Yet the home side wasn't able to capitalize on its chances, including a power play in the first overtime period, and lost for the third time in four games to a team who will likely finish the season outside of the playoffs.

Former Spruce King Liam Board, the game's first star, step up the first goal with a strong forecheck in the first period. His work along the boards led to Andrew Tegeler getting the puck alone in front and Tegeler was able to beat Thompson with a quick shot at 4:20.

The Spruce Kings evened the score with a power-play tally at 9:59. Cameron Lawson used speed to gain the zone and set up Justin Rai and Jake LeBrun in front. After a couple of whacks at it, Rai was credited with the goal after knocking the puck up and over Vipers' starter Austin Smith.

The score was tied for less than a shift as Vernon came right back. Board took advantage of a defensive zone break down in the Prince George end and fired a centering pass to Mason Blacklock, who fired home his first of two on the night at 10:28.

The Vipers took that 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but just 1:38 into the second Shayne Morrissey got the Spruce Kings back on even terms when he converted a 3-on-2 with Rai and LeBrun. Morrissey and Rai almost collided as they crossed the blue-line, but LeBrun was patient and when Morrissey got open he dropped the puck back to the trailer and Morrissey's shot snuck past Smith.

Once again the Vipers came right back to take the lead with Persley scoring at 3:08 to give the Vipers their third lead of the hockey game.

Prince George finally got some momentum going in the middle stages of the second with Lyndon Martell and Dairy Queen player of the game Jace Hennig scoring less than a minute apart to give Prince George its first - and only - lead of the game. Martell's goal at 9:03 came off a nice give and go with David Stephens. Kevin Guiltinan also picked up a helper.

Hennig lit the lamp at 10:01 off another nice passing play, Lawson and Christian got the assists on that one.

The Vipers drew even late in the third on a nice individual effort in front of the net by Blacklock. He needed a couple of tries to beat Thompson at 18:28, but his unassisted goal did draw things even.

Neither team was able to muster much of an attack in the third, which brought the game to extra time.

The point for the overtime loss helps the Spruce Kings stay five points ahead of the Langley Rivermen, who will make the trip up to Prince George for a doubleheader to close the weekend. The Spruce Kings can clinch at least third place in the Mainland Division by sweeping Langley on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the Castle.

Spruce Kings Post a 5-3 Win Over Potential First Round Playoff Opponent

Kirk Thompson turned aside 45 shots as the Spruce Kings
post a 5-3 win over Chilliwack on Saturday night.
Photo courtesy Garrett James

What a difference a day can make as the Spruce Kings come up with a solid sixty minute effort against the Chilliwack Chiefs and were rewarded with a 5-3 win. The win came on the heels of a 5-3 loss to the Coquitlam Express one night previously.

After a slow start on Friday night, the Spruce Kings were ready to go Saturday night and came up with a couple of early shifts that generated chances despite not being credited with any shots on goal. That would change a little over five minutes into the open period when Mitch Eden came down the lane and fed a back hander in on the Chiefs goal. Mitch Gillam was able to get a piece of the shot but not enough to stop the puck from finding the inside of the post turning on the goal light at 5:17.

The Spruce Kings held onto the 1-0 lead for less than three minutes before the Chiefs were able to tie the game up at 8:05. Coming in to the game, the Chilliwack Chiefs head coach and general manager figured it was time for a change with the configuration of his top two lines. After the 5-1 loss to the Langley Rivermen on Friday night, Harvey Smyle moved Philip Zielonka off the right wing of the top line and slotted in Trevor Hills with Luke Esposito and Austin Plevy instead.

Hills made the most of his opportunity to play alongside the Chiefs top two goal scorers with a hard play in the offensive zone. From below the goal line, Hills spotted Plevy in the slot and gave the Chiefs sniper the puck who fired a shot through Kirk Thompson for his 30th of the season to tie the game at a goal a-piece. The two teams would trade a handful of shots on goal and a couple of high percentage scoring chances but the first period would end with the teams tied 1-1.

In the opening period the Spruce Kings came out hitting everything and as the first period came to an end the Chiefs defenceman Cooper Rush showed some of his frustration after being hit three separate times by Justin Rai. Giving up 9 inches and over 50 pounds to the NHL Central Scouting ranked player, Rai showed that he wasn't afraid to get in their and cause problems for the tall defenceman and the Chiefs as a whole.

It was more of the same in the second period with the teams trading chances until Cameron Lawson was able to break in on the Chilliwack Chiefs goaltender and let go a wrist shot that caught Mitch Gillam on the side of the exposed area the netminder's net. The puck fell down and rolled over the goal line as Gillam hit the ice in obvious discomfort. Lawson's 21st goal of the season gave the Spruce Kings a 2-1 lead but didn't give Prince George an opportunity to take the momentum that should have come as a result of a go-ahead goal. Instead the energy was sucked out of the building as everybody's attention turned to the Chiefs number netminder who lay on the ice and was attended to for almost three minutes before finally being able to regain composure and resume play.

As the play continued, it was the Chilliwack Chiefs that tried to rally around their goaltender and perhaps the Spruce Kings were guilty of not possessing a killer instinct as they didn't test the Gillam for some time with a hard shot or a high shot for the rest of the second period. The Spruce Kings did hold onto their one goal lead through to the BCHL time out but on return from that one minute timeout Chilliwack Chiefs forward Luke Esposito showed some speed and blew by a pair of Spruce Kings as he went through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone before whipping a shot from the right side face off circle that found the five hole on Thompson to tie the game 2-2 with nine minutes remaining int he second period.

The Spruce Kings would take a third lead on the Chilliwack Chiefs just as the scoreclock hit the one minute remaining mark. Shayne Morrissey from the left corner while on the goal line fired a shot in on Mitch Gillam that found the leg of Chad Staley and hole on the short side to get past Gillam. For Staley that was the rookie's eighth goal of the season and also rewarded Justin Rai for his work in the game with the goal's second assist. Unfortunately that third lead would be short lived as the Chiefs were able to cause some traffic problems down low all the way through the crease for their third tieing goal of the game.

Keifer McNaughton started the play with a point shot from the right side that deflected off Ryan Donohoe. Kirk Thompson made the initial save only to have it batted back towards him while he was down and out by Josh Hansen and then finally by Philip Zielonka who bunted the puck out of the air into the net at 19:31 of the second period. The goal erased the Spruce Kings third lead of the game and allowed the Chiefs to head to their dressing room on even terms with a team that most home team fans would agree were outplaying their opponents.

In the third period the Spruce Kings would find their fourth go-ahead goal of the game on the Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game. Jake LeBrun was able to break up a play in the neutral zone in front of the penalty boxes and knock the puck up to Sean Landrey. Bryant Christian spotted the opportunity to turn it into an odd man rush giving Landrey the option of shooting or passing. Landrey went for the latter and it proved to be the right decision as Christian settled down the puck, hesitated for a split second which was enough to get Gillam to commit leaving the top half of the net open for Christian to pot his tenth of the season.

The goal would stand up as the eventual game winner as the Spruce Kings defence, headed up by Mitch Eden who had one of his best games. In the dying minutes, the Chiefs opted to pull their goaltender for an extra attacker giving the Spruce Kings the opportunity to double their lead with Lyndon Martell getting the puck onto the Coltyn Hansen's stick. The Spruce Kings leading scorer made the smart play gaining the red line before firing a shot into the open net for his 18th of the season at 18:40 of the third period. The Chiefs would try once again to pull their goaltender but as Mark Begert came up with the puck inside the Spruce Kings zone he was able to stare down Gillam and force the netminder to stay on the ice.

For Prince George this win was an important one to pick up as it becomes the team's 24th victory of the season, giving Prince George 56 points with five games remaining before the start of the playoffs. The win was also Kirk Thompson's 23rd of the season which ties a Spruce Kings franchise record for wins in a single season set by Kevin Genoe during the 2008-09 season. Thompson picked up first star honours in the game making 45 saves on 48 shots. On the Spruce Kings broadcast, Mitch Eden picked up the second star while Justin Rai was awarded the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game nod and Bryant Christian was recognized as the Dairy Queen Player of the Game.

It will be a short turnaround for the Spruce Kings now as they will have to be back on the ice at 2pm in Coquitlam and a chance to redeem their Friday night loss while really put the Express in a deep hole who are still in the running for the final playoff spot in the Mainland Division. Please note that the game will not be aired on 93.1 CFIS-FM due to programming conflicts. The Spruce Kings broadcast will air online only with a free audio feed on the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and a pay-per-view feed on FASTHOCKEY.com.

Rivermen Double Up Spruce Kings

Stephen Penner (20) left a lasting impression in his first
BCHL game with a goal and an assist for the Spruce Kings

The Prince George Spruce Kings dug themselves a hole too deep to get out from Thursday night, dropping a 6-3 decision to the Langley Rivermen at the Castle.

The visitors built a 3-0 lead which they extended to 6-1 by the middle of the third before the Spruce Kings clawed back to make a game of it at the end. Despite the score, Prince George actually outshot Langley 49-22 - including 28-5 in the second period alone - but couldn't get enough pucks past James Barr.

The loss means the Spruce Kings were unable to make up ground on Chiliwack for second place in the Mainland Division, still trailing them by six points. Langley has now closed within six points of the Spruce Kings for third place.

Mario Puskarich, the leading scorer in the BCHL, did the most damage scoring three goals for Langley, all on the power play.

He opened the scoring at 3:23 of the first, splitting the Spruce Kings defence and getting to a loose puck in front just before Prince George goalie Kirk Thompson could cover it up. Mark Whiteley and Tanner Johnson got the helpers.

Puskarich had a great chance to add to that three minutes later, breaking in on a 2-on-0 short-handed break but this time it was Thompson who was quick enough to get across his crease and make a big pad save.

The sniper couldn't be contained for long as he scored his second power-play goal at 15:25 of the first after a weird bounce off the face-off went to him at the side of the net. Evan Campbell and James Robinson got the assists.

Mitch McLain made it 3-0 at 16:15, banging home a rebound off a Derek Sutliffe shot. Nathan Craft also got an assist.

Down 3-0, the Spruce Kings came out hard in the second, but it was Langley who scored first. Evan Campbell took a feed from Austin Azurdia, got past a defenceman and slid a puck five-hole on Thompson. That was it for the Spruce Kings starter, who was pulled after allowing four goals on 13 shots. Liam McLeod came on in relief.

Prince George finally got on the board at 12:20 as Bryant Christian scored from the slot just as a Langley penalty expired to make it 4-1. Mark Begert and Cameron Lawson got the assists.

Langley extended its lead in the third, first McLain from Sutliffe and Whitely at 5:18 and then Puskarich from Jakob Reichert and Whiteley at 9:13. Puskarich was named the game's first star with his three goals and Whiteley, who had three helpers was named the third star. Barr took second star honours after making 46 saves.

The Spruce Kings did score a pair late, first Cameron Lawson breaking down the right wing short-handed was able to get one past Barr at 12:17, with assists going to Coltyn Hansen and Stephen Penner.

Then Penner, an affiliate player, scored his first BCHL goal at 15:42 with a blast from the point. Shayne Morrissey and Trevor Esau got the assists.

Penner's strong play, especially in the second half of the game as he got more ice time earned him Dairy Queen player of the game honours. Fellow blue-liner Mark Begert was named the Fortis Energy player of the game.

The Spruce Kings and Rivermen play again Friday night as the Castle at 7 p.m.

Spruce Kings Soar Past Eagles

Liam Blackburn (24) was called up from the Cariboo Cougars
and notched his first in the BCHL

The Surrey Eagles may be the Mainland Division leaders, but the Prince George Spruce Kings sure have their number so far this year.

For the fourth time in seven meetings the Spruce Kings came out victorious, decisively defeating the Eagles 4-1 at the Castle on Thursday night.

Lyndon Martell had a goal and an assists and Cameron Lawson chipped in with three helpers as the Spruce Kings improved their record against the Eagles to four wins and three overtime losses. Chad Staley and Liam Blackburn also scored for the home side, while Kirk Thompson turned aside 31 shots to earn Treasure Cove Casino first star honours. Martell, the Dairy Queen player of the game, got things started with a power-play goal at 9:07 of the opening period. His blast from the point appeared to hit something and front and fool Michael Sanatguida in the Eagles net. Jake LeBrun and Lawson picked up the assists.

Just over a minute later the Spruce Kings doubled their lead as Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke broke in 2-on-2. Staley tried a drop pass to Luedtke, but the winger fanned on his first shot attempt. The puck bounced right back on Staley's stick and he lifted it over Santaguida at 10:31. Skylar Pacheco also picked up an assist.

The Eagles got one back in the second period when their most dangerous player on the night Brady Shaw capitalized. He came in on a rush, cut to the middle of the ice and fired a shot past Thompson - the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect night for the Spruce Kings' ace. Thompson had played spectacularly well against the Eagles this season, with both his shutouts coming against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings weathered a strong second period by the Eagles and carried a 2-1 lead into the third. Using all four lines all game, Prince George appeared to have more jump in the final stanza and it paid off on the scoreboard.

First sniper Shayne Morrissey restored the two-goal lead with the help of Lawson and Mark Begert at 8:26. Then Blackburn, a member of the midget triple-A Cariboo Cougars and one of three affiliate players in the Spruce Kings lineup, scored his first BCHL goal at 10:21. Santaguida made a save on a Lawson shot, but Blackburn dug out the rebound and fired it in the net. Blackburn was named the game's second star.

The game got chippy in the third and the Spruce Kings were awarded ample power play time in the dying minutes which allowed them to control possession and run out the clock.

Captain Trevor Esau was named the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game for his steady - and physical - play patrolling the Spruce Kings blue-line.

The Spruce Kings are back on the ice on Friday night when the Nanaimo Clippers make their first and only regular season visit to the Castle this year.

Hansen Hat Trick Powers Spruce Kings Past Express

Cameron Lawson (7) celebrates Shayne Morrissey's
eventual game winning goal

The Prince George Spruce Kings offence got back in gear and the team snapped a three-game losing streak Saturday night with a 5-3 win over the Coquitlam Express at the Castle.

A pair of first-period goals by Coltyn Hansen got things started and he added an empty-netter to finish things off with a hat trick. In between the Shayne Morrissey-Cameron Lawson combination clicked for a pair early in the third as the Spruce Kings built a three-goal lead and hung on for the win.

With the Spruce Kings leading 2-1 through 40 minutes, Lawson and Morrissey both scored in the first six minutes of the third to put the game out of reach.

First Lawson broke into the Express zone, but was stopped by a Coquitlam defender. Morrissey, the trailer, corralled the loose puck and his shot hit Lawson as it made its way past Cole Huggins in the Express net.

A few shifts later, Morrissey was credited with a goal after a Coquitlam player put the puck in his own net. The goal came after a nice rush by the Spruce Kings' top scoring line, with assists going to Lawson and Trevor Esau.

Will Cook scored twice to get the Express back within one, but Spruce Kings goalie Kirk Thompson shut the door from that point on to preserve the lead. The first goal off a face off in the Prince George end and the second on a rush with just 1:45 remaining in the third.

Hansen iced it with an empty-net goal.

Hansen got the Spruce Kings on the board on the very first rush on the very first shift of the game. After Jace Henig's shot went wide, the rebound off the end boards came right to Hansen and he deposited the puck into the open net just 34 seconds into the game. Mark Begert also picked up an assist.

Ben Israel got the Express back on even terms with a perfectly placed wrist shot off a two-on-two rush. Israel crossed the blue-line on the left wing, moved across to the right slot and shot back across his body catching Thompson going the wrong way.

Hansen restored the Spruce Kings lead before the first period was out and once again he found himself in position where all he had to do was put a puck into an open net. This time Hansen got help from Mitch Eden who passed it to Lyndon Martell in the high slot, Martell quickly slid it over to Hansen just off the left wing boards. The quick puck movement was too fast for Huggins, and Hansen fired it home.

With the two tallies, Hansen has tied Tyson Witala for second on the team with 14. Lawson scored his 15th of the year Saturday to take sole possession of the team lead.

Thompson finished the game with 38 saves - including a few of the acrobatic variety - to notch his 19th win of the season. Huggins stopped 27 pucks in a losing cause.

The Spruce Kings have won all five meetings against the Express so far this year, but Coquitlam will try to change that when the two teams meet again for a Sunday matinee at the Castle. Puck drop is 3 p.m.

Sorry

Bryant Christian (11) winning a faceoff draw against Luke Esposito,
Christian had a fantastic game against the Chiefs top line

It would seem that the Spruce Kings at least had two points picked from their grasp as time was winding down in Friday night's divisional matchup with the Chiefs. In the end Chilliwack was able to capitalize on two marginal penalty calls, one in the final two minutes and one in overtime, to defeat Prince George 3-2 in extra time.
Penalties would really be the difference in this game as all five goals were scored with a player sitting in the penalty box, four of them when Prince George was short a man. The Chilliwack Chiefs opened the scoring just 15 seconds into their first powerplay of the game after Karan Toor was called for the trip. The Chiefs would finish the first period 1 for 2 with the man advantage while the Spruce Kings went 0 for 2 in their chances.
To start the second period the Spruce Kings were the recipient of two overlapping calls against the Chiefs putting Prince George on a two man advantage for 1:27. Just as the first penalty expired and the penalized player stepped onto the ice, Lyndon Martell pulled the Spruce Kings even with his six of the season. The shot came from just off the faceoff circle and blew past Mitch Gilliam just off the inside of the far goal post.
The Spruce Kings would kill off their next two penalties in the second period and the Chiefs their lone infraction leaving the teams tied 1-1 after two periods of play. The Spruce Kings were full value for their effort on Friday night coming out fast against the Chilliwack Chiefs and building on their chances. At times the speed of the Spruce Kings seemed almost too much for the home team to handle, such was the case in the third period.
In the final period the Spruce Kings were called for three penalties. The first one was a hooking call against Cameron Lawson, who must have thought he was playing in a phone booth all night as the Chiefs stuck to him like glue and didn't give him much room to work with. The Spruce Kings killed off the penalty and seemed to be building momentum when they were caught with too many men on the ice.
What should have taken the wind out of the sails for Prince George and provide Chilliwack with the opportunity they needed turned the other way. On a great defensive play at the right point Coltyn Hansen stole the puck from the Chiefs defenceman, played it off the wall to centre ice and with a burst of speed picked up the puck in full flight through the middle. Flying down the left side wall, Hansen teed up the puck deep in the faceoff circle and let go a howitzer that handcuffed Gilliam finding the far side of the net on the glove side.

All five goals were odd-man situations

The goal was an unbelievable snipe coming off a show of incredible speed by the twenty year old vet and gave the Spruce Kings a huge lift on the bench. Prince George killed off that penalty and looked to have the game in hand when everything turned around them and the referee made a series of decision that impacted the game when maybe they shouldn't have.
There are marginal calls made in just about every game, sometimes they are actual calls and sometimes they are non-calls. There is an old-school belief that in the late stages of a game and especially overtime that the whistles should be put away. We know that isn't always the case and it certainly wasn't that way on this night. But what makes the whole thing even more unbelievable is that the referee making the calls apologized to the Spruce Kings bench for two of them when Prince George still had the 2-1 lead.
The first questionable call came against Kevin Guiltinan as he tried to stay close to his man and went to poke the puck away from the Chiefs forward. Spencer Grabowski moved the puck to the wall at the same time that Guiltinan's stick went for the poke check, Grabowski as much stepped on the stick as anything and went down bringing up the referee's arm. After the call was made, the official went over to the bench and apologized saying that maybe that wasn't a penalty after all.
Okay, fair enough, but we've all heard of the make up call to correct a mistake, right? In a battle for the puck that ended up seeing Lyndon Martell hooked just behind the play and go down, there was no call made and seconds later the Chilliwack Chiefs scored the tying goal. Again the referee came over to the bench and explained that although he saw Martell on the ice he couldn't be sure how that whole play developed.
A perfect chance to even things up, never was. If there was a penalty call made the play would have stopped, the faceoff would have gone down into the Chiefs end of the ice, Gilliam would have had to stay in the net and there would be one minute for the Spruce Kings to kill off to claim the win. As it was the teams would now head to overtime tied 2-2 instead.
In the extra time the Spruce Kings best player on the night was called for a hook after lifting his stick up against a Chiefs player and barely making contact. The Chiefs forward still got the pass he wanted towards the net and the shot on goal that Kirk Thompson turned aside. But the call was made putting Bryant Christian in the penalty box, giving the Chiefs a 4-on-3 to finish out the game with. The play allowed the newly acquired Phillip Zielonka to play the overtime hero on an ugly goal that flipped up and over Thompson.
The Spruce Kings were rightfully sour afterwards and a show of support from the Spruce Kings fans as well as the Chiefs fans indicated that a lot of people believed that the Spruce Kings were denied a win that they deserved. Either way, Prince George will have to put this behind them and look forward to their next game - Saturday night against the Coquitlam Express.
The Express are coming off an overtime win against the Merritt Centennials and will be looking to keep that rolling against Prince George. Game time is 7pm with the game broadcast on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and FASTHOCKEY.com.

Spruce Kings Nip Back at the Bulldogs

Kirk Thompson (1) made some unbelievable saves tonight
helping the Spruce Kings post their first win of 2013

The Prince George Spruce Kings picked up their first win in 2013 on goals from Justin Rai and Tyson Witala and more stellar goaltending from Kirk Thompson. In a much better effort from the previous night, the Spruce Kings did everything they were asked to do in a 2-1 win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs to improve to 18-11-1-5 on the season.

The game was extremely close from the opening puck drop to the final buzzer as the two teams traded shots and scoring chances. The Bulldogs were first on the board after Hunter Stewart found himself on the doorstep with the puck fed out from behind the net. The Bulldogs carried that one goal lead to the dressing room with them but it didn't last for long once play resumed in the second period.

After a Bulldogs defenceman blew a tire and coughed up the puck in his zone to Justin Rai, the rookie made no mistake with a beautiful move in the deep slot. Rai found the puck with nobody around just inside the blue line and carried it right down the middle going from his backhand to his forehand on the top of the crease. As the goaltender opened up to push from one side to the other, Rai slid the puck through the five hole for his tenth of the season and the Spruce Kings first of 2013.

The goal changed the complexion of the game adding confidence to a Spruce Kings bench that had been struggling to find positives just a night ago. The Bulldogs on the ensuing shift tried to get their one goal lead back but were denied by the goaltending of Kirk Thompson which was solid again tonight. On more than one occasion players and fans were left in half cheer shaking their heads at another rob job by the twenty year old netminder.

Thompson's performance on the night earned him the number one star status and following the game a polite and respectful round of applause when his name was announced and he skated out onto the ice. Things might have been different for Thompson and the Spruce Kings had it not been for a head's up play in the neutral zone during the third period that led to the game's winning goal.

Following a series of failed attempts by either team to gain the offensive zone, Cameron Lawson dug a puck out from a pair of skates and flipped it along the boards to Coltyn Hansen who carried it into the Bulldogs end of the ice. Hansen then spotted Tyson Witala coming down the middle after getting free along the blue line. During the afternoon video session, coach Dave Dupas pointed out times where the Spruce Kings had failed to do just that and reminded them that somebody should always be going to the net.

Witala received the pass from Hansen and had time to think about his next move as he brought it in between the faceoff circles. With one quick move, Witala launched a shot that beat Jay Deo and gave the Spruce Kings their first lead of the game. The goal was Witala's 14th of the season coming with more than fourteen minutes still remaining in regulation time - more than enough time for either team to score again.

The Spruce Kings did get a few more chances but the best chance of the third was saved for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Sprung on a two-on-one Evan Tironese headed down the left side with Manny Gialedagis on the right side. A quick pass through the slot above the crease was received and fired towards the net. Diving across from one side of the net to the other, Kirk Thompson made the game saving stop off a sure goal from arguable the best player on the ice for the Bulldogs aside from their netminder.

In the dying minutes, the Spruce Kings would get a couple more chances with the Bulldogs net empty but neither long distance attempt made it leaving the score as it was since the Witala goal. The Spruce Kings posted their first victory of 2013 and completed the sweep of the Bulldogs after the 6-3 win in the Coliseum on October 26.

The scene will now shift for the Prince George Spruce Kings to Nanaimo and their first game of the season against the host team of the Western Canadian Cup - a tournament pitting the champions of the four western provinces against each other for a berth into the RBC Royal Bank Cup. The Clippers are coming off of a narrow victory of their own after downing the Powell River Kings 3-2 on Saturday night. Sunday's game is a 3pm start with the game being broadcast only online.

For the free online audio broadcast, check out the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and the pay-per-view feed will be available on FASTHOCKEY.com. Following the game the Spruce Kings will head home to get ready for their next set of game - a pair on the road against the Chilliwack Chiefs and the Coquitlam Express next weekend.

Lawson is a Crusader

Cameron Lawson (7) Commits to the Crusaders

Late last night I learned that Cameron Lawson committed to the College of the Holy Cross making him the fourth player with the Spruce Kings to secure a NCAA Division I scholarship. This is the goal of a vast majority of players in the BCHL and it is nice to see him get his just before Christmas.

The Spruce Kings have long prided themselves on the personal successes of their players and Cameron becomes the latest in an ever growing list of players to see their junior careers graduate to the collegiate level. The College of the Holy Cross is located in Massachusetts and offers 27 majors in the fields of science and mathematics, humanities, social science, and arts.

The Spruce Kings office put out a media release to announce the scholarship.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRINCE GEORGE, BC – The Prince George Spruce Kings of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) are proud to announce the scholarship commitment of Cameron Lawson to the College of the Holy Cross and the Crusaders men’s hockey team. The College of the Holy Cross is a NCAA Division I school located in Worchester, Massachusetts.

Cameron Lawson, an off-season acquisition of the Prince George Spruce Kings, is a 19 year-old forward from Vancouver, BC. Currently sitting in the top three among the team leaders with twenty points, Lawson has scored twelve goals and eight assists so far this season.

"We are very happy for Cameron," said Spruce Kings General Manager, Mike Hawes. "He has been everything we had hoped for when we acquired him last summer. He's a good, hard working player, a tremendous young man, a great teammate and an excellent student who is very deserving of this scholarship."

"This is a great opportunity for me," said Cameron Lawson. "They showed interest in me very early on this season. I feel I will be getting lots of ice time and the opportunity to study in a very good school."

Lawson becomes the fourth Spruce Kings player this season with a NCAA Division I scholarship along with Coltyn Hansen, Jace Hennig and Kevin Guiltinan.

For more information contact the Spruce Kings office at 250.564.1747.

Weekend Sweep Pushes Spruce Kings Up Standings

Kirk Thompson (1) with one of his many sensational saves

The Prince George Spruce Kings officially have their mojo back.

After a five-game losing skid saw them dip as low as fourth place in the Mainland Division, the Spruce Kings completed a perfect weekend with a 4-1 win over the Coquitlam Express on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. It was the team's third win in as many days for the Spruce Kings and second straight over their divisional rivals.

The three wins, combined with some losses by others in the Mainland Division, have pushed the Spruce Kings into a second-place tie with the Surrey Eagles. Both teams are four points back of division-leading Chilliwack.

It didn't take long for the Spruce Kings to carry over the momentum from Saturday night's 6-4 win over the Express. Just 25 seconds into the game Sean Landrey finished off a play set up by Bryant Christian and Jake LeBrun.

Two goals just over a minute apart midway through the second period by the team's top goal scorers, gave the Spruce Kings a 3-0 lead and control of the game. First Cameron Lawson came streaking down the right wing and fired a shot passed Express starter Cole Huggins at 8:25, with Kevin Guiltinan and Skylar Pacheco picking up the helpers. Just 64 seconds later Mark Begert found Tyson Witala with a stretch pass down the left wing and he lifted a shot over Huggins shoulder. Witala's tally allowed him to retake the team goal-scoring lead from Lawson; Witala has 14 on the year to Lawson's 13.

That was it for Huggins, who was replaced by Daniel Urbani after giving up three goals on 20 shots.

The Express did get one back in the second period as Philip Zielonka had a couple of whacks at a rebound, before finally beating Kirk Thompson on the third attempt. John Siemer picked up the only assist.

Thompson, the Treasure Trove Casino first star, excelled for the Spruce Kings making 39 saves including many of the spectacular variety. With the Spruce Kings leading 1-0 early in the second period, Thompson made his save of the game coming across the crease to rob Justin Georgeson who had a one-timer all set up. In the third he made an acrobatic save off a second-chance attempt by Zielonka, somehow stretching to get his leg on the puck.

Thompson also got some help from his defencemen, with Trevor Esau sliding to break up a 3-on-1 late in the second period. Esau, along with defence partner Karan Toor, were tasked with shutting down the Express' top line and did a marvelous job. Toor was rewarded with the Dairy Queen player of the game award.

The Shayne Morrissey-Coltyn Hansen-Jace Hennig line generated some great chances in the first period, but were held off the score sheet until the third when Hansen skated behind the net, found Morrissey stationed at the side of the net and the sniper buried his 11th of the year. Hennig also picked up an assist on the goal which came at 8:25 and restored the three-goal advantage.

Hennig was named the game's second star an Christian was the third star. Landrey was named the Fortis Energy player of the game.

It was the only goal the Spruce Kings scored on Urbani, who made 19 saves in relief of Huggins.

After the game, fans took to the ice for the skate with the Spruce Kings promotion at the Coliseum.

The Spruce Kings now have eight straight road games ahead of them spread out over the next five weeks, including stops next weekend in Victoria, Cowichan Valley and Surrey, the team's final three games before the Christmas break. The Spruce Kings aren't back in the Castle until Jan. 18, when Chilliwack comes north for a pair.

Spruce Kings Extend Winning Streak To Five

Liam McLeod (35) was instrumental in the Spruce Kings win
Friday night and picked up his first win in the BCHL
(photo courtesy LG Photography)

Even by Latrell Charleson's strict definition, the Prince George Spruce Kings are on a winning streak.

The Spruce Kings won their fifth straight game Friday night, downing the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs 6-3 at the Coliseum. Prior to the game Charleson, a Spruce Kings defencemen tweeted that four wins could be a fluke, but five is a streak.

The fifth straight win came thanks to what's become a staple of the 2012-13 Spruce Kings - offence from up and down the lineup and excellent goaltending. The six goals came from five different players on three different lines and with Kirk Thompson getting a well deserved night off between the pipes rookie Liam McLeod recorded his first BCHL win with a 34-save effort and was named Treasure Cove Casino first star.

The Spruce Kings scored within the first three minutes of each period and never trailed during the game.

Alberni Valley was actually taking the play to the Spruce Kings in the early going of the first period but Bryant Christian opened the scoring for Prince George at 2:34 - albeit against the run of play. He took a feed from FortisBC Energy Player of the Game Sean Landrey and bolted down the wing firing a shot over the glove of Bulldogs starter Brad Rebagliati. Brad Ryan also picked up an assist.

The lead was shortlived as just 50 seconds later Jared Wilson's long shot beat a screened McLeod to even the score at 1-1.

The Spruce Kings took the lead for good late in the first as Cameron Lawson tipped in Brad Ryan's point shot on the power play at 18:05. Lawson was a game time decision with a lower-body injury, but it didn't seem to slow him down as he was force all three periods and garnered second star honours.

The Spruce Kings added to their lead early in the second as Shayne Morrissey used his great hands to bang home a shot from a sharp angle at the side of the net at 2:23. Liam Board and Skylar Pacheco provided the assists.

The 3-1 lead held through two periods, but just 1:09 into the third Tyson Witala made it a three-goal lead with a controversial tally. After a shot by Lyndon Martell was stopped and juggled by Rebagliati, Witala crashed the crease, found the loose puck and deposited it past the goalie just as he was deposited on top of the goalie.

The goal was immediately ruled good by the official behind the net, but it took a lengthy discussion by the four men in stripped shirts to confirm it would stand. Martell and Coltyn Hansen got the helpers.

The Bulldogs rallied in the middle stages of the third, scoring twice in a three-minute period to get back within a goal. First the game's third star Ryan Lough beat McLeod with a power-play goal the Prince George netminder didn't have a chance on at 6:13. Then at 9:05, McLeod got a piece - but not a big enough piece - of Evan Tironese's shot as the puck trickled in.

The rookie netminder shut the door from there and got a pair of insurance markers from Hansen, the College Heights Dairy Queen player of the game.

Hansen made a nice individual effort at 12:33, cutting out from the corner, beating a defenceman and Rebagliati to restore the two-goal cushion. Rebagliati finished the night with 30 saves.

Hansen added another goal into an empty net at 19:09.

With the win the Spruce Kings improved to 10-4-1-1 and kept pace with Chilliwack for first place in the Mainland Division.

The Spruce Kings are back in action on Saturday night when the West Kelowna Warriors visit the Castle.

A Win in the Express Lane

Coltyn Hansen (10) drives hard to the net
on the Spruce Kings first goal scored by Matthew Bissett

Who needs to carry a lead for the most of the game? Certainly not the Spruce Kings this past weekend when they posted a pair of wins with a combined lead time of 1:19. That time was posted on Saturday night when the Spruce Kings erased a 1-0 deficit early in the third period and then scored again late to capture two points in a 2-1 win over the Coquitlam Express.

Twenty four hours after posting a 5-4 win in overtime after answering four one goal deficits to the Langley Rivermen in a game they never led at all, the Spruce Kings were back at in Coquitlam against the 13th best team in the nation. The Express went with a fast paced game plan that seemed to catch the Spruce Kings by surprise and left them in their own end for much of the first half of the period.

The Spruce Kings would start to claw back with chances and shots as the period wore on but it would be another pressure attack by the Express that would open the scoring at exactly the 16 minute mark. The Express were able to force a turnover inside the Spruce Kings end while still setup on the attack. The puck came back to Beau Orser on the right point who stepped off the wall and snapped a rising shot through a screen in front of Kirk Thompson. The puck may have hit something on its way as it found the space between the shoulder and the cross bar to turn the goal light on.

Despite what the fanzone shows on the BCHL website, the shots were even after twenty minutes at 13 a-piece. In the second period the Spruce Kings were able to respond to the speed and passing of the Coquitlam Express and would start creating more quality scoring chances of their own. The best came midway through the second period when Coltyn Hansen burst in over the blue line and fired a shot labeled for the far side that Cole Huggins was just able to get a blocker on.

The second period would solve nothing and the teams would again return to the dressing rooms with the home team holding onto their 1-0 lead. Prince George would pick up in the third where they left off in the second period and it would be an unlikely player that would put the Spruce Kings on the board 95 seconds into the final frame.

With all the injuries on the Spruce Kings roster over the past couple of weeks, the team opted to go with an affiliate player in the lineup for Saturday's game. Matthew Bissett showed up fresh off a 4-2 win from the night before where he was instrumental scoring twice and adding an assist for the Ridge Meadow Flames. Bissett came in eager to go and showed promise early earning a regular shift with lots of ice time alongside Hansen and Ryan Keis.

In an amazing display of speed Hansen flew down the right side wall in front of both benches causing whiplash as the players turned their heads to watch the twenty year old turn an Express defenceman inside out as he cut hard to the net. Hansen was stopped on the play but the puck came out to the top of the crease for Bissett to snap home his first goal in the BCHL and pull the Spruce Kings even with their opponents.

The goal energized a bench that believes fully in themselves and despite so many setbacks have always shown a never give up approach on every shift. The Spruce Kings continued to pressure the Coquitlam Express who continued to get chances of their own only to be turned aside every time by Kirk Thompson.

One line that seemed to be getting chances but no luck on the night was the line of Cameron Lawson, Shayne Morrissey and Liam Board. The trio had glorious scoring opportunities and would have had multiple points each had it not been for sticks in the lanes and the iron goal posts. One night after the hockey gods redeemed Mitch Eden they came to game again this time for the top line.

Certainly nobody can say that the Spruce Kings don't work hard every shift and this shift was a perfect example of that as all three players worked at getting the puck to the net. Just before the puck was poked under Huggins, all three were within a stick length of the crease. The last player to touch it was Lawson who scored his eighth of the season at 18:41 giving the Spruce Kings their first lead of the game.

Most of the remaining 1:19 was played all on the Spruce Kings side of the ice. Having already learned the hard way that you don't ease up no matter how much or how little time remains on the clock, the Spruce Kings called a timeout after an icing just to give the players on the ice a breather and a reminder. Two more blocked shots later and the buzzer would sound and the Spruce Kings would skate away with the first set of two points against the Coquitlam Express.

The teams will play each other another seven times this season with the next matchup coming up in December when the Express come to Prince George for a double header on December 8th and 9th. The Spruce Kings will now turn their attention to a pair of games in the Coliseum this weekend starting with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Friday night followed by the West Kelowna Warriors on Saturday night.

On Friday night, fans will have a chance to win tickets to see Ceasar Milan in Prince George on November 11th and on Saturday night the Spruce Kings will be recognizing Women's Health and honouring Breast Cancer Awareness Month with their Pink in the Rink game. The Canadian Cancer Society will be on hand to share information and give out prizes and fans will have a chance to win more tickets to see Ceasar Milan as well as Charlie Daniels.

Mitch Eden Scores Overtime Winner

Sean Landrey (18) heads over to start the celebration of
Mitch Eden's overtime winning goal vs the Langley Rivermen
photo courtesy Garrett James Photography

Call it a goal the hockey gods felt they owed Mitch Eden if you like, but for sure the goal changed things for the Spruce Kings on Friday night. In a game that the visitors never led in, it was Eden that buried the overtime winner giving the Spruce Kings a 5-4 victory over the Langley Rivermen.

The Spruce Kings found themselves down a goal four times on the night, answering back every time before finally skating away with the two points. The first goal came from Matt Ustaski just five minutes in giving the Rivermen their first lead of the game. That lead lasted 6:28 before Coltyn Hansen was given a gift and made no mistake burying his fourth of the season to tie the game 1-1 at 12:22.

The score and the shots were extremely close after twenty minutes with the Spruce Kings having a slight 14-13 advantage on shots and a 4-2 lead on scoring chances. One of the best may have been Jake LeBrun standing on the far side of the crease waiting for a pass out of the corner from Hansen. The puck ended up going off the toe of LeBrun's stick and the rookie couldn't find the puck in time for a shot on goal.

Sean Landrey also had a glorious scoring opportunity as he was sent in all alone and used a forehand-backhand move to slide the puck to the far side only to watch it go off the toe of the netminder. Other scoring chances would come from Hansen and Cameron Lawson who was drawing a crowd every time he touched the puck.

In the second period it was the Langley Rivermen again that scored first when Mario Puskarich finished off a 2-on-1 play putting the puck off the goal post and in past Kirk Thompson. That lead would last 4:24 before the Cascade Express Line went to work scoring a baseball like goal off the stick of Justin Rai. Jeremiah Luedtke started the play getting the puck behind the net for Chad Staley who bunted the puck up to the slot and a waiting Rai who swung at the puck in mid air, batting it into the net for his fifth of the season.

The second period would end with the teams tied 2-2 on the score clock and 26-26 on the shot clock. A total of four goal posts were also hit that never counted as shots but could have opened this game right up. The first was Trevor Cope who found himself in all alone on Thompson and ran the goal post on the blocker side. The other three all came on one Spruce Kings power play. Cameron Lawson found iron and then Shayne Morrissey rang a shot of both posts on the same shift.

In the third period, the Spruce Kings suffered two big setbacks beginning with a bad luck goal that saw Ryan Keis swat the puck into his own net. The Spruce Kings would get that one back when Justin Rai would score his second of the night and sixth of the season unassisted. Before that goal could be counted, the Langley Rivermen skated down the ice on a 3-on-2 finishing the tic-tac-toe play with a tap in on the far side of the net for Ben Greiner.

That lead would last the longest for the Rivermen as they held off the Spruce Kings for over 10 minutes including a full two minutes while Prince George was on their third man advantage of the game. Sixteen seconds after a penalty to Trevor Cope for holding onto Landrey, Hansen would come out of the corner and fight his way through traffic to slip the puck past James Barr and off the inside of the far goal post.

There were some nervous times for both teams in the dying minutes of regulation with both teams getting glorious chances to end the game before overtime. Both Thompson and Barr were sharp on the night and were able to get the game to extra time with Barr having the harder time. After sixty minutes the Spruce Kings were out shooting Langley by a 39-33 margin.

In the first overtime period and perhaps a little surprisingly or perhaps as recognition for their hard work through the game, Dave Dupas send Bryant Christian and Sean Landrey over the wall. The pair would find the puck and take it on a scoring chance. Landrey started the play only to have his shot stopped and turned aside but in the confusion of bodies looking for the loose puck it was the trailer on the play that would find it.

Mitch Eden had just come over the boards himself and followed the play into the offensive zone. Seeing the puck laying there, Eden picked it up and fired it over the bodies and the goaltender to score his second of the season and give the Spruce Kings their second overtime win of the season against the Langley Rivermen.

The goal keeps the offensive defenceman at the top of the Spruce Kings leader board with 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points. After the game, Spruce Kings assistant coach, Brad Rihela said he wasn't superstitious at all but felt it was the hockey gods rewarding Eden for his hard work all season and for being the player victimized the last time these two teams met.

The Spruce Kings poured off the bench afterwards with absolute elation reigning supreme. After everything the team has been through with the bus going off the road and the long list of injured players, the win was a sweet one. The Spruce Kings will now prepare for their first meeting of the season against the Coquitlam Express, a team that sat idle on Friday night. The game goes at 7pm from the Poirier Sport & Leisure Complex in Coquitlam.

Thompson, Spruce Kings Blank Eagles

Kirk Thompson was sharp in net
picking up his second BCHL career shutout

Kirk Thompson made 18 of his 38 saves in the third period to back stop the Prince George Spruce Kings to a 3-0 win Saturday night over the Surrey Eagles at the Coliseum.

The veteran Spruce Kings netminder came up big early in the final stanza, making 12 saves in the first 10 minutes to preserve a second straight home-ice win for Prince George. Perhaps his biggest stop came off the stick of Trevor Cameron early in the period, making a pair of saves down low and preserving the momentum for the Spruce Kings.

As good as he was, Thompson also got some help from his goal posts a couple of times - first off a Thompson deflection in the first period and again in the second when Brandon Morley jumped on a turnover deep in the Spruce Kings end and rung one off the iron. Thompson had to react quickly on the latter play and Morley collected the rebound off the crossbar and fired another shot, but the Spruce Kings goalie shut the door.

The Spruce Kings got all their offence in the first two periods, with the top line accounting for all three goals. Cameron Lawson opened the scoring with his first of two in the first period, converting a perfectly executed two-on-one with Shayne Morrissey. Morrissey waited for the Eagles defender to commit then slid the puck to Lawson who let Eagles goalie Michael Santaguida slide cross-crease before firing a shot back the other way.

Morrissey scored his first BCHL goal in the second period, corralling a puck at the side of the net and firing it past Santaguida for a power-play tally. The Spruce Kings scored just 16 seconds into the man advantage as Mitch Eden's point shot went over the net, but Morrissey nabbed the rebound.

The Spruce Kings extended their lead late in the period as Skyler Pacheco kept the puck in at the blue-line against the run of play and found Lawson in the high slot and his low shot beat Santaguida.

Lawson finished the game with two goals and an assist, while Morrissey had a goal and an assist.

The Eagles outshot the Spruce Kings 38-37, including 18-13 in the final 20 minutes.

The Spruce Kings head on the road next weekend, with divisional games in Langley and Coquitlam. They're next on home ice on Oct. 26 when the Alberni Valley Bulldogs visit the Castle.

Buzzer Beater Stings Spruce Kings

Kirk Thompson (1) talks to Liam McLeod (35)
during a timeout in the game against Langley

In the return to the Langley Events Centre the Spruce Kings came up .3 of a second from picking up any points suffering a 4-3 loss in regulation time to the Langley Rivermen. The game was played on Thanksgiving afternoon, the third game in as many days and the second in a row against the Rivermen.

After allowing three goals in the third period on Saturday night, the Spruce Kings found themselves in the same hole in the first period Sunday afternoon. Going with Liam McLeod between the pipes wasn't a bad decision as the youngster has earned his time between the pipes for the Spruce Kings, but a trio of unfortunate goals made it a short outing for the rookie.

The Rivermen picked up where they left off on Saturday night, coming hard at the Spruce Kings. Early on the visitors seemed to be okay, playing defensively good positional hockey and forcing their opponents to take low percentage shots while making sure their netminder could see the puck.

Coming up with three big glove saves, Liam McLeod was seen with a big smile on his face, but an unfortunate bounce on the very next play would take that smile away and change the complexion of the game. The faceoff would come to the left of the goaltender, Langley would win the draw back to the defenceman on the right point.

Logan Smith fired the point shot in on goal, McLeod made the initial save and as the bodies moved across the top of the crease the puck would come loose. Trevor Cope poked it through the top of the crease sliding it past McLeod where it deflected off the inside of Brad Ryan's skate and into the net. The Rivermen were credited with a fifth shot on goal and a 1-0 lead 2:01 into the first period.

To try and find some chemistry, the Spruce Kings had changed up some of the lines heading into the game. As luck would have it, a miscommunication at the Spruce Kings bench would lead to an extra player on the ice and a bench minor for too many men. The Langley Rivermen would make short order of the man advantage and open a 2-0 lead at 6:16, just 13 seconds after the powerplay started.

Off the ensuing faceoff, Jakob Reichert would work the puck back to the right point for Logan Smith. Again the point man would take a big shot on goal and again McLeod would come up with the save while looking around the screen setup in front. The puck bounced off the netminder landing on Matt Ustaski's stick who wasted no time putting it back into McLeod finding the five hole in the process.

The Spruce Kings called a time out to settle down the troops and it looked like it may have worked with Tyson Witala finding Coltyn Hansen in the middle sending the Spruce Kings leading scorer in on a break away. Logan Smith upended Hansen leading to a penalty shot opportunity.

Hansen picked up the puck at centre ice and carried it in on Hogg and try to pull it away from the goaltender only to have slip off the stick. Hogg got a piece of it before Hansen could recover and even though the puck went into the net the score remained 2-0 in favour of the Langley Rivermen.

The Spruce Kings would get more chances starting with a powerplay when Ustaski was called for charging. The man advantage turned into a two man advantage when Jeremiah Luedtke was caught with a high stick sending Troy Nitsche to the penalty box with a double minor. The two man advantage would be a short one of only 19 seconds with the Spruce Kings getting two shots through on Hogg before the first penalty expired.

The Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game on Saturday night came at the 39 second mark of the third period when Austin Azurdia picked up a puck and broke in all alone while shorthanded. On this night that moment would contain many of the same elements being Azurdia and shorthanded goal as a result of an aggressive penalty kill leading to a break down the ice.

After a Mitch Eden shot from the high slot and a Brad Ryan shot from the top of the faceoff circle, the Rivermen recovered the puck getting it to Austin Azurdia as he moved through the middle of the ice. Azurdia was able to gain the Spruce Kings zone with only one man back. Eden did a good job of taking away the far side of the net, but Azurdia saw just enough daylight on the short side and whistled his fifth of the season past McLeod from the faceoff dot.

The goal put the Spruce Kings down 3-0 with the Rivermen's eleventh shot on McLeod spelling the end of netminder's third start in the BCHL. The Spruce Kings still had 3:30 to work with on the double minor and would end up with yet another two man advantage after Trevor Esau was slashed. The Spruce Kings would work the puck around the Rivermen zone for a full thirty seconds without a shot before the whistle.

It would take a little more patience but finally the Spruce Kings would be able to tee one up and get a shot through on Darren Hogg. From the corner Bryant Christian was able to win a puck battle along the boards getting the puck to Mitch Eden on the top of the right side faceoff circle. Faking the shot and then dishing off to Brad Ryan on the left faceoff circle, the play saw Hogg slide too far off the back post giving Ryan the room he needed for his third of the season.

The goal came at 14:59 of the first period with 37 seconds still remaining in the two man advantage. Unfortunately the Spruce Kings would not get another shot on goal and neither would the Rivermen with both teams finishing the first period with 11 shots each. The second period was more of the same defensive battle with teams struggling for shots early in the period.

In that second period, the Spruce Kings looked to have cut the lead to one with a shot from Tyson Witala that turned on the goal light but left the referee signalling no goal. Collecting a pass from Justin Rai off the boards, Witala was able to skate through the faceoff circle before wristing one on net that deflected off a stick and looked to hit the netting just inside the goal post and fall in the blue paint behind Hogg before being cleared out of the crease.

With the goal light on, the play was allowed to carry on for almost a minute until the next whistle. During that time the Rivermen had a glorious scoring opportunity only to be robbed by the glove of Kirk Thompson who swatted the puck out of mid-air before it could cross the goal line. After the whistle the referee went talk to everybody but the goal judge sticking to his original call of no-goal.

In the third period the Spruce Kings seemed to be gaining momentum in large part from the play from the line combination of Chad Staley, Jeremiah Luedtke and Shayne Morrissey. Add in a high flying Justin Rai, hard working effort from Jake LeBrun and the chances created by Cameron Lawson and the Spruce Kings would find the recipe for a comeback.

From a neutral zone faceoff win, the Spruce Kings would gain the offensive zone on a bit of a broken play that started with Hansen having to fish the puck out of a sticks at the top of the left faceoff circle. The puck would come back to Esau on the left point who would dump it in for Cameron Lawson. The puck would then come to Justin Rai who skated straight to the net.

After an outstanding few games as an AP with the Spruce Kings that earned the Surrey hockey product a full roster spot, Rai had struggled to find his touch around the net. And on his first shot, Hogg was able to get enough of it to deflect behind the net. Rai stayed with the puck and with speed picked it up intent on finding the back of the net which he did with the wrap around attempt at 17:55 of the third period.

Dave Dupas would stay with the line that just scored for the next shift and that move would pay off less than a minute later. On another broken play, Esau was finally able to settle down the puck and carry it in just onside. The Spruce Kings captain would get the puck to Lawson who would take it to the net. This time the puck would come out in front of the crease where Rai was waiting for it to poke it under Hogg.

The Spruce Kings had finally erased that two goal deficit that had been haunting them since the first period. With two minutes remaining and time ticking down fast, it certainly seemed like these two teams were destined for overtime but that would not be the case.

In a bizarre sequence of events with less than twenty seconds remaining, Austin Azurdia and James Robinson would collide with each other just inside the Rivermen's blue line with the puck rolling out into centre ice. The Spruce Kings would fire it deep inside the zone as if resigned to the notion that this game was headed to overtime.

With eleven seconds showing on the clock, Bo Pellah would find the puck behind his own goal line feeding a stretch pass up to Azurdia going through the middle again. With 3.7 seconds showing on the clock, Azurdia crossed the blue line heading down the right side lane. with a flick of the wrist, he was able to sneak the puck through the legs of the Spruce Kings defender picking it up on the other side with time running out.

The Spruce King killer this weekend would have just enough time to collect the puck, regain his balance and flip a snap shot up and over Kirk Thompson's shoulder below the cross bar. The puck would actually cross the plane of the goal line with 1.1 seconds showing on the clock but reaction time from the off ice officials brought the clock down to 0.3 seconds.

Either way the damage was done and the Spruce Kings were robbed of even a single point. Perhaps even more unfortunate for Kirk Thompson was the fact that he gets saddled with the loss allowing one goal against on 19 shots. The Spruce Kings will now head back home to finish out the Thanksgiving weekend before getting back on the ice to prepare for the other royalty in the BCHL - the Powell River Kings - on Friday night and rematch on Saturday with the Surrey Eagles.