The Spruce Kings and Smoke Eaters Square Off

Another weekend set of games, and once again the Castle will be on display as the Spruce Kings will host the Trail Smoke Eaters today and tomorrow. The Spruce Kings are coming into tonight's match up on a high note, having won their last two against Penticton and most recently beating the Silverbacks in Salmon Arm. The Smoke Eaters have had a tough start to the season going 1-5-1 through 7 games, and are currently in a 3 game losing streak. It's another big weekend set between division rivals, and a couple of games that can either shift your season in the right direction, or stall the momentum needed to make a run up the ladder. So, let's preview this weekend's match up between the Smoke Eaters, and your Prince George Spruce Kings.

The Break Down:

The Trail Smoke Eaters have had the Spruce Kings number over these past few years, especially last year. The Smoke Eaters swept Prince George in the season series last year and has won 9 of the past 10 match ups. You have to go back to the 07/08 season to find the last time the Spruce Kings beat the Smokies on home ice. They are hoping to change that this weekend and fans should feel good about their chances. The Spruce Kings are off to a good start to the season, putting together a 3-3-0-1 record through the first 7 games. Aside from a bad game against Penticton, the Spruce Kings have been competitive in every contest and have shown that they can put the puck in the back of the net at any moment. The Smokies only win this season did come away from their own barn, beating the Centennials in Merritt, bringing their road record to 
1-2. The Spruce Kings are 2-2 at the Castle this season, and each time they have hosted a team for a back to back series, they have split the games.

News and Notes:

It looks like Paul De Jersey has found his fit in the BCHL as he currently leads the league in goals scored and points. De Jersey has 11 goals this season, which matches his goal total from his first three seasons. Clayton Chessa leads the Smoke Eaters in scoring with 6 goals and 1 assist. Marcus Beesley has started the last 2 games for the Spruce Kings, winning both. It's not known who will start tonight, but with another back to back set, expect both Beesley and Thompson to start, but the days unknown. Matt Larose has started 6 of the Smokies 7 games going 1-5. While rookie tender Reed Vogt has started 1 game, playing relief in another. It's not known who will get the start tonight, but look for each guy to get a start this weekend. This game will also see a few players square off against their old teams. Ben Matthews and Dylan Tappe played last season with the Smoke Eaters and although most of their old teammates are no longer with the team, it will still be the first time they take on their old squad. For the Smoke Eaters, Clayton McEwan is the only player to ave a link to the Prince George, having played 27 games for the Spruce Kings during the 08/09 and the 09/10 seasons.

Bumps and Bruises:

The Spruce Kings will be without a few players tonight as Jared Crossan (Hand) and Jeff Earnest (Jaw) are still rehabbing injuries. Tyson Witala has sat on the sidelines the past 2 games due to taking a puck off the foot, it's not known if he will lace up the skates tonight or not. Kyle Horseman (Wrist) is the only Smoke Eater who is listed on the BCHL website with an injury at the moment.

Game Time:

The first of this back to back home series in Prince George will start tonight with the puck dropping at 7pm. There are a few different ways for you to catch the game tonight. The best way to check out the game tonight would be to head down to the Prince George Coliseum. If you aren't in Prince George you can watch the webcast on the BCHL website here, or you can listen to the free audio broadcast here. Be sure to check the Facebook page and our twitter for more updates and analysis after tonight's game. Hope to see you at the rink

Go Sprucies!!!!

Are You Kidding Me?!

Michael Colantone scores the game winning goal
at the 69:59.8 mark of the game

That was the line of the night as the Prince George Spruce Kings beat the Penticton Vees in one the best games you'll see all year. It took two periods worth of overtime to settle the score, and even then it came down to the last second, literally. Those in attendance tonight witness a few different lead changes, some brilliant saves and lots of back and forth action throughout the game. Let's recap this amazing game between the Spruce Kings and the Vees.

The first period saw the Spruce Kings jump out on top as Ben Woodley potted his first of the season. Leo Fitzgerald and Chase Golightly chipped in on the first goal as Prince George was out to show that this game was going to be different. Both teams traded chances before Mike Reily of the Vees put a wrap around of off Ben Matthews stick and in. It took just over two minutes for the Vees to snatch back the lead as Fogarty, Depourcq and Benik had a nice little give in go, with Fogarty finishing the job. The period ended with the Vees on top, but the Spruce Kings once again were showing that they didn't come to lay down.

The second period started of great for the home team as Dylan Tappe put home his first of the season just 27 seconds in. Sean Landrey and Ben Woodley got the assists on the play. Then, almost as if Prince George said, anything that you can do we can do better, they scored their third goal just over a minute later. The Spruce Kings top line of Jujhar Khaira, Paul De Jersey and Michael Colantone combined on the play that took the lead for the time being. But the lead wouldn't last for long as the newly committed Notra Dame product Mario Lucia scored to tie things up at three on the power play. The period ended that way as the Vees went into the intermission out shooting Prince George 22-16.

The third period showed us more of the same as both teams traded scoring chances and hits. As talked about before the game, winning the special teams battle was key to victory, and Penticton showed once again that if you take an undisciplined penalty, they will make you pay. Mario Lucia scored his second of the game on the power play from Travis St. Dennis and Connor Reilly. Once again, both teams showed off their offensive brilliance as Beesley and Katunar made some stellar saves to keep their team in it. The Spruce Kings were then blessed with a power play chance late in the third period, and they made no mistake with it, tying the game up with 56 seconds left. It was Paul De Jersey, leading scorer for the Spruce Kings, who had the puck bounce in front of him and put it past Katunar to force overtime.

Obviously with the BCHL overtime rules there is tons of open ice for these skilled players to do their business. The 4 on 4 action was entertaining, but it almost became deadly for Prince George as Esau took a tripping penalty late in the 1st overtime. Beesley played outstanding during this penalty kill as he made many fantastic saves as his team played with just three men. After the penalty the teams went to 3 on 3 for the remainder of the second overtime. The ice was huge, and it seemed to favour the Vees as they used their speed to create multiple chances, but Marcus Beesley was up to the test. Then, we got to see something you rarely get to see as a hockey fan, a penalty shot in overtime. Paul De Jersey was taken down while moving in alone, and because of that, he had the game on his stick at centre ice.

The tension and excitement was building, but De Jersey ended up losing the puck as he deaked to his back hand and it trickled into the corner. It was an anti climactic way for one of the most exciting plays in hockey to end. But, the Prince George fans would not go home disappointed. With 12.6 seconds left, the face off was deep in the Spruce Kings zone, and it seemed the best that they could hope for at that moment was a tie. The Vees won the initial draw, but Jujhar Khaira fought Stecher for the puck at the blue line and ended up pushing it forward. The Spruce Kings Chase Golightly moved up ice on a 2 on 1 with Michael Colantone. They hit centre ice with 3 seconds remaining, and it seemed everyone was thinking the same thing, “Chase, shoot!” Luckily for us, we were wrong as Golightly made the pass to Colantone and he put home the game winner with just .2 seconds remaining in the second overtime. It was an amazing ending to an incredible game.

They were many players who had outstanding games, but the two players who won't get as much credit as they should are the goaltenders. Chad Katunar and Marcus Beesley both made some fine saves in this effort, and both made some key saves in overtime. On the last goal, it's hard to blame Katunar as it was a shot and a moment that 9 times out of 10, won't come to be. Mario Lucia was a definite star for the Vees tonight as was the entire top line. The Vees will win a lot of games this season just based on those three fine players. The top line of the Spruce Kings had a stellar game as well, as did newer Spruce Kings defenceman Chase Golightly. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Special teams battle was once again won by the Vees as they scored 2 power play goals. The Spruce Kings did take advantage of one of their opportunities, their 4th goal was on the power play. As you'll hear coach Dave Dupas say, they'll need to tone down the undisciplined penalties and eliminate the turnovers, as most times, it will cost them the game.

Your Three Stars

3) (Pen) Mario Lucia
2) (PG) Paul De Jersey
1) (PG) Michael Colantone

To catch a full recap and box score of tonight's game, click here

After the game I caught up with tonight’s game winning hero Michael Colantone. We chatted about his reaction to the goal and how he likes his new squad.

download audio file

I also had the chance to talk with coach Dave Dupas about what this win means for his squad and what we can expect moving forward.

download audio file

The Spruce Kings next game will be on Wednesday in Salmon arm and then they will host the Trail Smoke Eaters at the Coliseum next Friday and Saturday night. All three games will start at 7pm. Be sure to keep checking the Spruce Kings Facebook and Twitter for updates

The Spruce Kings Take Game 1 Against The Rage

The Prince George Spruce Kings have their first win of the season! Alright, it was just a preseason game, but it is a great building block for what will be the 40th anniversary season.

The game started out fast paced, with both teams trying to find the right groove. The first period saw a ton of hits thrown by both teams, but it was the Spruce Kings who notched the only tally. A couple of new Spruce Kings opened the scoring as Cory Bardock found the back of the net, with some help from Paul De Jersey. The second period is where it got interesting as goals were coming fast and often. Ryan Matthews and Tyson McCallum helped the Rage take the lead with goals 1 minute and 20 seconds apart. The teams then traded goals a few minutes later before the Spruce Kings popped in three in a four minute span. Dylan Tappe, Trevor Esau, Paul De Jersey and Myles Fitzgerald helped Prince George go in to the dressing room with a 5-3 lead.

The third period saw more of the same with Prince George winning most of the offensive battles and both teams throwing their weight around. Connor Tiechko scored the eventual game winner - a highlight reel goal - to start the third period outburst, while Sean Landrey notched the insurance marker swiping a loose puck in the crease behind the netminder and Myles Fitzgerald salted away the win with his second of the game in to an empty net. Carter Page did his best to help the Rage pull within striking distance, notching a pair in the third. The Spruce Kings rotated goaltenders with Cameron Large getting the 1st and 1st half of the second period, and Prince George's local hockey product, Marcus Beesley finishing the rest. Large finished the game with 10 saves, while Beesley made 11.

Your 3 stars of the night:

• PG's Paul De Jersey 1 Goal and 3 Assists
• DC's Carter Page 2 Goals and 2 Assists
• PG's Myles Fitzgerald - 2 Goals

When it was all said and done the Spruce Kings offence showed up in a big way finding the back of the net on 8 of their 44 shots on goal while the Rage finished with 5 goals on 25 shots. The game was a physical one form start to finish with both teams landing some hard feel-it-in-the-morning hits. These two teams will have to turn it back on quickly as they will square off Saturday night in Dawson Creek to finish off the home-and-home series. The game unfortunately will not be broadcast, but look to the Spruce Kings twitter and Facebook feeds for out of town updates.

-No cuts were made to the roster after the game and won't likely happen until after the weekend.

-Note for parents and fans who were asking, there will be a live broadcast of the next home exhibition game on Thursday September 15th when the Spruce Kings host the Westside Warriors in a final preseason tuneup.

As always, hope to see you at the rink very soon.