Pre-Game Scope vs Langley Rivermen

VS
0-2-0-0	Record	1-0-0-0
4-4-0-1	Last Season’s Matchup	5-4-0-0
1	Goals For	6
13	Goals Against	3
0 for 9 (0%)	Power Play	1 for 6   (16.67%)
9 of 14 killed (64.29%)	Penalty Kill	6 of 8 killed (75%)
Hoffman/Epp: 1 Point	Leading Scorer	Butcher, Graham, Szeto: 2 points
2 Game Losing Streak	Current Streak	1 Game Winning Streak

Venue: Langley Events Centre

Game Time: 6pm

Season Series: 0-0-0-0

FUN FACT: This will be the first time the Langley Rivermen have ever hosted the Prince George Spruce Kings in a home opener.

Coming In:

Last weekend was one to forget to for the Prince George Spruce Kings. They played the Wenatchee Wild in a home double header, and wound up getting outscored 13-1 in the two games. Game 1 ended in a final score of 5-1, and Game 2 was 8-0 with Detroit Red Wings prospect Chase Perry picking up both wins and the one shutout. The Spruce Kings had a rough time on special teams as well, and currently rank last in both aspects (although to be fair it’s only two games in).  The power play continued the struggles it encountered in the pre-season, and went 0 for 9 against the Wild. The penalty kill was good on Friday, killing off 6 of 7 penalties, but dropped off Sunday allowing four goals on seven opportunities.

Corey Hoffman scored the lone goal on the weekend, with a centring pass aimed for Jake LeBrun that went off a defenceman’s leg and in. In the first game against the Wild, LeBrun was given a game misconduct for a hit from behind, and was suspended two games. He missed the 8-0 loss, and will now be out for Saturday’s game against Langley. The captain can’t be happy about missing the game, as it will be the first game against the Langley Rivermen since the Spruce Kings knocked them out of the playoffs last year.

This game will be a good test for the Spruce Kings, to see how they compete against the rest of their division, as it seems pretty solidified that Wenatchee will be a tough one to beat. Prince George acquired netminder Sam Tanguay as well this past week from the Aurora Tigers. Tanguay spent last year in the OHL where he played with the Sudbury Wolves, and as a 20 year old will be expected to come in, and produce some solid numbers for the team in net.

The Langley Rivermen don’t have a lot of work coming into this game, as their lone game of the season was last weekend against the Surrey Eagles. The Rivermen broke out in the first with four goals, and never looked back scoring twice in the third to take a 6-3 decision. Special teams were fairly average for Langley, as their power play finished at 17% and the PK had a 75% success rate.

In net for his third season with the team, Bo Didur stopped 33 shots for the win. Didur led the BC Major Midget League in GAA in 2012/2013, and has since been in the BCHL. The fact that he came to the league as a 16 year old is extremely impressive, especially since the fewest games he’s ever played is 24 games so he’s never had to sit and watch the majority of season’s from the bench. That experience will come in handy this year, and will help in his BCHL future as well!   

The game will be played in the Langley Event Centre, and should be bumping as it will be Langley’s season opener. Their average attendance last year was 842, but the first home game had 3,168 fans in the venue. This year should be no different, as the team has 2014 BC Country Music Awards Club Act of the Year The Chris Buck band in attendance. There are also reports that there will be a fireworks display at the game to kick things off, so things will be starting out with a bang!

Players to watch:

Spruce Kings:

After a quiet week in the two games last week, Cole Todd was visibly frustrated, so look for him to channel that energy this week against the Rivermen. Last year Todd had one assist in nine regular season games against Langley, but in the playoffs he put up four points in six games including the game winning assist in game one, and the game winning goal in game three. As a key member of the penalty kill Todd is going to be placed in lots of difficult situations, but as a veteran of two full BCHL season’s there is reason for the coaches to put their hopes in the North Van forward.

Rivermen:

Entering his fourth year in the BCHL, Ben Butcher has high hopes set on him last year. Last year he had 29 points in 48 games, and then added another four in his six playoff appearances. He has also gotten off to a hot start this year with two goals in the first game against Surrey, including one on the power play. Butcher is a huge component to his team, and for the Spruce Kings to find success they will need to find a way to shut him down.

Broadcast Info:

This weekend, both game will be broadcast on BCHL FASTHockey and Mixlr. Game time on Saturday is 6pm but that could be pushed back a bit with opening game festivities/player announcements, and Sunday is an afternoon game with puck drop at 4.

An Enviable Position

My unofficial tour of new rinks continued with a stop at the new Langley Events Centre. A couple of things jump out at me right away with the new home of the Langley Chiefs. The first is the ease with which you can get to the rink ... its right off 200th. The second is the size of the facility in every aspect from the overall building and the ice arena to the ample parking for the 5,000 seat arena.

It is an Events Centre that includes an arena, gymnasium and banquet hall. The major tenant holders include the City of Langley, the BCHL Langley Chiefs and the Langley Thunder of the Western Lacrosse Association. The Trinity Western University Spartans Athletics and the IBL Vancouver Titans professional basketball team will also be calling the Events Centre home. Another interest group in the mix is the KBR Facility management Corporation who will be managing and maintaining the building and events.

The building overlooks 200th with an expansive parking area off to its side. Upon entering the building you are greeted by a wide staircase that leads up to the upper level of the ice arena. In the future I can envision a number of large photos hanging in this area depicting some of the inaugural events, but for now it is a showcase for some local artists.

At the top of the staircase is a large unobstructed entranceway into the main concourse of the arena. One of my first impressions at this point was how the main arena didn't have that modern closed in design. Instead it was open with some natural light coming in giving it a warm inviting feeling.

The ice wasn't in as the Langley Thunder lacrosse team were still playing so it was a little on the dark side ... too dark for some pictures to really show off the arena. Small pieces of construction were still going on with half of the luxury suites still in need of some completion work. There were also some satellite rooms off the concourse that were in the finishing stages.

My original intention was to run into the Langley Chiefs marketing manager, but Jared Harmen was walking down another aisle in another part of town, so Chelsea graciously agreed to be my tour guide of the new building. It was obvious from Chelsea that there is a great deal of pride in this building and a lot of promise in its arrival to one of the fastest growing areas of the Fraser Valley.

For many years before the Langley Chiefs, the Hornets had struggled looking to define a market niche for themselves before giving up the fight to become the Westside Warriors. The timing of that move worked perfectly for the Chilliwack Chiefs as they found themselves without a home following the arrival of the Western Hockey League Bruins. The Chiefs relocated their franchise to Langley and have subsequently won the proverbial lottery.

It is safe to say with the new rink in a great location along with the steadily increasing population base not to mention the Golden Ears Bridge that will allow hockey fans from the Maple Ridge area quick access that the Chiefs stand in an enviable position amongst the "Mainland Division" of teams in the BCHL.

The Prince George Spruce Kings will play their first game in the Langley Events Centre on Saturday January 9, 2010 at the tail end of four game Coastal Division road trip.