Preseason Game Preview: Spruce Kings vs Smoke Eaters

The Spruce Kings go into tonight's preseason game with one win under the belt and looking to double that up on the Trail Smoke Eaters with the back half of the neutral site double header tonight at 7pm. Last night it was the Smokies that opened the scoring with the Spruce Kings tying up the game in the first period on a two man power play advantage. The game remained tied until the late stages of the third when Jeremiah Luedtke was able to knock in a loose puck for the 2-1 victory.

There will be some player changes tonight on both sides of the ice as the teams will opt to go with a little more of an experienced lineup. For the Spruce Kings the notable insertions will be Latrell Charleson who is back from the Moose Jaw Warriors training camp and Lyndon Martell who has opted to leave the Regina Pats for the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Also coming into the lineup for Prince George tonight are Karan Toor who played a handful of games last season as an AP with the Spruce Kings, Coltyn Hansen the twenty year old acquired from the Victoria Grizzlies, Brad Ryan the big tall twenty year old defenceman and local hockey product Sean Landrey. Kirk Thompson will get the start tonight giving the sixteen year old Liam McLeod a much deserved break after a big win for the youngster last night.

The Trail Smoke Eaters will also go with a few new bodies in their lineup with expectations being that Anthony Conti will be in after finishing up at the Calgary Hitmen training camp and Braden Krogfoss from the Kamloops Blazers camp. The Smokies are expected to dress a few more twenty year olds led by Tyler Berkholtz, Djordje Leposavic, Brent Baltus, Garrett McMullen and Alex Holland.

Last night's win by the Spruce Kings didn't come easy as they fought through a 1-1 tie for much of the game. I would suspect that the coaching staff was happy with the overall performance both defensively and offensively but would like to see the Spruce Kings bury more of the chances they created. Tonight however the Trail Smoke Eaters will be looking at tightening up defensively and eliminated that many chances from happening.

If all goes well in the broadcast booth, there will be a solo Spruce Kings broadcast available as Chris Wahl (voice of the Trail Smoke Eaters) will have his own internet connection and broadcast feed. Look for the video to start approximately an hour before the game on the Spruce Kings Ustream Channel or follow the link from the Spruce Kings twitter feed (@SpruceKings) or my twitter (@ron_gallo).

BCHL Preseason Game
Prince George Spruce Kings vs Trail Smoke Eaters
7:00pm from the Art Holden Memorial Arena in Chase, BC
Broadcast Link: Spruce Kings Ustream Channel

Preseason Look at the Returners

Trevor Esau enters his third year with the Spruce Kings

As the roster sits now for the preseason, the Prince George Spruce Kings are carrying 28 players with them into the preseason, only six of those finished last season with the team. There are four players that have experience in the British Columbia Hockey League. Fifteen players are considered rookies in the BCHL this year and another three players that have yet to compete in the premiere Junior A league in Canada will be make up the balance.

During the off-season the Spruce Kings worked hard at finding players that could step in and fill the roles of those players that were lost to college commitments, overagers and trades. There is a nice mix of returning players, players with Junior A experience and players that have shown they can step in and make an impact in the game at this level. There are also a few players that are being given an opportunity to gain some valuable experience at a higher level.

They will all head to Chase where some will have to sit and wait for their turn to play on Wednesday while the first wave of twenty players will be up against the Trail Smoke Eaters on Tuesday night. The two games are being played at the Art Holding Memorial Arena in Chase at 7pm both nights. I should mention that plans are to provide a video broadcast of the game on the Spruce Kings Ustream Channel.

Based on the recent Training Camp and the three Intra-Squad Games, the players to watch wearing the Crown to start the preseason include the returning players led by, or rather backed by Kirk Thompson. A 20 year old in his final year of junior eligibility, Thompson will have something to prove between the pipes and will want to improve on his previous season record of 15 wins, 2.83 goals against average and 90.60 save percentage.

On defence Trevor Esau will be the leader; an assistant captain last season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him wear a different letter this year while logging a ton of time on the blue line. Skylar Pacheco is also returning for his second season with the Spruce Kings after winning Rookie of the Year last year. In the training camp, Pacheco showed that he has the ability to be an offensive player and picked up a pair of goals in the Intra-Squad game because of his ability to jump up in the play and finish what he started.

The third returning defenceman is the seventeen year old Latrell Charleson who will be joining the team in Chase after skating at the Moose Jaw Warriors camp this past weekend. In Moose Jaw, Latrell showed his strength during the fitness testing getting the best distance in the medicine ball toss. Fans in Prince George liked what they saw in this youngster in the second half of last season and the expectation is that he will be coming in bigger and stronger making him a punishing force for opposition forwards to deal with.

Up front the Spruce Kings will have Sean Landrey and Tyson Witala back as 19 year olds this season. During the summer Landrey was working up in Fort St. John and the work in the oil patch paid off with a noticeably stronger presence from Landrey. Witala also put on some size and showed what we hope was only a small part of what he will be able to do after being instrumental in erasing a three goal deficit in the third Intra-Squad game with two goals and an assist in less than two minutes.

Returning to the BCHL after playing elsewhere last season are Cameron Lawson, Coltyn Hansen and David London. Lawson, Hansen and London were all acquired from the Victoria Grizzlies in the trade that granted the Fitzgerald triplets their wish of playing closer to home. All three had good showings at the Training Camp led by Coltyn Hansen who scored three goals in the third Intra-Squad game. Cameron Lawson had a very consistent camp scoring once in all three games and adding a pair of assists. London played a solid game on the blue line and picked up a pair of helpers over the weekend. The 19 year old defenceman also had a good showing in the fitness testing and is just another one of those pieces on the blue line that will make it tough on opposing forwards.

I'm going to the let the "rookies" play a couple of games before taking a closer look at them, but really quick I just want to say that the future looks bright for the Spruce Kings as seen this past weekend during the Intra-Squad Games. From players that could light the lamp to defenceman that made it tough for many others to move freely through the zone, this team looks like it is ready for any preseason test thrown its way starting with the Trail Smoke Eaters Tuesday night from Chase, BC. Catch the game broadcast on the Spruce Kings Ustream Channel.

Make That Six in a Row VS. Salmon Arm

Tonight the Spruce Kings had a task in front of them that they had failed to accomplish two weekends in a row. Against Chilliwack and Vernon the two previous weekends, they would win the first game, but then lose the next night at the Castle. Heading into tonight, it's a thought that was on many people's minds, could they topple Salmon Arm again? The difference between the other two squads and this one? It's a team they had beaten 5 times already this season. It's a team that they had outscored 20-9 through those 5 games. And it's a team, that would help them get over the hump tonight.

The first period was an explosion of offence for the Spruce Kings as they scored goals fast and furiously. Myles Fitzgerald started things off 2 minutes in as he and his brothers moved in on a three on one. Latrell Charleson would add the only assist on the opening goal. Just over 2 minutes later Jarryd Ten Vaanholt would convert on a beautiful passing play started off by Ben Matthews and Ben Woodley. It was a highlight reel goal that got the Castle rocking and Salmon Arm scratching their heads for an answer. Unfortunately for them, while they were looking for a way out of this mess, Paul De Jersey was going to work, adding his league leading 39th goal of the season. His line mates Jujhar Khaira and Michael Colantone would each get a point on the play, and that would take us into our first break.

The second period saw the Silverbacks come out with a purpose as they caught the Spruce Kings sleeping. Garrett Hendrickson would get the first Salmon Arm tally 2 minutes in, after some nice work from Mike Berry and Jeff Kennedy. It seemed that the Silverbacks were primed and ready for a comeback, but then the Spruce Kings would provide what we named in the broadcast booth, the crowning moment of the game. Zack Rassell stepped out of the box after serving a 5 minute major for fighting and raced into the Silverbacks zone. He would then steal the puck and find a streaking Jarryd Ten Vaanholt who would put home his 2nd of the night. It was the hard work and hustle of Rassell that made the play, and although it didn't go down as the game winner, it did halt the Silverbacks early momentum. Brendan Kennedy and Jujhar Khaira would trade goals for each side before the end of the period.

The third started out in favour of the Spruce Kings this time, as Myles Fitzgerald would score his 2nd of the hockey game. Morgan Zulinick would add two power play markers to make things a little interesting towards the end, but there was no mistaking which team was the better on the ice tonight. With the win, the Spruce Kings move their season series record versus the Silver backs to 6-0. They have out scored the Silverbacks in those 6 games 26-13.

When it was all said and done, we saw a lot of the same from the Spruce Kings that we've seen throughout the season. When they are on, they can put up points and goals like mad men. They can paint a master piece on the ice when all the cylinders are firing. But, they did have a few different alert signals pop back up. They seemed to take their foot off of the gas pedal for a bit in the second period, which didn't hurt them tonight, but it is something that you cannot do against the Penticton's of the league. Also, Kirk Thompson made some fine saves tonight, but a few of the goals he most certainly wants back. But at the end of the day, a win is a win and lessons can be taken to move forward with. They have 13 games left in the regular season, and as Todd and myself said during the broadcast, they control their own destiny at this point.

To read the official box score of tonight's game, click here

Next Up:

The Spruce Kings will now get ready for three in a row on the road next weekend against Trail and Salmon Arm. It should also be noted that the Chilliwack Chiefs lost to Trail tonight, so the Spruce Kings now have a 3 point lead for third place in the division. Chilliwack has a game in hand, but that game will be played against the high flying Vees. Enjoy the week, we'll be back with you Friday to get yo set for the divisional weekend.

Latrell Charleson Added to Spruce Kings Roster

In Monday's edition of the Prince George Citizen, Sheri Lamb has an excellent article on this past weekend's roster change. I have posted the entire article here and added a picture taken by Les Gagnon of LG Photography to ensure that everybody has a chance to read it. Thanks to Sheri and the Prince George Citizen for your coverage of this and other Spruce Kings related stories ...

Latrell Charleson will stand out on the Prince George Spruce Kings' blueline.

The six-foot-four, 220-pound 16 year old signed with the Kings after competing in his final game Sunday with the Valley West Hawks of the B.C. Major Midget League.

"Last year I learned a lot from my [Hawks] coaches especially playing with a lot of the older guys," said Charleson. "I'm looking forward to jumping up even higher now, playing at a faster pace and learning more."

Charleson led the Hawks defencemen in goals with seven this season and added seven assists in 23 games. He played in three British Columbia Hockey League games with the Kings as an affiliate player, including a pair of wins over the Westside Warriors last week, which extended the team's win streak to four. He also suited up for the Kings in a pre-Christmas game in Chilliwack.

Jesse Leung, Hawks assistant coach, said the team is going to miss the big defenceman.

"You can't replace a player like Latrell," said Leung. "All you've got to do is look at the faces of his teammates to know the impact he has - he's irreplaceable. He'll be missed."

Kings general manager Mike Hawes said it's nice to know Charleson had as good an impact off the ice as he did on it with the Hawks.

"It's good to know that Latrell is going to be missed," said Hawes.

"He did well within the peer group here with his midget team and we expect that he's going to get along well with all our players and be an easy transition for him.

"He's a very physical player and has some great size," added the Kings' GM. "He's going to come in and provide that physical presence for us on the back end. He's young so it's going to be a steep learning curve for him, but he's definitely going to be a good player for us in the next few years."

At the same time the Kings were welcoming Charleson to the fold, they said goodbye to 16-year-old forward Michael Klonarakis.

The rookie parted ways with the Kings after Friday's 5-2 win over the Warriors and will head back to his midget club, Pursuit of Excellence in Kelowna to finish the season. In 30 games with the Kings, Klonarakis had one goal, four assists and four penalty minutes.

"It was just a situation where Michael needed some more playing time to get his confidence back up and as we move down to the last one-third of our season here Michael's playing time probably would've been a little bit less," said Hawes. "For his development it's a good fit for him right now."

Klonarakis' departure frees up a second spot at forward and with the BCHL trade deadline on Tuesday, Hawes expects to fill those roster spots soon.

"Yes, there will be some moves before Tuesday for sure," said Hawes. "The phone's been ringing off the hook and I've been communicating with lots of different teams. I definitely anticipate there being some roster moves."

The Kings (19-13-2-3) have an important weekend ahead as they try to catch the Merritt Centennials (21-10-2-5) for second place in the Interior Conference with games in Chilliwack, Penticton and Vernon from Friday to Sunday. Prince George has posted a pair of wins over the Chiefs (19-14-0-2) in their last two trips to Chilliwack, while Penticton leads the league and Vernon is always dangerous.

"Those are the types of challenges I want our group to go through," said Hawes. "It's going to be a really good test for us and a good gage to see where we're at going up against the No. 1 team in the league."

The First Win of 2012

The Spruce Kings have come out of the Christmas break flying, including getting their first win of 2012. The game tonight played out at the Coliseum against a feisty Westside Warriors side, one that was in desperate need of a win. Prince George though, needed a win for a different reason, and that reason was to stay in a playoff spot. They did just that, disposing of the Warriors, posting a 4-1 victory in front of the PG faithful.

It didn't start very well for the Spruce Kings though, as they found themselves badly out played in the first 10 minutes of the hockey game. The Warriors struck first as Reid Simmonds walked in and fired a beautiful wrister past Kirk Thompson. The play was opened up after Charleson laid out a big open ice hit, but unfortunately it left the Warriors on an odd man rush, and they capitalized. At this point, Westside was out shooting the Spruce Kings 9-1. It only took 5 minutes though for the Spruce Kings to get out of their funk, as Michael Colantone put home a one timer on the power play. The Warriors powered through the rest of the period, and headed into the intermission up on the shot clock 14-8.

Sean Landrey (18) provided the spark that extinguished both
Dustin Cave (22) and the Westside Warriors on this night.
Photo courtesy Les Gagnon.

The second period was a complete 180 for the Spruce Kings, as they fired chance after chance at Dwayne Rodrigue. This period also saw our one and only tilt on the night as Sean Landrey and Dustin Cave dropped the mits 3 minutes in. The fight started out with both men landing a shot, but Landrey soon got Cave's jersey over his head and landed a couple clean upper cuts that rocked the Warrior defenceman. The two men went crashing to the ice, and that's when it was notice that Landrey did indeed land a few shots on the button, because Cave's nose was broken and bent to the side. After the ice was briefly cleaned, play resumed and we saw the Spruce Kings press the action for most of the second before finally taking their first lead of the game, another power play goal, and another one form Michael Colantone. The goal came with just 10 seconds left in period, and would prove to be a huge momentum grabber going forward.

Three minutes into the third period, Ben Matthews put the icing on the cake with a shot form the point that made it's way by a screened Rodrigue. This game could have been drastically different though had it not been for Kirk Thompson, who was very good between the pipes for Prince George. Our game changing play came at the hands of Thompson, who stoned Max French of a breakaway with about 5 minutes remaining in the game. A goal would have pulled the Warriors within 1 goal, giving them considerable momentum. But the Prince George goaltender was up to the task, and eventually finished with 26 fine saves and a “W”. Colantone would eventually add a fourth goal, and finish off his second hat trick in eight days. The Spruce Kings happily skated away tonight with a 4-1 win over a division rival.

A couple of big points to add about tonight's effort, and both of them involve special teams. The Spruce Kings power play had not been good throughout the first half of the season, as they had the 16th ranked power play coming into tonight. But there is a good chance that after tonight, they will finally be out of the basement as they went 2-4 on the PP. Their penalty kill was just as good, as they killed off all 3 of their penalties tonight. In today's game, Special Teams is often the difference maker, and with all the fire power Prince George has 5 on 5, imagine what kind of team they can be if their power play becomes an effective machine. It should also be noted that Paul De Jersey got an assist tonight, meaning he now has a 17 game point streak going.

The Three Stars:

3) (PG) Chase Golightly – 1 Assist
2) (PG) Kirk Thompson – 26 Saves in the Win
1) (PG) Michael Colantone – 3 Goals 1 Assist

Next Up:

These two teams will do it all over again tomorrow night at the Castle. Puck will drop once again at 7pm, but as always if you can't make the trip, you can always listen to the FREE audio broadcast here