The Spruce Kings Entertain the Warriors of Westside

The Spruce Kings will look to get back into the win column as they host the Westside Warriors tonight and tomorrow afternoon. Prince George enters tonight's contest having dropped their last three games, all to division rivals. All three have been decided by just a goal, but you can bet that that isn't a good consolation prize for the Spruce Kings players and coaches. Tonight will feature the first time the Westside Warriors have been in Prince George since the pre season. It's a big 4 points for both teams, so let's preview the match up to see who has the upper hand on paper:

The Breakdown:

The Westide Warriors came out of the gates flying to start the season, winning their first five games. But November was a much more cruel beast to the Warriors of Westside. They only managed to win one game in November, while losing eight. December hasn't started out any better for the Warriors, as they dropped a 7-2 decision to the Penticton Vees last night. There is a big upside for the Warriors though, as they have a few high flying players returning to the line up for them in Max French and Brennan Clark. Plus with the addition of former Vernon Viper Marcus Barasa, the Warriors are poised to return to the win column, and should not be looked at as a team that comes in having lost nine of their past ten. As we know all to well, momentum is everything in hockey, and if the Spruce Kings let Westisde run out of here with 4 points, it could wake up a very dangerous beast.

As mentioned, the Spruce Kings have lost three in a row heading into tonight. The losing streak did come off the back end of a four game winning streak, but in the competitive Interior Conference and with the new playoff format, losing three games to division rivals just can't happen. The Spruce Kings would love to be able to help put the Warriors deeper in the standings this weekend. The two teams are separated by 6 points, meaning if Westside can come away with 2 wins this weekend, it will go a long way in helping them vault back into the 4th playoff spot. But, on the other side of things, If Prince George can take down the Warriors on both Saturday and Sunday, it would go a long way in helping push Westside even further beneath them.

This Season:

These two teams have met just once this year in the regular season, a 6-2 win for Westside at home. They still have 6 meetings this season to decide who is the better of the two, with three of them happening in December. It should be noted that they did also meet in pre season action back in September, Westside won that contest as well, 3-1.

New Faces:

The Spruce Kings have added a few new faces to their roster this week. Former AJHL goaltender Ty Swabb was picked up by the team via trade that saw Stefan Bazar head to the St. Albert Steel. Also coming to the Spruce Kings organization, the hulking forward Michael Betz. Betz is a 6'2 forward who has spent time in the BCHL with the Trail Smoke Eaters and the Penticton Vees. Unfortunately while adding players, Prince George had to let a few move on to make some room for the new guys. As it has been stated, the organization and it's fans would like to thank Spencer and Scott Mchaffie, Stefan Bazar and Marcus Beesley who all were reassigned or traded this past week.

Game Time:

The puck will drop on tonight's contest at 7pm at the Castle. Then tomorrow, these two teams will go at it again, this time with an afternoon start of 3pm. Both games will be broadcast on the live web cast here. You can also listen to the FREE audio broadcast of the games here

Go Spruce Kings

For One Day Only...

The Spruce Kings will look to make it two in a row tonight as they host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs for the one and only time this season. Prince George heads into tonight's match up having defeated one of their division rivals, the Vernon Vipers, last night. Alberni Valley comes in having won their past three games, but had last night off and spent it watching the match up between the Spruce Kings and the Vipers. Will the extra scout day help Alberni Valley steal 2 points, or will the Spruce Kings make it two in a row. Let's preview the match up to get a better idea of what we are in store for

The Breakdown:

These two teams don't see each other very often, but when they do, it's Alberni Valley who usually walks away happy. Playing two games against each other last year, the Bulldogs split the two games. This will be the only time this year that these two squads meet, meaning bragging rights are on the table. As we have specified before, the new playoff formats make every game that much more important. Both teams sit in fourth place at the moment, but, they each have a couple of team’s right on their heels. It should also be mentioned that this is only the second game this season for the Spruce Kings against a Coastal Conference opponent, the first being a win over the Coquitlam Express. This will be the second meeting for Alberni Valley against an Interior Conference team. Their first meeting was a win against Chilliwack. And although this is the first time we get to see Alberni Valley this season, we will see a couple of returnees as two former Smoke Eaters, Daniel Delbianco and goaltender Matt Larose will lace up for the Bulldogs after being acquired in a trade. It's not known yet which goaltenders will get the start between the pipes for either team, but with Beesley playing solid last night, we'll lean towards him for the Spruce Kings. As for the Bulldogs, both goalies have seen action during the three game win streak, so with a days rest, either goal could and will be ready to start

The Stats:

Jujhar Khaira had a fantastic game last night potting 2 goals and adding a helper. Khaira currently sits in 4th place for league scoring and already has more goals than he did all of last year. Paul De Jersey still sits among the league elite in scoring, though he no longer leads the league. But he still sits in 2nd overall with 28 points and is on a 12 game point streak. Michael Colantone continues to benefit from his new line mates this year as he sits in 9th for scoring with 21 points, 9 of those being goals. It should also be noted that Ben Woodley is quickly moving his way up the scoring list for defenseman. Woodley is tied for second in scoring by a D-man and is riding a 10 game point scoring streak. Justin Morello leads the charge for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs with 9 goals and 10 assists through 12 games

Game Time:

Again, this is the only chance you will have to see the Bulldogs this season, so I would get out and check them out while you can. For those of you in Prince George, the puck drops at 7pm at the Castle. For those of you not able to make it to the game, you can watch the live web cast here or listen to the FREE audio broadcast here

Third Time's The Charm Against Vernon

Third time's the charm when it comes to defeating the Vernon Vipers. The Spruce Kings played one of their better games of this young season tonight, handing the Vipers their 4th loss of the season. They scored 1 goal a period, and that proved to be enough to defeat their Interior conference rivals. The top line was stellar once again, as was goaltender Marcus Beesley. Let's recap tonight's match up between the Vipers and your Spruce Kings

The Look Back:

The first period started out as most do, with both teams creating chances while they tried to find their groove. It was the Spruce Kings who went to work first, as Michael Colantone put home his 7th of the year with his line mates adding the helpers. That would do it for the scoring, but that wasn't it for the action. Each team had their chances to put points on the scoreboard, but Beelsey and Kirby Halcrow each made some nice stops to keep it a 1-0 score in favour of the home team. The shots ended 8-7 for the Spruce Kings

The Vernon Vipers came out strong in the second period, and ended up tying the game up just 3:36 in. Marc Hetnik tallied first for the Vipers with Ryan Renz getting the lone assist. The Spruce Kings didn't wait long though to re-establish their lead as Jujhar Khaira scored on the power play 4 minutes later. Paul De Jersey and Chase Golightly were in on his first of the night. But Prince Georges new lead wouldn't last long either as John Knisely and Darren Nowick combined to tie up the game for the second time in the period. That's how we would head into the dressing room, with the Spruce Kings still leading the shot totals 22-20

The third period saw the entertaining game roll on with both teams getting chances, but the goalies were standing tall. For the better part of this young season Prince Georges power play hasn't been up to par, but tonight it seemed to click as Jujhar Khaira helped his team grab the lead with his second of the game. Woodley and De Jersey helped Khaira on what would be the games winning goal. Late in the third the Vipers did give it one last final push, pulling Halcrow for the extra skater, but the Spruce Kings held down the fort, winning their 7th of the season

The Stats:

Jujhar Khaira had another fantastic game, scoring twice and adding a helper. Paul De Jersey assisted on all three goals while Ben Woodley added an assist, taking his point streak this season to 10 games. Marcus Beesley was solid between the pipes once again, stopping 26 shots to record his 6th win of the season

To see the complete recap and official box score of tonight's game, click here

Three Stars:

3) (PG) Paul De Jersey

2) (VER) John Knisley

1) (PG) Jujhar Khaira

Next Game:

The Spruce Kings will look to build off of this big win tomorrow night as they will host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The puck drops at 7pm at the Castle. You can catch the web cast here or listen to the FREE audio broadcast here

We'll see or talk to you tomorrow

Spruce Kings Win Their Fourth Straight

It wasn't their best game of the season, but Prince George did find a way to capitalize on their chances beating Trail for the second straight night. The Spruce Kings actually found themselves down on the score sheet in the 2nd period, but battled back to take the lead and never looked back. Their top line had another stellar game, and Marcus Beesley back stopped them to their 4th straight win. Let's recap tonight's game between the Trail Smoke Eaters, and your Prince George Spruce Kings

The Recap:

The first period saw back and forth action, with both teams getting lots of chances. It became a goaltenders duel and Matt Larose was leading the charge. Larose had to make 13 stops in the 1st period, and 3 of them were quality saves, including a robbery of Paul De Jersey as he stretched out his paddle to get a piece of it. Marcus Beesley made a few nice saves of his own, as neither team was able to find the back of the net. It was obvious from this period of play that the Smokies were out to prove that tonight would be much different than the 8-0 loss the night before

The 2nd period started out great for the Smokies, and they seemed to snatch hold of the momentum as Nicholas Wong fired a shot from the point to open the scoring. It didn't take long though for the Spruce Kings to halt any potential onslaught of the Smoke Eaters as Jujhar Khaira put home a rebound on the power play. His line mates De Jersey and Colantone added the helpers on the tying goal. This goal seemed to wake up the Spruce Kings as Jujhar Khaira scored again 4 minutes later, with Paul De Jersey adding a 3rd goal towards the end of the frame. It was a tough 10 minutes for the Smoke Eaters, as they went from dictating the play, to chasing Prince George around the ice. We went into the break with the Spruce Kings leading 3-1. Matt Larose continued to be the Smokies best player, as had faced 31 shots through 2 periods

The third period was more of the same as the Spruce Kings were getting chances, and capitalizing on them. Sean Landrey scored his second of the season, finding the puck out front of the net as it took a weird bounce off of the boards. Trail would attempt to make a game of it as Clayton Chessa blasted a shot from the point past Beesley. The Smokies would get their fair share of chances, but couldn't bring the game any closer than it was. Paul De Jersey would put the icing on the cake, scoring his second of the game, adding to his league leading scoring totals. The Spruce Kings would finish of the sweep of Trail, tallying their fourth straight win over a division rival. The win moves the Spruce Kings record to 5-3-0-1, good to leap frog them into third in the interior conference division

The Stats Breakdown:

Jujhar Khaira was the Spruce Kings best forward on the night, scoring twice, including the game winner, and racking up an assist. The 3 point night would put Khiara into the 3rd spot of the scoring race. Leading that scoring race is one of his line mates, Paul De Jersey with 22 points in 9 games. De Jersey had 2 goals in the win, which brings his league leading goal total to 14. Michael Colantone continued to rack up points as a Spruce King, recording 4 assists, moving him up form 16th to 6th on the list. Clayton Chessa scored his 7th goal for the Smoke Eaters, bringing his point total to, 7. Marcus Beesley made 22 saves to move his record to 4-1 on the season. Matt Larose was incredible in tonight's loss, making 42 saves, many of them highlight reel.

Check out the official box score here

The Three Stars:

3) (TRA) Matt Larose – 38 Saves

2) (PG) Michael Colantone – 4 Assists

1) (PG) Jujhar Khaira - 2 Goals, 1 Assist

I caught up with Jujhar Khaira after the game to talk about his excellent play as of late, his new line mates and his new look Spruce Kings. I started by asking him about tonight's big win

download audio file

Up Next:

The Spruce Kings will have a couple of days off, and get ready to host the Coquitlam Express at The Coliseum. You can catch that game Thursday night at the Castle, on the BCHL website, or on our ustream channel

The Spruce Kings Dominate the Smokies

Spruce Kings are all smiles after posting an 8-0 win

It was the most complete game of this young season and showed exactly what the Spruce Kings are capable of. Prince George controlled the game tonight, beating out the Smoke Eaters in just about every category, including the most important one - the scoreboard as they took home an 8-0 decision. The best line on the ice tonight was definitely Prince George's first line as they combined for 11 points and 5 of the 8 goals. Marcus Beesley was also a bright spot as he notched his first career shutout of his BCHL career. Let's recap tonight's game between the Spruce kings and the Smoke Eaters

The Recap:

It didn't take long for the Spruce Kings to open up the scoring as Michael Colantone picked up where he left off at the Coliseum, scoring at the 3:30 mark of the 1st to give his team the lead. The next 10 minutes saw both teams generate some scoring chances, but Prince George was still getting the better of Trail, and it continued to pay of at the 16:34 mark as Paul De Jersey added to his league leading goal total by firing one past Reed Vogt. His linemates Michael Colantone and Jujhar Khaira added assists on the goal, helping their team head into the dressing room up by two.

The second period is where the game broke open for the Spruce Kings, with nothing seeming to go wrong. Spencer McHaffie opened up the scoring in the 2nd with the first of his BCHL career. Ben Matthews and Paul De Jersey helped the twin notch his first goal. Prince George would continue to pour it on as Michael Colantone got his second of the game, Michael Klonarakis got his first career BCHL goal and Jujhar Khaira his first of two as the Spruce Kings went into the break up 6-0.

The third saw more of the same as Prince George applied pressure and capitalized on their chances while Marcus Beesley did his part stopping any and all shots thrown his way. Myles Fitzgerald and Jujhar Khaira put the official nails in the coffin as the Spruce Kings took the contest by a score of 8-0. Both goaltenders saw action for the Smokies as Reed Vojt was pulled halfway through the second in favour of Matt Larose. Vojt made 19 saves while Larose posted 11 saves.

The Stats:

Jujhar Khaira had an outstanding game for the Spruce Kings, notching 2 goals while adding a couple of assists. Those 4 points moved him up to 5th in the BCHL scoring race. Paul De Jersey added to his league leading point total scoring once and adding 3 assists. De Jersey continues to sit a top the league in scoring with 19 points. Michael Colantone had another great night for Prince George, scoring twice and grabbing an assist. As listed above, Spencer Mchaffie and Michael Klonarakis got their first goals of their BCHL careers. Congrats to those two men, and here's to many more. Beesley finished the game making 26 saves to post his first ever shutout as a BCHL goaltender. It was also Marcus Beesley's 3rd straight win.

For a full recap of the game and to check the official score sheet, click here

The Three Stars Tonight:

3) (PG) Michael Colantone

2) (PG) Jujhar Khaira

1) (PG) Marcus Beesley

Next Game:

These two teams will do battle once again tomorrow night at the Castle, with the puck dropping at 7pm. If you can't make it down to the Castle tomorrow, you can catch the game a few different ways. The webcast will be available on the BCHL website here, and you can listen to the FREE audio broadcast here. Hope to see you at the rink, or chat with you online.

Until tomorrow Spruce Kings fans.

Spruce Kings and Silverbacks Preview

Salmon Arm, here we come! The Spruce Kings are on the bus and heading down to face the Silverbacks as you read this. It''s another important game against a division rival, and one that the Spruce Kings will be favoured to win. But this game is anything but a gimme, it will be another long hard fought battle with one team moving up a spot in the interior conference standings. With that in mind, let's preview the match up between the Salmon Arm Silverbacks and your Prince George Spruce Kings

The Break Down:

As always, especially with the new playoff format, games against conference rivals are must win games. This year, instead of 7 of the 8 teams getting into the post season, only 4 teams will see extra action in March. With Penticton, Powell River and Westside separating themselves from the pack, these games against the other 4 Interior Conference teams become even more important than they already are. Prince George currently sits in 5th place, with Salmon Arm just behind them in 6th. The winner of tonight's match up will temporarily jump into the 4th spot in the standings, and help build on tie breakers for the end of the season. This will be the first of eight meetings between these two teams this season, with the next one happening on November 19th. These two squads faced off six times last season with the Spruce Kings losing four of them.

The Spruce Kings are coming off a 2 game split with the Penticton Vees, winning the second game in double overtime with .2 seconds left. It was the Spruce Kings first win since their season opener against Merritt, and their first win over Penticton in 4 years. Salmon Arm is also coming into tonight's contest on a high note having won their last two games. It was their first two wins of the season beating the Trails Smoke Eaters in a home and home match up. The Sunwave Center is always a tough place for an opponent to walk into as the Silverbacks have found a lot of success skating in front of fans. They were 22-7-1 last season and are 1-1-0-1 this season. The Spruce Kings are yet to win agame on the road this year, going 0-1-0-1 in Pentcton and Vernon. Can Prince George grab their first win away from the Castle? Only time will tell

News and Notes:

The Silverbacks leading scorer for the season is Morgan Zulinick who sits at 15th in league scoring with 10 points . The Spruce Kings leading scorer in this early season is Paul De Jersey who sits in 3rd in league scoring with 12 points, and 1st in goals scored with 9. It's not known who will start in goal for either team come time for puck drop tonight, but it's a safe bet to say Kurt Williams will start for the Silverbacks. Williams has started 6 of the 7 games this season accumulating a 2-4 record. The Spruce Kings have went back and forth this season between Kirk Thompson and Marcus Beesley. In talking with coach Dave Dupas after Saturday's game, he didn't want reveal who would start yet, but did say at the start of the season they would ride the hot hand and Beesley is the last goalie to scoop up a win for the Spruce Kings. Look for the rookie Beesley to start between the pipes

Scrapes and Bruises:

Joel Kipp is the only Silverback who is currently listed on the roster with an injury as he has a ruptured spleen. Kipp will not play. The Spruce Kings are continuing to rehab a few starters as Jarred Crossan, Connor Tiechko and Jeff Earnest will sit on the sideline. Tyson Witala didn't play on Saturday as he took a puck off of the foot on Friday night, it is unknown if he will play tonight

Game Time:

The Silverbakcs and the Spruce Kings will face off tonight at 7pm at the Sunwave Arena. You can find the live webcast for tonight’s match up here

Go Spruce Kings

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.

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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.

Prince George Spruce Kings/Dawson Creek Rage Preview

The Prince George Spruce Kings are finally getting set to challenge a team in the "Castle" as tonight they will entertain the Dawson Creek Rage from the NAHL. This will be the second time in as many years they will play The Rage in an exhibition game. Last year they played the Rage to a tie in Dawson Creek before picking up a win at home in the final preseason game. This time around the two teams will play in a back-to-back home-and-home series that will be crucial for both teams in finalizing their rosters.

The Spruce Kings currently have 26 players on the roster and will have a few more games before they have to hand in the official 21 man roster. Tonight a few veterans who have already solidified their spots will sit in the press box and watch the action, but most will continue to fight for their jobs. One of the players sitting in the press box tonight will be 6'3" defenceman Sam Waterfield who recently had knee surgery. Waterfield came to the Spruce Kings late last season after playing with the Dawson Creek Rage. This would have marked the first time that Waterfield faced his old friends and team, but unfortunately he is not eligible to return until October 8th.

Three local products will take to the ice for Prince George in a bit of a homecoming. Marcus Beesley is one of three goaltenders who is on the roster, but of course, only two spots are open. Beesley, who is the only goaltender on the roster who didn't play with the team last year, will likely see some ice tonight and tomorrow to show the coaching staff why they should keep him around. Sean Landrey committed to the Spruce Kings after being affiliated with his home town team last year. Another recent signing and a Cariboo Cougars alumni from last year, Jared Crossan will also be in the press box watching the action from a little farther away then he would like to. Aside from the two already mentioned, Jujhar Khaira is another player that won't be donning the crown tonight. Instead Khaira is preparing to don the Canadian Maple Leaf after being invited to try out for Team Canada West and the upcoming 2011 World Junior A Challenge.

It's not known at the moment which players will and will not suit up tonight for Prince George Spruce Kings. That though, is the beautiful thing about preseason hockey. You go to the rink to see what the future holds for you as a fan. You get to see all sorts of line combinations, some that will work, and some you won't see again. You get to see the team as a whole, how they work together, how they answer to the pressure of an in game situation and all the new faces on the roster. Not to mention, you get to see all the siblings this team currently has on the roster (the McHaffie's, the Fitzgeralds and the Chore's).

This home and home series with The Dawson Creek Rage has unofficially been dubbed "The Battle of The North". It's always fun when you get to watch a team that you don't normally get to see, but then add the fact that the unofficial title of "Best Team in The North" is up for grabs, and this game brings bragging rights. Then of course, we go back to having the chance to see a young, new team hit the ice in search of chemistry and identity; all of a sudden this becomes a must see. Both games will start at 7pm, with tonight being at home and tomorrow being played at the Rage's arena, the EnCana Events Centre in Dawson Creek. Unfortunately neither game will be broadcast this weekend, but do keep an eye on the Spruce Kings twitter feed for all the updates and analysis.

Once again, tonight the puck drops at 7pm at the Coliseum. Head to the Castle and support your new look Prince George Spruce Kings. Let's start this 40th Anniversary season off right.

Hope to see you at the rink,
Matt Anthony

Intra Squad Recap

And it officially begins!! Today was the annual Blue vs White Intra-Squad game at the Coliseum and the final chance for some of these guys to show the coaching staff what they've got. The game itself was a fast paced one with little interruption through the first period as the players got used to being back on the ice. (Click here to download the game roster).

Kirk Thompson (1) makes one of his toughest saves
of the games, kicking out a screened point shot

The first two periods of play left no tallies on the board as Marcus Beesley made 12 saves in period one for Team White and Robert Freisen made 10 in period two. Both Kirk Thompson and Jacob Mattes made 7 saves a piece in the first two periods for Team Blue. Fans in attendance had to wait until 6:21 of the third period for the first goal to hit the score sheet.

Local Prince George product Sean Landrey notched the first marker, firing a wrister from the top of the right circle. Spruce Kings returnee Connor Tiechko had an assist on the goal as did defenceman Skylar Pacheco. It only took five more minutes for Team White to add to their lead as Eric Chore put one past Cameron Large. Chore's goal was assisted on the play by his brother Patrick Chore and once again Connor Tiechko. That is where the scoring ended, but not before Team Blue had a couple of nice chances, including a shorthanded breakaway opportunity for Myles Fitzgerald. Cameron Large ended the third period making 11 saves and Jacob Mattes was perfect with 9.

A few players did not suit up in the Blue VS White game as a precaution due to injury. Jeff Earnest, Leo Fitzgerald, Ben Woodley and Paul Dejersey all watched from the stands today.

There were a lot of good things to take away from this Intra Squad game as the Spruce Kings move forward into the Exhibition Season. The two Fitzgerald triplets who played (Myles and Gerry) showed some amazing offensive potential, and all though they didn't score, they were all over the ice. The defence is absolutely massive, and will be the leading force for the Spruce Kings this year. All the defenceman who did play in the scrimmage today showed the strength required to be an elite player. After last season, General Manager Mike Hawes needed to address this position, and it looks like he did just that. The goaltending today was also a big bright spot, as all six goalies showed promise and many made spectacular saves. So although only 2 goals were scored, this was due more to great defensive play rather than a lack of offence. But perhaps the biggest note to take away from today's game, this team really looks like they are having fun on the ice, which is never a bad thing.

Now the coaching staff will decide who will go forward and play for the team during Exhibition. It all starts on September 2nd as the Spruce Kings and the Merritt Centennials will travel to 100 Mile House to square off. As always keep it locked to the blog, twitter and the facebook page for all the roster updates, exhibition action and news leading into the start of the season on September 23rd

Matt Anthony