Spruce Kings Keep Eagles Grounded

Tyson Witala (9) celebrates his fifth goal of the season
in a 4-1 win over the Surrey Eagles

In the first of eight meetings against the Surrey Eagles, the Spruce Kings went into the South Surrey Arena and came away with a big two points in a 4-1 win. The first game of a three game was a close game until the third period when the Spruce Kings added an insurance marker after killing off an extended two man penalty.

The Spruce Kings rolled into Surrey with a little fan fare as family and friends of a number of players from the area came out in force. With four players from Surrey itself, another three from the surrounding area and a pair from Washington State brought in close to a hundred fans to cheer on the Spruce Kings.

And they would have plenty to cheer about as the game progressed with the Spruce Kings sticking to their game plan and capitalizing on the chances. From the opening faceoff, the Spruce Kings started generating chances. Prince George built up a 5-1 shot lead before getting themselves into a little bit of penalty trouble.

The first penalty of the game was assessed to Brad Ryan for high sticking. On the ensuing powerplay, the Spruce Kings kept the Eagles to the outside with low percentage shots and also blocked a lot of those coming through. The Eagles powerplay relies heavily on Devon Toews from the high slot with his powerful shot. Just ask Trevor Esau about that shot, he'll know after blocking one that stung the big defenceman.

After trading chances and powerplays with nothing to show for either team's efforts it would be the Spruce Kings that opened the scoring. On a play that was a result of some hard work down low by Cam Lawson who fought off two defenders, cycling it with Shayne Morrissey before getting it Liam Board and the back of the net. The fourth goal of the season for Board came in the last minute of the first period at 19:18.

The second period was when the Spruce Kings started to turn things around and the line of Bryant Christian, Sean Landrey and Jake LeBrun started to shine. A line known more for its grit and physical presence started creating time and space for themselves. The pay off would come some eight minutes in with Bryant Christian battling hard for the puck down in the corner.

After coming up with the puck, Christian spotted Jake LeBrun standing all alone on the other side of the crease. A perfect pass to the open forward was finished off with a neat little tap in one timer giving LeBrun his second on the season and the Spruce Kings a 2-0 lead at 8:15 of the second period.

With four penalties already against the Spruce Kings, the fifth one would see the Surrey Eagles get on the scoreboard. The play started with Brandon Morley busting into the Spruce Kings zone trying to go right through Skylar Pacheco. Trying to maintain inside position on Morley, Pacheco got caught up with his check and drew up the official's arm and an interference call.

The Eagles powerplay tried to get a couple of back door passes going but it would be the bread and butter shot of Toews that would get through on Kirk Thompson. The bullet shot appeared to go off a stick as it rose on Thompson and found its way to the back of the net. The goal at 17:20 of the second period cut the Spruce Kings lead in half and game the Eagles and their fans some much needed life.

The second period would come to a premature end with 51.8 seconds still showing on the clock after a pane of glass came loose. After a heavy collision along the boards deep in the corner the glass came out of its stanchion forcing the referee to call a halt to the play. Once it became apparent that the rink staff would need some time to make the repairs, the officials sent the teams to their dressing rooms.

The final 52 seconds of the second period was played out normally with neither team able to get a shot on goal. After two periods of play the Spruce Kings had doubled their shot total to 26 while cutting the Eagles first period total in half with Kirk Thompson credited with 20 saves on 21 shots. The teams were given a two minute time out before the third period officially started.

Already with five penalties, the Spruce Kings will be penalized one more time when Coltyn Hansen was called for a retaliatory tripping penalty. Twenty five seconds later Brad Ryan was called for a cross check giving the Eagles a two man advantage for 1:25 just over five minutes gone in the third period.

In the Surrey Eagles pregame blog, it was pointed out that the Eagles powerplay needed some improvement with Matt Erhart quoted as saying that the team was guilty of helping opponents to kill of their penalties. Erhart called a timeout to draw up a play or two and to remind his players to attack and go for the all important tying goal. Meanwhile Dupas told his players to just keep doing what they were doing - blocking shots and preventing the high percentage chances.

The Eagles went on the attack quickly working the puck around but were just as quickly denied and frustrated by the whole team effort at blocking shots. One shot that did get through rang iron with some people believing that the shot did hit the inside crossbar and come out just as quickly. The officials didn't see it that way and the play was able to continue with the Spruce Kings successfully killing off the extended two man disadvantage.

You can call that the Spruce Kings Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game as Prince George would get an insurance marker from Bryant Christian. Christian had his best game of the season on this night setting up Jake LeBrun and also getting a shorthanded chance before getting his second of the season on a solo effort. The younger brother of Spruce Kings alumni, Jordy Christian did all the work behind the Eagles net to come up with the puck.

In a premeditated and duplicated move that came up empty in the second period, Bryant came out from behind the net with the puck on his back hand lifting it up over the shoulder of Glenn Ferguson. The goal came 1:07 after the two man advantage for the Eagles all but putting the team out of the game.

The Spruce Kings would get their third powerplay at the 15:29 mark of the third period. Tyson Witala would get his fifth of the season after having a couple of chances turned aside earlier. Witala came off the half wall, left the puck for Martell and then got it back as he went to the net. With little options available for the Prince George forward, Witala forced a back hander in on the goalie that found daylight at 16:53 of the third period.

The final three minutes turned ugly on this night and leaves one wondering what might transpire when these two teams meet up in the Castle on Saturday night October 13th. It started with Latrell Charleson being submarined, something the usually quiet and demur defenceman didn't appreciate at all. Charleson went after Craig Wyszomirski finding him just under the blue line. The two went down in a heap with both players throwing punches that never found their target.

Both players would be given fighting majors and game misconducts with Charleson getting a two minute minor for instigating and Wyszomirski two minutes for being the aggressor after trying to a punch well after the linesman had stepped in to separate the two big men. The altercation came at the 19:30 mark of the third period.

The ugliest moment of the night came 24 seconds later when Demico Hannoun's frustration manifested itself in a dangerous knee on Karan Toor away from the play bringing Toor down in obvious discomfort. Sean Landrey immediately went after Hannoun with the two dropping the gloves. Hannoun was given a major for kneeing, fighting and game misconduct while Landrey drew an instigator minor to go along with his fighting major and game misconduct.

The final five plus seconds played out without any further incidents as both teams basically skated away off the faceoff with neither team touching the puck. The Spruce Kings will now await their fate with the new rules cracking down on fighting and instigator penalties with suspensions.

The Spruce Kings next game is Saturday night at 7:15pm in the Langley Events Centre in another Mainland Divisional matchup against the Langley Rivermen. It will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams after the Spruce Kings posted a come-from-behind overtime win in the last game of the BCHL Showcase.

Game Preview: at Surrey Eagles

Surrey Eagles host the Spruce Kings Friday night at 7pm

The Spruce Kings are finally in the Lower Mainland and ready to start playing teams from the Mainland Division of the Coastal Conference. There was the one game against the Langley Rivermen on the first weekend of the season at the BCHL Showcase, but this is a full weekend set featuring three games against divisional foes including two against the Rivermen.

It all starts Friday night with the first of eight meetings against the Surrey Eagles and the first of four this season on the bigger Olympic sized ice surface that is the South Surrey Arena. In previous seasons, the Spruce Kings have only played there once a year and that was usually the last game before the Christmas break and the tail end of a long weekend.

Going back over the past ten meetings between these two teams - which spans six years because of two seasons with a half interlock schedule - the Surrey Eagles have a 7-3 record over the Spruce Kings. The most recent meeting on December 18, 2011, was also the only meeting last season between the two teams, the Eagles squeaked out a 2-1 win on their bigger ice surface.

The Surrey Eagles have been playing continuously in the BCHL since the South Surrey Arena was built in 1991. Their logo is an eagle in a jersey holding a hockey stick in its wings. The primary team colours are blue, green and white. They have also been known as the South Surrey Eagles (1996-2003) and their franchise history goes back to 1962 when they were the New Westminster Royals playing in the Pacific Coast Junior Hockey League.

Matt Erhart is the teams current head coach and general manager entering his third year behind the bench. Previously to the Eagles, Erhart was the head coach of the Greater Vancouver Canadians of the BC Major Midget League (2009-10). Erhart is also a player alumni of the Surrey Eagles having played two seasons (1997-1999) there and earning a scholarship to Quinnipiac and the Bobcats (1999-2003).

Interestingly enough that 2009-2010 Greater Vancouver Canadians team was made up of a number of current high profile BCHL'ers including Cam Lawson of the Spruce Kings and the Surrey Eagles current scoring leader - Demico Hannoun. With a birthday yesterday (October 4), Hannoun is now a 17 year old veteran having played last season in the mandatory 16 year old roster spot with the Eagles. In his rookie season he finished with 12 goals and 14 assists in 49 games and this season is on pace to eclipse that with 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 7 games.

Also leading the way for the Eagles is the actual team's leading goal scorer - 19 year old Brett Mulcahy - with 5 goals and 3 assists in 8 games. Mulcahy is a second year vet with the Eagles after being acquired from the Westside Warriors at the beginning of last season.

Michael Stenerson is a 19 year old forward into his third and final season with the Eagles destined for Alaska Anchorage with a NCAA scholarship to play for the Seawolves next year. To go along with his 23 goals and 45 assists in 106 games, Stenerson has 3 goals and 5 assists in 8 games to start this season.

Surrey's top defenceman is Devon Toews who has played in every level of junior hockey league and is also college bound for next season to play with the Quinnipiac Bobcats. Toews has a pair of goals and 3 assists in 8 games to go along with his rookie total of 7 goals and 22 assists in 54 games last season.

The Surrey Eagles have already made a major move between the pipes bringing in Michael Santaguida from the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Santaguida is a traditional goaltender in that he catches with his right hand. In his first game against the Coquitlam Express he was named the first star posting a 2-1 win with a 30 save performance. The following night was a 4-3 overtime loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs.

Glen Ferguson is the Eagles other netminder with three games to his credit and a record of 2 wins and 1 loss. Both goaltenders show up in the League's Top Ten among goalies with a minimum of two games played. Ferguson is sitting 10th with a GAA of 2.57 and SV% of 90.7 while Santaguida is 7th with a 2.38 GAA and 93.4 save percentage.

For the second weekend in a row the Spruce Kings are on the road for three games in three days. Last weekend the Spruce Kings started off on the right foot with a 5-2 win over the Vernon Vipers and will be looking to duplicate that effort again this weekend against the Surrey Eagles.

During the week the Spruce Kings made a player change acquiring Shayne Morrissey from the Carleton Place Canadians in a trade that saw Alec Butcher head the other way. Morrissey had started the season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL before getting caught up in a numbers game with just too many centremen on the Storm roster and not enough space on the Canadians team either.

Morrissey arrived in Prince George Wednesday night, skated with his new team Thursday morning and was probably the most excited player to board the bus for the nine hour drive to the Lower Mainland. Getting back on the ice and getting back into game mode is a driving factor for the Spruce Kings right now and might very well provide the needed spark to reignite the team's early season successes.

Morrissey is expected to centre the top line Friday night with Liam Board and Cam Lawson. That will put Lyndon Martell and Coltyn Hansen on the wings with Tyson Witala at centre. The newly dubbed "Cascade Express" line of Justin Rai, Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke are expected to stay together while a game time decision will be needed for the remaining four forwards - Sean Landrey, Jake LeBrun, Bryant Christian and Ryan Keis.

Defensively the Spruce Kings have brought an AP with them in Robert Zadra of Nanaimo. Zadra is expected to see some ice this weekend but likely not against the Surrey Eagles. Trevor Esau, Brad Ryan, Skylar Pacheco, Mitch Eden, Latrell Charleson and Karan Toor will get the task of containing the rush on the bigger ice surface. While Kirk Thompson will be called upon to stop the Eagles in his home town.

The game has a scheduled start time of 7:00pm and will be broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM with free audio feed available online from the radio station's website (www.cfisfm.com). As always the game can be watched on the pay-per-view feed found on www.fasthockey.com (click on the away link for the Spruce Kings broadcast). During the first intermission, Spruce Kings alumni and the man behind the Factory Hockey Training, Troy Dalton will join Ron Gallo on the broadcast.

Iconic Figures of the BCHL

Murray Maxwell is iconic with the Vees and the BCHL

Every team has them - somebody you think of when you think of the team - in Prince George its Super Fan with his homemade drum that is iconic with the Spruce Kings.

Traveling around the BCHL, with stops in all of the arenas, I've seen and heard many stories of people that have become iconic with their teams. I thought I would take some time this year and try and find some of these icons around the League and get to know them a little bit better.

Who better to start with then Murray Maxwell of the Penticton Vees. Really Murray is iconic of the League and not just the Vees, because he is known almost as well around the Province as he is in the city he has called home for a quarter of a century.

Murray is passionate about his team and his city to the point that he alone could be the sole source of promotion. Prior to arriving in Penticton, Murray went out of his way to let me know how excited he was to have the Spruce Kings coming to the South Okanagan Events Centre for a game the next day. On my Facebook page he invited me to check out his favourite coffee shop - "Fibonacci's Coffee in the 200 block of Main Street for a really good specialty coffee or Cappuccino."

You will almost always find Murray at the rink during hockey season and you will always find him wearing his Vees jersey and big smile. Away from the rink, he keeps himself active in the community and is always out and about at the different events.

Murray Maxwell is without question the most recognizable figure around the Penticton Vees and that's saying something given the names that have come out of that organization over the years.

Prior to our game on Sunday September 30th, I found Murray updating his BCHL Standings Board situated just outside the BC Hockey Hall of Fame in the South Okanagan Events Centre. True to form he was wearing his Vees jersey and that big smile of his. After getting the board completed I had a quick conversation with him that I recorded for the Spruce Kings broadcast.

download audio file

Shayne Morrissey Trade

Shayne Morrissey (7) is a highly skilled forward

Today the Prince George Spruce Kings announced a trade with the Carleton Place Canadians of the CCHL acquiring Shayne Morrissey. The twenty year old forward from St. John's, Newfoundland has shown some offensive skills with his game and has been featured on a few sports highlight reels including TSN for a move called "the Morrissey Mixer" that he showed off at his hockey school.

Morrissey led the Canadians last season in scoring with 87 points (34 goals, 53 assists) and has posted some impressive numbers in his junior career. In 190 games with St. Andrew's College, Battlefords North Stars and Carleton Place Canadians, Morrissey has a record of 102 goals, 130 assists and 232 points.

Spruce Kings GM, Mike Hawes said that he has spoken with Shayne a few times and is very impressed and looking forward to getting him to Prince George. Shayne has started the process of heading west and is expected to be here Wednesday night and on the ice with his new team Thursday morning.

In the media release Hawes said Morrissey is a "highly skilled, impact player who will come in and compliment an already strong forward group. He is also a tremendous young man who will fit in well with our organization's core values."

What you might not know about the twenty year old is that he is completely focused on pursuing his hockey goals via the educational route with a NCAA scholarship. "Playing pro is important to me, and I’m going to continue to become a better player so I can achieve that goal one day. By playing NCAA hockey, I get an opportunity to get a high quality education," Morrissey told The Telegram in St. John's.

Morrissey received national attention after pulling off a move you have to see to believe. Using the butt end of his stick he picks up a puck and does a couple of overhead moves before jumping over the stick as he flips the puck up and then comes down with the one-timer in the air.

The unfortunate part of any trade is the player that has to go the other way, in this case that player is Alec Butcher who also led his team in scoring last year playing with the Pikes Peak Miners of the NAPHL. The Canadians wanted Butcher because of his potential and also the years of junior availability - something Morrissey is into his final year of.

Sometimes the older age group creates situations that aren't always ideal for the players or their teams. I think that might have been the case here with Morrissey starting the season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL but was sent back to the Canadians. The CCHL has a similiar rule for the maximum allowable number of twenty year olds as the BCHL which is six.

By my count, Morrissey would have brought that number on the Carleton Place roster to eight. The Spruce Kings roster will now have five twenty year olds with Kirk Thompson, Trevor Esau, Brad Ryan, Coltyn Hansen and now Shayne Morrissey. The new forward will get his first taste of the BCHL in the big arena in Surrey on Friday night with the first meeting of the season against the Eagles.

Too Little Too Late

Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game
was this non-goal call

It will be a split in the season series after the Spruce Kings came up just short in a 4-3 decision to the Penticton Vees on Sunday evening. Playing the third game in as many days, the Spruce Kings made it interesting late with a pair of goals 30 seconds apart. Unfortunatley that just wasn't enough to erase a three goal deficit that the Vees built up with a powerplay goal, lucky bounce, disallowed goal and penalty shot.

The Penticton Vees were coming off a 4-0 shutout win in their home opener. Despite the Vees win, it was obvious to see that Penticton came to the arena with a measure of respect for the Spruce Kings who were responsible for the only blemish on thier otherwise perfect record. During the pregame interviews, Vees head coach and general manager, Fred Harbinson drew attention to the fact that Prince George was well on their way to building up a winning hockey program and were responsible for Penticton's last two regular season losses.

The Spruce Kings came out with some jump in the pregame skate and to start the first period. Unfortunately the penalty problems that had plaqued them the night before showed up just 15 seconds into the game. Lyndon Martell found himself in the penalty box on a slashing call.

The Vees went to work early with the man advantage and started firing pucks on Liam McLeod as the 16 year old rookie got his second BCHL start of the season. One thing the Spruce Kings are starting to be known for is their fearless approach to blocking shots and keeping opposition to the outside. The Vees would get some shots through but could not open the scoring with their first man advantage.

Responding to their successful penalty kill, the Spruce Kings started mounting their own offensive and were rewarded with the game's first goal. On his second shift of the game Liam Board carried the puck in on the Penticton Vees goaltender and fired a hard shot that found the goal post. The puck bounced out to an open Cam Lawson who thought he was staring at a sure goal himself that bounced off the shaft of a defender's stick in front of an open net.

From there the puck went into the corner where Board picked it up. The Ontario player acquired in the off season from the Oakville Blades, came in on Chad Katunar again but this time picked off the top corner over the should of the netminder who committed early to a low shot. The goal at 3:43 of the first period was only the second shot on goal for Prince George and Board's third of the season.

The goal gave the Spruce Kings a sense of relief after having killed off that penalty to Martell but perhaps that sigh gave the wind to the Penticton Vees as they started applying pressure looking for the tying goal. That would come at 7:20 when James De Haas, the Detroit Red Wings draft pick from this past summer, stepped off the point and found a path to the far side goal post past a screen and McLeod`s glove.

The Vees would get seven more shots over the next ten minutes including a couple on a second powerplay with Chad Staley in the penalty box for tripping. The Spruce Kings killed off that one too and as the time started ticking down on the opening period, Tyson Witala found himself cruising through the left point. With a shot labelled for the top shelf again Witala rang one of the cross bar. The period would end in a 1-1 tie with the Vees leading 14-3 on the shot clock.

The second period started almost the exact same as the first with Lyndon Martell getting called for the trip just 13 seconds in. This time the Vees would not be denied on a nice setup that started from the half way. Michael Rebry spotted Scott Mellor in the slot, McLeod came out to challenge the shooter but got caught up in traffic on the top of the crease as the puck found the back of the net 18 seconds into the powerplay.

After Bryant Christian was put in the penalty box on a hooking call, the Spruce Kings seemed to settle down and after killing off the penalty started applying pressure of their own. Getting a couple shots through on Katunar, the Spruce Kings seemed to be working at getting the momentum to swing their way when the unluckiest goal I have seen rolled into the Spruce Kings net.

With the new no-change icing calls players will work a little harder to get to the red line before sending the puck down the ice. Just past the mid-way mark of the second period with Prince George applying the pressure, Wade Murphy came up with the puck and was able to skate out to the middle getting to within inches of the Spruce Kings blue line before dumping it in for a line change.

It seemed harmless enough and McLeod came out of the net to play it off the back wall. The problem was the puck fell awkwardly into the apex of the boards and the ice and bounced right to the net hitting McLeod in the back of the legs and falling to the ice in his feet. In an effort to recover from the awkward bounce, the momentum of the goaltender allowed the puck to roll over the goal line putting the Spruce Kings in a 3-1 hole at 10:36 of the second period.

An unbelievable goal to be sure, the Spruce Kings took a little while to recover from the shock of that one and it didn't help that a few minutes later Coltyn Hansen was called for a slashing minor putting the Spruce Kings down a man for a fifth time in the game. The penalty was a weak one but the call was made and the Spruce Kings responded with another successful penalty kill.

On Hansen's next shift he found himself busting in wide on the Vees defenceman and driving hard to the net. Hansen was caught and ridden into the back wall with a play that could have and maybe should have resulted in an interference call or boarding minor. When there was no reaction from the official, Hansen questioned the non-call and was immediately ejected from the game.

The Spruce Kings would finally get a powerplay after Louie Nanne was caught for a slash. While still playing under the delayed penalty call, Mitch Eden was able to turn an offensive rush and put the puck down the ice looking for Alec Butcher. Lawson was tagged from behind on what looked like a hit from behind. Tyson Witala didn't like what he saw and went after Rob Mann who initiated the hit.

When the dust settled, three players were sent to the penalty box - Witala for roughing after the whistle, Mann for interference and Nanne for the initial call of slashing. The Spruce Kings were unable to cash in on their first powerplay chance that was split between the end of the second period and the start of the third.

They continued to build up momentum but nothing seemed to be working for the Spruce Kings with yet another cross bar picked off leaving the visitors on the wrong side of the 3-1 score. A break would finally come mid-way through the third period when Wade Murphy was penalized on an interference call giving the Spruce Kings their second powerplay chance.

Dave Dupas decided to go with the young guns as the first unit powerplay and it would pay off with a two man advantage 30 seconds later. The penalty was a result of the hard work of Chad Staley who had two good chances with puck and was denied both times including a sharp angle shot that went between the goalie and the net across the open mouth of the goal.

Staley went hard for the puck on the opposite wall and checked hard from behind into the glass. The referee immediately signaled a penalty calling a boarding minor on Travis Blanleil giving the Spruce Kings a two man advantage to work with for 90 seconds at 10:26 of the third period. As the first penalty was coming to an end, Liam Board found the puck in his feet and kicked it up to his stick before slipping it under Katunar.

The referee immediately waved off the puck indicating that he believed the puck had been kicked in intentionally. Although video review is not part of the BCHL, the replay video at centre ice in the South Okanagan Events Centre showed that the puck was directed by a stick and appeared to go off the toe of a defender's skate with intentional kicking motion seen.

That would have made it a 3-2 game and changed everything with the Spruce Kings almost completely in control of the game's momentum. Instead it set up the next unfortunate circumstance when the puck got behind Cam Lawson and set Michael Rebry up with a short handed chance on a partial breakaway. In a panic, Lawson reached out and got a piece of the Vees jersey.

As the puck slid harmlessly into the corner, the referee signaled to centre ice giving the Penticton Vees a penalty shot. Rebry would take it coming out to the rightside before cutting back to the middle. With a little flip towards McLeod the youngster got a piece but not enough of the shot as it trickled in extending the Vees lead to 4-1 at 12:12 of the third period.

The Spruce Kings would not go away, but as the saying goes, it would be too little too late even with a pair of goals late in the period. The first would come off the stick of Chad Staley as he got his second of the season with assists going to Justin Rai and Skylar Pacheco at 17:19 of the third period.

The nicest goal of the night would come 30 seconds later setting up a frantic finish. The goal scoring play started with Liam Board leading the offensive rush over the blue line along the left side wall. As he put on the brakes at the half wall, he spotted Tyson Witala coming down the middle and put it in the slot. Katunar expected a shot and came out to challenge the shooter but instead Witala dished off to the right and Lynden Martell who had the whole open net behind Katunar and made no mistake picking up his fourth of the season.

The Spruce Kings would continue to apply the pressure and were able to get Liam McLeod out of the net and onto the bench for the extra attacker. With time ticking down the Spruce Kings went with Witala, Board, Staley, Martell, Eden and Pacheco. The five would fight for the puck and would get only one more shot on goal coming almost at the same time that the final buzzer sounded.

The 4-3 loss leaves the Prince George Spruce Kings with 10 points and holding onto second spot in the Mainland Division after a night when four of the five teams in that division played. The Coquitlam Express took over sole possession of top spot with 12 points after a 5-2 win over the Nanaimo Clippers. In a 4-3 overtime final, the Chilliwack Chiefs picked up two points while the Surrey Eagles collected one giving both 9 points on the season.

Next up for the Spruce Kings is another three game road trip through the Mainland Division with games against the Surrey Eagles Friday night and a pair against the Langley Rivermen on Saturday and Sunday. The three games in three days will be the first real test for Prince George against teams in their own division being proverbial four point games.

Game Preview: at Penticton Vees

The Spruce Kings woke up to some gorgeous sunshine in Penticton and the prospect of a new day in the BCHL against the number one ranked team in the country. This evening at 5pm the Spruce Kings will finish their three games in three days Interior Division road trip in the South Okanagan Events Centre - the home of the Penticton Vees.

This is a game that the Spruce Kings have been looking forward to playing all week. It comes a day after a bitter loss to the Merritt Centennials where penalties got the best of the Spruce Kings giving up three powerplay goals on seven opportunities to the League's best special teams squad.

"There's no time to mourn this loss," said Spruce Kings head coach Dave Dupas after the team suffered their first regulation time defeat of the season. Dupas has been a model of moderation both in defeat and in victory as was the case some two weeks ago when the Spruce Kings beat the Penticton Vees 4-2 in Prince George.

It is that sense of calmness that the Spruce Kings will have to take with them to the game this evening as they face a squad playing their second game of their home opening weekend. Last night the Vees had the other BCHL royalty in town, disposing the Powell River Kings with a 4-0 shutout win.

The Vees, who were ranked last week as the number one Junior 'A' team in the nation, have only one blemish on their seven game record - the 4-2 loss to Prince George. Certainly they don't want to end the weekend with a second loss and will be ready for the Spruce Kings this time.

That 4-2 win from two weeks ago will go a long way to providing motivation for the Spruce Kings as well. I know for one, I was a little surprised to see an undefeated team that had knocked off the defending champions and had no less than three players in the top twenty among league scoring left off the rankings sheet. There is a sense that another win over the same team would justify inclusion in the rankings, but I suggest to you the notion of being ranked is a lower priority than showing resiliency and bouncing back with a solid effort against a very good team in the BCHL.

Last night the line of Sean Landrey, Jake LeBrun and Bryant Christian were arguably the best line in the smaller confines of the Centennials arena scoring both of Prince George's goals. Friday night the Spruce Kings defense shone and allowed the faster wheeling forwards opportunities to open the game up. Playing in a larger arena - the South Okanagan Events Centre - should allow for more of the same as we saw on Friday night.

The game tonight is 5pm faceoff with the game being broadcast on 93.1 CFIS-FM community radio and their website - cfisfm.com. The pay-per-view video broadcast will be available on fasthockey.com with Ron Gallo's call via the "away" link for the game.

Following the game, the team will head back home for a day of rest on Monday, a short week of practice with ice times on Tuesday and Wednesday before boarding the bus for another three game Mainland Division road trip next weekend. Enjoy the game tonight and Go Spruce Kings Go!

First Regluation Time Loss

Dave Dupas pleads the Spruce Kings case to the officials
after a missed blow to the head on Cam Lawson

The Prince George Spruce Kings suffered their first regulation time loss of the season Saturday night, 6-2 to the Merritt Centennials. The loss for Prince George was almost the exact opposite of the win for the Spruce Kings just one night prior with powerplays being the difference.

After trading goals with the Merritt Centennials and even building up a 2-1 lead early in the second period, the Spruce Kings were given a series of consecutive penalties that resulted in three straight man advantage goals for the Centennials in the middle frame. The Cents would add one more late to seal the deal and improve their record to 4-1-1-0.

The Centennials opened the scoring in the first period with a point shot that appeared to be tipped in front. John Saunders started the play on the left point getting the puck deep only to have it come back to him. With a pair of players (Lamont for the Centennials and Butcher for the Spruce Kings) battling for position and moving through the left faceoff circle to the slot, Saunders stepped into a shot that whistled past Thompson at 8:04.

The lead was short lived with the Spruce Kings line of Sean Landrey, Bryant Christian and Jake LeBrun getting the puck deep into the Centennials zone. With puck possession in the corner, Landrey was able to dish off to Christian while heading to the net. The puck came out to Landrey who was able to sneak it past Tyler Steel for his second in as many games and second of the season.

That's how the first period would end with both teams scoring once on their ten credited shots on goal. In the second period, Jake LeBrun pounced on a loose puck in front on a play that was setup in the neutral zone by Karan Toor. Although he won't get any credit on the scoresheet, the play started with Toor blocking a clearing attempt with the inside of his left ankle.

With a grimace on his face, Toor got the puck up to Christian and then hobbled to the bench. Christian stepped over the blue line and left the puck for Trevor Esau who took a shot that bounced around in the top of the crease with LeBrun standing on the doorstep to bury for his first of the season and second in the BCHL (he scored his first as an AP with the Spruce Kings last season).

Unfortunately for Prince George, that lead would be short lived as well with the Centennials answering back 58 seconds later. With the puck deep in the Spruce Kings zone it looked like it was coming out when Brent Fletcher got his stick on it and spotted Jeff Wight all alone in the high slot. Wight wasted no time with a quick wrister that beat Thompson tying the game up 2-2.

Things started going from bad to worse on the next play for the Spruce Kings when Kirk Thompson was charged with a delay of game penalty at 4:54 of the second period. Although the Spruce Kings would kill off that man advantage, they wouldn't have the same luck on the next three penalty calls.

Brent Fletcher found himself in behind the Spruce Kings D and going in on a bit of breakaway. Trevor Esau was able to close the gap and catch Fletcher before he got a shot away knocking the puck off his stick and bringing the Centennials player down in the process. After some discussion, the referee assessed an interference penalty to Esau giving Merritt their fourth straight power play opportunity.

The Spruce Kings were only seconds away from going 4-0 on the penalty kill when Sebastian Pare spotted Derek Huisman in front. With five seconds remaining in the penalty to Esau, Huisman fought off a check and slipped his third of the season past Thompson.

Minutes later the referee's arm was back up in the arm on a questionable slash charged to Tyson Witala. Nick Swaine used an animated two handed swing motion to indicate what he saw as a axe style chop by the Spruce Kings forward. With Witala in the penalty box the top ranked powerplay unit in the BCHL went back to work and made short order of the man advantage with a goal mouth scramble. Sylvan Harper was able to slide one past the maze of bodies in the crease.

Less than a minute later the Spruce Kings were back on the penalty kill this time with Lyndon Martell getting the call for slashing. Huisman would be the trigger man 27 seconds into the man advantage with a perfect shot to the top corner over the shoulder of Thompson on the short side. The goal would spell the end of the starter in net for Prince George and bring out Liam Mcleod to finish the final five minutes of the second period and all of the third.

In the third period, Prince George just couldn't get anything to go their way despite being credited with 19 shots on goal. The Centennials final goal was a solo effort by Sebastian Pare that started from deep inside the Merritt zone. Pare took the puck off a Spruce Kings stick and started heading up ice picking up speed as he went. By the time Pare crossed the blueline he had only one player left to beat that he did with a quick inside outside move sliding the puck under McLeod.

With seven power plays in succession, the Merritt Centennials did to the Spruce Kings what Prince George did to the Vernon Vipers just a night ago bringing the Spruce Kings undefeated streak to an abrupt end. The Spruce Kings record is still tops in the Mainland Division with four wins, a tie and an overtime loss good for ten points.

For Prince George they will now have to turn their focus to the Penticton Vees who won their home opener on Saturday night with a 4-0 shutout win over the Powell River Kings. It will be the second and final meeting this season between these two with Prince George leading the season series 1-0 after posting a 4-2 victory over the Vees on September 15th back in Prince George.