Jenks to the World Junior A Challenge

Spruce Kings rookie netminder, Jesse Jenks has been selected
to Team Canada West roster for the World Junior A Challenge

It is one of the early season prestigious tournaments and Jesse Jenks is on the roster for Team Canada West. The World Junior A Challenge is entering its eighth edition and for the six time in those eight years, a Prince George Spruce Kings player will have a chance to play for gold in front of every NHL team as well as scouts from around the hockey world.

The World Junior A Challenge is an annual event that rivals others for exposure of the players looking to make an impact to further their hockey careers. With the best of the best players coming from hockey hotbeds around the world, scouts flock to the tournament with plenty of paper and ink to make notes on players that are draft eligible or better yet, diamonds in the rough waiting to be uncovered.

Jujhar Khaira was the most recent member from the Spruce Kings roster to play in the WJAC two seasons ago. Khaira ended up winning gold with Team Canada West and was drafted the following summer by the Edmonton Oilers in the 3rd round of the NHL Draft.

In 2011, Team Canada West won their third gold medal at the WJAC. In the inaugural tournament, Team Canada West won gold and followed it up with a repeat performance the following year. In year three and year four, Team Canada West had to settle for silver and missed out on any medal in 2010. Last year Team Canada West came away with their third silver to improve their medal haul to 3 golds and 3 silvers in 7 years. The United States also has six medals with four golds and a pair of bronze followed by Team Canada East with their four silvers and one bronze medal.

Jenks becomes the sixth Spruce King to be selected to the Team Canada West roster and second goaltender. Kevin Genoe won silver in net in 2008 and went on to play four years of NCAA Division I hockey with Michigan Tech. Ryan deVries (2006 - Gold), Jeff Forsythe (2007 - Gold) and Wes McLeod (Silver - 2009) were three defenceman chosen from the Prince George Spruce Kings while Jujhar Khaira (2011 - Gold) has been the only forward to be selected so far.

The 2013 World Junior A Challenge will take place from November 4 - 10 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia with Team Canada West playing an exhibition game against the Americans on November 2nd in Digby, Nova Scotia. Team Canada West will play round robin games against Switzerland and the Czech Republic on November 4th and 5th. Quarter final games will be on Thursday November 7th and the semi finals on Friday November 8th. The relegation games are scheduled for Saturday and the Gold Medal game is set for Sunday November 10th at 9am PDT.

A Gift Goal Wins It

The Spruce Kings celebrate after Sean Landrey scores
the game's first goal en route to a 3-2 win

The Prince George Spruce Kings took the gift they were given and traded it in for two points in a 3-2 win over the visiting Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday night. Three highlight reel goals from Sean Landrey, Brogan O'Brien and Jeremiah Luedtke provided the Spruce Kings with their tenth win of the season and third in a row.

Although the game finished with fans holding on to the edge of their seats, the game certainly didn't start that way and was more of a yawner with no energy on the ice and no atmosphere in the stands. It took over five minutes for the first shot on goal to be registered by either team. Perhaps it was that first shot that turned the tide when Matt Painchaud worked his way underneath the Cowichan Valley Capitals defence and drove hard to the net looking to poke the puck in five-hole.

On the next shift, the Spruce Kings would get two more shots and that then seemed to ignite the road weary Capitals. The visitors applied the pressure and had good puck possession in the Spruce Kings end but were having difficulties finding the net firing pucks high and wide. Hemmed inside their own zone, things would change quickly for Prince George when Riley Hawes jumped on a loose puck at the top of the faceoff circle and spotted Sean Landrey breaking out of the zone.

Hawes fed a perfect pass through the middle that Landrey picked up on the fly. With a step on the defender, Landrey let go a snap shot that beat the Capitals goalie high to the blocker side. For Landrey it was his second goal of the season and second in as many games coming at 14:07 of the first period on the Spruce Kings fifth shot on goal. The goal would hold up as the only tally in the opening period and, for a while, looked like it was going to be the only goal of the second period too. Prince George headed to the dressing room leading 12-6 on the shot clock.

On Thursday night the Spruce Kings were put on their heels in the second period but they weren't about to let that happen to them on this night. Even with Karan Toor sitting in the penalty box with over three minutes remaining in a double minor, the Spruce Kings created chances. The best came off the stick of Chad Staley who stole the puck and was looking for the far side of the net before he was hauled down. Some fans in the building were wondering if a penalty shot would be awarded with a penalty shot again, but it was only called a two minute minor. The four on four situation only lasted for a short while before Justin Rai was called for an interference penalty giving the Capitals a 4-on-3 to work with and 12 seconds of 5-on-3.

Even with the extra ice and short two man advantage, the Cowichan Valley Capitals couldn't get anything on Alex Murray. The next three powerplays all went to the Spruce Kings, but they too struggled to get quality shots on goal with the man advantage despite controlling much of the play in the offensive zone. Before the end of the second period, the Cowichan Valley Capitals would get their third powerplay of the game and would make the most of it, scoring the tying goal at 19:10. Despite outshooting the visitors 14-8 in the middle frame, the Spruce Kings could not capitalize on any of their chances.

With the start of the third period it looked like the Capitals were on the verge of taking over the game's momentum and very well might have had it not been for a stunning play by the Spruce Kings youngest player. Coming around from behind his own net, Danny Kiraly spotted Brogan O'Brien the puck just inside the Prince George blue line. The sixteen year old took off with speed through the middle, shook off a couple of checks and stepped around two more defenders. As O'Brien made his way around the last guy, he lost his footing and fell to his knees but never gave up on the puck. From his knees, O'Brien was able to pull the puck from his backhand to his forehand and bury on Robin Gusse (pronounced goose) before sliding into the net himself.

The goal left the entire building in a buzz with people asking the same question all around the Coliseum - "did you see that?" Before the reality of the goal could sink in for the fans in the stands, the Cowichan Valley Capitals answered right back to again put the game into a tie. The tie would hold up for sixteen minutes as both teams traded chances. The Capitals had the best chance to score the go-ahead goal when Mitch Ball had the game on his stick and was robbed by a reach back glove hand save by Alex Murray.

Not a minute later a tense crowd would explode in a goal celebration that was tempered with more disbelief. In the Spruce Kings zone, the Capitals had complete control of the puck and were working it along the left side wall back to the point. The pass back got away from the defenceman and went the length of the ice. Gusse left the net and went into the corner to play it. Jeremiah Luedtke followed the puck into the Capitals end and then curled in towards the slot. Just as Luedtke was passing between the faceoff circles the unbelievable happened. In a bold maverick move to find the far side defenceman, Gusse passed the puck right to Luedtke who grabbed it and fired in to the empty net with 44 seconds remaining in the third period.

After the horror of the situation sunk in for Gusse and the Capitals, they would control the final seconds of play inside the Spruce Kings zone but couldn't find the equalizer before the final buzzer sounded. The Spruce Kings posted the 3-2 regulation time victory sending the hometown fans home happy and the visitors on the bus still shaking their heads on the one that got away on them. After the game, Alex Murray was given the hard hat after making 24 saves on the night including two huge saves in the third period.

Sean Landrey who played a strong game all night long was awarded the game's first star while Brogan O'Brien picked up the second star for his highlight reel goal and smart play all night long. With the three stars being selected a few minutes before the end of the game, the third star came as a bit of a surprise after it was awarded to the player that gave the puck away in the dying seconds of the game - Robin Gusse. Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke were on the short list for Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game, but it would be Staley that picked up the honour after putting together another solid sixty minute effort.

On a side note, both Caleb Thompson and Jake LeBrun who have been out of the lineup for the most of the month of October, were both at the game. At this point it is unclear if either player will be able to travel with the team next weekend for their next set of games. The Spruce Kings will be in Surrey on November 1st and Langley November 2nd.

The Langley Rivermen maintained their two point cushion over the Spruce Kings in top spot in the Mainland Division with a 3-2 overtime win over the West Kelowna Warriors. The Spruce Kings are now four points up on the Coquitlam Express who were idle tonight. After losing 3-2 to the Chilliwack Chiefs, the Surrey Eagles sit seven points back of Prince George in fourth place and the Chiefs are stuck in the basement with nine points.

Game Day vs Cowichan Valley Capitals

The Prince George Spruce Kings will be looking to capitalize on their recent offensive gains as they entertain the Cowichan Valley Capitals tonight. This is the second of three meetings between these two teams this season. The Capitals took the first game 4-3 during the BCHL Showcase. After tonight’s game in Prince George, the two won’t see each other again until January 18, 2014 in Duncan.

During the Showcase, the Spruce Kings outshoot the Capitals 29-14 and built up a 3-1 lead only to have it slip away in the third. The Spruce Kings learned that no lead in hockey can be considered safe. The game winning goal came on a powerplay in the last minute of play and for one player, that was another hard lesson learned.

Since that first game of the season, both teams have compiled almost identical records and sit second in their respective divisions. The Capitals have played one extra game and have a record of 10 wins, 8 losses and 1 overtime loss for 21 points in 19 games. The Spruce Kings record sits at 20 points with 9 wins, 7 losses, 1 tie and 1 overtime loss.

The Cowichan Valley Capitals were in Chilliwack last night and came away with a narrow 2-1 regulation time win. The game was highlighted by the goaltenders who stole the show led by the Capitals goaltender, Robin Gusse who turned aside 38 of 39 shots while the team in front of him took 37 shots.

The Spruce Kings are also coming off a win, a 7-4 win over the Merritt Centennials on Thursday night that saw Chad Staley record his first BCHL career hat trick. Staley scored in each period starting with a powerplay goal in the first, an evenstrength goal in the last minute of the second and capped it all off with a shorthanded penalty shot goal in the third.

The manner in which Prince George won was significant given their early October offensive struggles after losing both Brent Lashuk and Jake LeBrun. While those two were out of the lineup, the team only mustered five goals in four games. Although LeBrun remains out of the lineup, the Spruce Kings have welcomed the return of Lashuk scoring 15 goals in their last four games.

Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke have been playing on a line with Brent Lashuk and that has turned into some magic for all three and the fans in the stands. In the last four games Staley has picked up 7 points (5G, 2A) and has taken over top spot on the team’s leader board. Luedtke has exploded offensively with 8 points in the last 4 games (2G, 6A) while Lashuk has added 4 more points for the line (2G, 2A).

The Spruce Kings leaderboard is starting to light up like a Christmas tree with three players sitting in top spot tied with 15 points. Staley (7G, 8A) leads with the most goals followed by Bryant Christian (5G, 10A) and Christian Weidauer (4G, 11A). Brent Lashuk (4G, 10A) is one point back followed by the CJHL 3rd star for the month of September, Jake LeBrun (8G, 5A). Jeremiah Luedtke (3G, 7A) and Karan Toor (3G, 7A) round out players with double digits while Skylar Pacheco (6G, 3A), Justin Rai (3G, 6A) and Mitch Eden (1G, 8A) are all poised to hit that mark.

Prince George will have three scratches and one affiliate player in the lineup tonight. Jake LeBrun is still expected to miss another two weeks as he recovers from a concussion, Caleb Thompson is now considered day-to-day and is hoping to make a return to the ice soon. The third scratch tonight is a healthy one as Jesse Jenks is now in Calgary at the Team Canada West Selection Camp battling to get his name on the final roster for the World Junior A Challenge in Yarmouth, NS November 4th to 10th.

The lone addition to the roster tonight is a young goaltender that many fans in Prince George ranked high on their future stars list. Bailey DePalma is a 16 year old that fought hard through the team's main camp and intra-squad games coming up with some highlight reel saves. The play of DePalma left a buzz in the city when it was announced that he had been placed on the team's reserve roster and assigned to the Thompson Blazers of the BC Major Midget League.

The game tonight is scheduled to start at 7pm and will be broadcast live tonight as a pay-per-view feed on Fasthockey.com and as a free audio online broadcast on the Spruce Kings Mixlr channel beginning with the pregame show at 6:40pm.

Staley's First Trick

Jesse Jenks and the Spruce Kings were undersiege in the
2nd and 3rd periods but came away with a 7-4 win

Although it is going to take a BCHL review of a goal, Chad Staley's hat trick proves to be too much for the Merritt Centennials to overcome as the Spruce Kings post a 7-4 win Thursday night in Prince George.

There is no video review during a game but afterwards the League can review all goals and make any necessary scoring changes. Staley will have to wait for this process to happen before he will be able to see his first official BCHL hat trick on the score sheet. In the meantime the entire team will get to enjoy a night off before getting back to it on Saturday night when they take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

On Thursday night, the Spruce Kings opened the scoring early in the first period on their first powerplay chance. Although they had some issues getting the 5-on-4 to work, it would be the top line of Staley, Jeremiah Luedtke and Brent Lashuk that figured it out before the man advantage ended. Staley carried the puck into the zone before passing it off to Luedtke who took the initial shot. The rebound came out to Lashuk who also had an attempt at the shot with the puck coming out to the slot for Staley to put behind Russell Sanderson.

The Spruce Kings would make a 2-0 game shortly afterwards on a broken play that was started by Donovan Law, the affiliate player called up earlier in the day. After it was determined following the morning skate that Riley Hawes would not be able to go for the evening, the call was made for Law to join the Spruce Kings for that night. Law is currently playing for the 100 Mile House Wranglers of the KIJHL and made the four hour drive to Prince George.

Playing on a line with Sean Landrey and Matt Painchaud, Law picked up the puck on the left wing and fired a pass to Landrey through centre ice. As Landrey went in to the offensive zone, his original shot was blocked and bounced towards the slot with Landrey following behind. With a quick slap at the puck it became a knuckler that flew past the glove side of Sanderson at 10:39 of the first period.

For the 3-0 goal, the Spruce Kings can thank Jesse Jenks for turning aside three big Merritt chances. With the Centennials battling for the puck in the Prince George end, Christian Weidauer was able to dig the puck out to Bryant Christian who took off down the ice with Brent Lashuk and Justin Rai on the rush. Christian chipped the puck off the wall to Lashuk who carried it in to the right side faceoff circle before centering the puck for Rai to bury his third of the season.

At 17:12 of the first period, the Spruce Kings stretched their lead over the visitors to four on a powerplay goal scored on their second man advantage of the game. The powerplay started with a shorthanded chance for the Merritt Centennials that was broken up by Skylar Pacheco. The three year veteran on the blue line was able to get the powerplay headed in the right direction and setup in the offensive zone. Brogan O'Brien found the puck on the right wall and skated around the perimeter before coming down the slot. The sixteen year old rookie's shot was stopped with the rebound going out to the left side to Pacheco who come down the wing and fired home his sixth of the season.

The first period was highlighted by some long stretches of play with few whistles and when the whistles did come they were either the result of goals or penalties; the BCHL time out never came until the 19 minute mark. The final minute saw the Spruce Kings with one more scoring chance when Brent Lashuk was sprung on the right side. After twenty minutes, the Spruce Kings had a 4-0 lead and led on the shot clock 11-9.

To start the second period, Devin Kero replaced Russell Sanderson between the pipes and the rest of the team took everything they could to the Prince George end of the ice firing shot after shot on Jesse Jenks. The pressure applied led to a couple of penalties that the Centennials were able to capitalize on to make the game close. The Spruce Kings seemed to be on their heels for a majority of that second period and were holding onto a 4-2 lead until the line of Staley, Luedtke and Lashuk fired up their engines again.

Late in that second period Staley would find the goal post on a hard shot from the right side. On their very next shift, on a play that Mitch Eden setup to spring the trio, Luedtke was able to get a weak shot on goal that fooled Kero. The shot was stopped by not covered and as Staley came around from behind the net he found the loose puck and lifted it over the glove of Kero. The goal was originally credited to another player but the video clearly shows it was Staley's sixth of the season.

The Spruce Kings went to the dressing room leading by three despite being outshot in the second period by a margin of 14-8 and 23-19 through forty minutes of play. Into the third period, the Centennials would pick up where they left off and be rewarded five minutes later with their third goal of the game and first one scored at even strength. The game would remain a 5-3 game for another nine minutes.

With the Spruce Kings trying to kill off another penalty, Chad Staley was sprung on a breakaway down the middle. Staley was caught by the Centennials defenceman who tried to take the shot away only to be called for interference leading to Staley being awarded a penalty shot. Staley took his time getting ready for his first ever penalty shot but as he picked up the puck at centre ice, the anticipation in the building grew. Staley came straight down the lane as he closed in the Centennials netminder, faked to his backhand before pulling it back to his forehand and sliding it past Kero.

Before the end of the game, the visitors would get a lucky bounce as a dump in shot from the point would literally bounce past Jesse Jenks giving Merritt a renewed source of optimism. Shortly after the ensuing puck drop, the Centennials opted for an extra attacker and pulled the goaltender. After stopping the initial attack, Karan Toor carried the puck to the centre ice line and fired at the open net only to hit the base of the right side post.

In the final minute the Spruce Kings would again find themselves hemmed in their own zone. Again it was Toor that found a way to get the puck out of the zone and continued to chase it down the right side wall winning the battle for the puck. Toor got that shot away and watched as the puck slid over the goal line giving the defenceman his third goal of the season and the Spruce Kings a 7-4 win over the visiting Centennials.

It was the second time this season that the Spruce Kings scored seven goals against an opponent on home ice, it was also the first win this season against the Merritt Centennials. More importantly the win with seven goals provides the team in the dressing room a great deal of relief knowing that they can score goals despite the absence of Jake LeBrun who still remains sidelined with his concussion. Since Brent Lashuk has returned to the lineup, the Spruce Kings have scored 15 goals after being held to just four in the four games when both Lashuk and LeBrun were out of the lineup.

The Spruce Kings will be looking for that trend to continue as they take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday night in the Coliseum.

Game Day vs Merritt Centennials

It’s been a couple of weeks since the Spruce Kings last played a home game; tonight’s game is the seventh game in the Castle with the Spruce Kings enjoying a 3-2-0-1 record.

The team has found some offense in the absence of Jake LeBrun, who is expected back early in the month of November. The return of Brent Lashuk has been a contributing factor as has the emergence of Jeremiah Luedtke.

Lashuk scored two goals sixteen seconds apart last Saturday in his second game back. Luedtke also found his stride this past weekend picking up a total of six points including a highlight reel goal setup by Mitch Eden.

The Spruce Kings defence has been solid when called upon and continue to lead the Mainland Division for fewest goals against in a game. Jesse Jenks has been a shining star in net for Prince George and sits among the League’s best with a 2.25 GAA.

The strong play of Jenks has earned him a chance at cracking the Team Canada West roster for the World Junior A Challenge taking place in Yarmouth, NS from November 4th - 10th. The Selection Camp begins on Saturday October 26th and runs for four days in Calgary, AB.

After a big win on Sunday afternoon against their divisional opponent in Langley, the Spruce Kings will be looking to gain momentum with the first of two games this weekend tonight. The opponents will be looking to do the same.

In their last meeting the Merritt Centennials extended their winning streak to four games but have only won twice in their past five outings. The visitors bring an almost fully healthy roster with them to the Castle, the lone exception being Dan Nachbaur who is out with an upper body injury.

Two other scratches on the Centennials lineup include Waylon Williams and Jake Clifford. Russell Sanderson is getting the nod in net tonight for the Centennials, it will be his first start in over a month after sitting on the injured reserve list since suffering an injury following a September 14th game versus the West Kelowna Warriors.

The game tonight is the second Prince George Motors Feature Game of the Month on 99.3 the Drive with Ron St. Clair. The game will be broadcast live following the Vancouver Canucks. The game is also Prince George’s turn to compete in the Five Hole For Food BCHL Challenge.

As well as being broadcasted live on 99.3 the Drive, tonight's game will also be available as a pay-per-view game on Fasthockey.com and on the Spruce Kings Mixlr channel beginning with the pre-game show at 6:45pm.

The Luedtke Lob for the Win

Jesse Jenks (1) was on his game turning aside 26 of 27 shots
photo courtesy Garrett James Photography

The Prince George Spruce Kings finished their three game road trip with a 3-1 win over the Langley Rivermen and moved up a notch in the Mainland Division Sunday afternoon. Jeremiah Luedtke scored first on the power play, then he setup Chad Staley for the eventual game winner in the first period and capped off a first star bid scoring on a break away late in the third.

The line of Luedtke, Staley and Brent Lashuk carried much of the play for the Spruce Kings creating chance after chance all game long. Justin Rai, Bryant Christian, Brogan O'Brien and Cole Todd all created offensive chances as well. When the Spruce Kings weren't in control of the puck, the defense did a great job of minimizing chances for the Rivermen. Jesse Jenks did the rest turning aside all but one shot on goal.

The Spruce Kings started early with pressure in the offensive zone. In the opening minutes, Luedtke fed a back door pass through the crease to Rai, who came down from the face off circle only to be stopped by the big pad of Steve Myland. The Spruce Kings kept pressing for th first goal and would draw the first power play of the game.

With Lashuk working the left faceoff circle and Staley and Luedtke causing grief for the penalty killers with the cycling. Lashuk fired a shot on net that settled in the blue paint just out of the reach of the netminder. When Myland made the decision to go for the puck, in an effort to cover it with his glove, Luedtke reached in and poked the puck under Myland. The goal was the second on the season for the returning forward and the first power play goal for the Spruce Kings on the weekend.

A few minutes later the Langley Rivermen would have their best chance of the period when Jakob Reichert would bust in through the middle and fire a bullet off the glove side goal post on Jesse Jenks. The Spruce Kings went the other way shortly after that on an odd man rush with Lashuk carrying the puck. Lashuk fired a shot on goal with Chad Staley going hard to the net, the defender on the play tried to hold up Staley and everybody crashed in on the goalie knocking Myland into the back of his net.

Staley was quick to get out of the crease and found the puck, his first attempt bounced back to him off the bodies on the ice. Staley grabbed the loose puck and stepped back giving himself room to lift it up and over the still down and out Rivermen defender and goaltender. There was some thought that the whistle should have blown the play dead, but the puck remained loose the entire time and it was only a Rivermen defender that made it impossible for the goalie to get back into position.

The Spruce Kings would hold onto their 2-0 lead out shooting the Langley Rivermen 11-7 through the first period of play. The Spruce Kings out shot the Rivermen again 10-8 in the second period with both teams trading chances and a pair of power play opportunities including a two man advantage for over a minute for Langley.

Mitch Eden took the first penalty,  a tripping mior at 7:33. While killing off that one, Skylar Pacheco lost his stick and tried using his glove to clear the zone. Instead the glove cupped the puck and Pacheco ended up clearing it up and over the glass with 1:07 still remaining in Eden's minor. The Rivermen were unable to muster much of anything getting only one shot on goal from the outside.

As Eden got back into the play he setup the first of two shorthanded chances and the Spruce Kings would continue to apply pressure as they got back to full strength.  The defensive game and the offensive chances led to some frustration on the part of the home team who took back-to-back penalties late in the period including a boarding call that saw Chad Staley hit from behind face first into the dasher and corner glass. Fortunately for Staley and the Spruce Kings, the dynamo vet was okay and stayed on the ice to take his turn on the power play.

Neither team was able to score in the second period and the game remained a 2-0 lead for Prince George after forty minutes of play. To start the third period, the Rivermen came out hungry for their first goal and a chance to get back in the game. Their aggressive start led to a couple more power play chances. The first was when Matt Painchaud slashed the stick out of the hands of Mitch McLain as the Rivermen's leading scorer was cruising through the slot and about to pick up the puck.

The Spruce Kings killed off that penalty but couldn't kill off the next one as Bryant Christian sat in the sin bin on a holding call at 5:55. Sixteen seconds on a broken play, the Rivermen were on the board. James Robinson lost the puck trying to set up in the right corner only to have it kicked back over to him. With players scrambling to get back in to position, Robinson spotted Jakob Reichert coming down the slot and passed him the puck. Reichert took one look and blasted a shot past Jenks to get the Rivermen to within one of the vistors.

For the next twelve minutes,  much of the play would be on the Spruce Kings half of the ice with puck going back and forth over the blue line. With time becoming a factor and the Langley bench looking to get the right players on the ice and the goalie to the bench, Christian Weidauer lobbed a high dump out pass that was intended to clear the zone while avoiding the icing call.

The Spruce Kings, who had at least one bounce go their way in the first,  would get another. The Langley Rivermen defencemen got caught changing as the puck landed at centre ice.  Luedtke skated up on it and broke in on a two-on-none with Lashuk joining in on the left side. Luedtke kept the puck the whole way and then lifted it over Myland's glove into the top corner giving Prince George a 3-1 lead with 1:25 remaining in the third.

The frustration that had been brewing all game finally came out on the next play when a dump-in got caught up in Eden's jersey.  No less than three Langley players started swinging their sticks trying to dislodge the puck. Weidauer quickly got in there to break it up, pulling Reichert out. The two would end up with roughing after the whistle penalties and ten minute misconducts. Austin Azurdia, who was talking with Eden after the whistle,  ended up with a game misconduct after he went after Alex Murray on the Spruce Kings bench.

On the following faceoff Charlie Pelnik slashed Staley and was given a minor and a misconduct for the infraction. That would be the extent of the extracurricular activities as the Spruce Kings registered their eighth win of the season and join the Coquitlam Express in second place in the Mainland Division,  both teams have 18 points. The win also sets up an interesting return to the Langley Events Centre on November 2nd.

The Spruce Kings return home for a pair of games beginning with the Merritt Centennials on Thursday and the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday night. Thursday's game is the second Prince George Motors Feature Game of the Month on 99.3 the Drive. Ron St.Clair will hace the call of the game on the Drive. Prior to that the Spruce Kings will participate in the Inside Ride to raise funds for Camp Goodtimes in support of children suffering from cancer.

Game Day at Langley Rivermen

Called the quick turn-around game, there may be no advantage to either team in today's BCHL meeting between the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Langley Rivermen. For their first meeting against each other this season, a 2pm matinee in Langley, the Spruce Kings and the Rivermen will have to come ready to play after both teams played in seventy minute games the night before.

In two separate games last night both teams found themselves in a tie after regulation time after their opponents scored in the third to force overtime. The Spruce Kings had a first period lead of 2-1 flip flop into a come-from-behind situation that saw them claim a 4-3 lead on a pair of back-to-back goals sixteen seconds apart off the stick of Brent Lashuk. With a little over five minutes remaining, the Surrey Eagles scored the tying goal and after that neither team could find the back of the net in a game that ended in a 4-4 tie.

Meanwhile over in Langley, the Rivermen held on tight to a 1-0 lead off a shorthanded goal scored early in the second period only to find themselves in a tie situation when the Penticton Vees scored five minutes into the third period. Goals were at a premium in Langley last night with both teams having to settle for the single point in a 1-1 tie through two extra periods of overtime hockey. In the BCHL, those overtime periods are played as five minute sudden victory periods with the first featuring a 4-on-4 man situation and the second a 3-on-3.

Normally it can be expected that a 3-on-3 becomes a fast back and forth affair with both teams ending up with odd man rushes and breakaways. There really was none of that last night as both teams played each other close and could only muster up a few real chances in the game. In Langley, the home team gambled big and actually pulled their goaltender for the final thirteen seconds with a faceoff in the Penticton end. This is a huge gamble in the BCHL, because if the Vees had scored into the empty net, the Rivermen would have forfeited the extra point (Rule 209.5).

After last night's game results, the Langley Rivermen (9-4-1-1) moved one point up on the Coquitlam Express (8-5-0-2), who lost in regulation time to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The Prince George Spruce Kings (7-7-1-1) retain third in the Mainland Division two points behind the Express and a single point up on the Surrey Eagles (7-8-1-0). The Chilliwack Chiefs (2-7-1-2) also picked up a single point last night in an overtime loss to the Cowichan Valley Capitals.

Heading into today's game, both teams can expect to be a little tired after their respective games finished closer to 10pm. The Spruce Kings had to make the short drive from Surrey back to Langley and set up their gear around 11pm in the Langley Events Centre, hoping to get a little more shuteye and rest before making their appearance at noon for the 2pm game.

The Rivermen struggled for offense last night whereas the Spruce Kings scored four goals in a game for the fourth time this season. The Spruce Kings got goals from Bryant Christian*, Chad Staley and a pair from Brent Lashuk - the asterisk beside Christian's name is because the goal currently shows as Cole Todd's, but after the game Todd confirmed that the goal was not his and that the Spruce Kings would have to submit a goal scoring change to the League so that it can be corrected.

The team defence that we have come to know from the Spruce Kings returned for last night's game and was highly effective keeping the free wheeling Surrey Eagles to just 27 shots through seventy minutes of play. As we also come to see, the defence themselves were active and got up on the play lots. Christian Weidauer helped set up the game's first goal; Mitch Eden, Karan Toor, Danny Kiraly and Skylar Pacheco all had offensive chances on the rush while the forwards came back strong on the back check and protecting the points when the defence did jump up.

While the Spruce Kings strength comes from below the blue line, the Langely Rivermen have been finding the net from all four lines. Ten of their twelve goal scorers are all forwards led by Mitch McLain (5G, 11A), Will Cook (4G, 8A) and James Robinson (3G, 8A). Also with double digits to start the season is Austin Azurdia (7G, 3A) with his team leading seven goals. Nathan Craft (5G, 2A) has five goals himself and will be a threat today playing against his home town team. Craft has suited up for the Prince George Spruce Kings in two prior games as an affiliate player in his days with the Cariboo Cougars.

The game could be an interesting one where fatigue could be an determining factor in the final outcome. The Langley Rivermen and the Prince George Spruce Kings matchup is one of six on a busy Sunday BCHL schedule. The Chilliwack Chiefs are also in action while the Coquitlam Express and Surrey Eagles will be scoreboard watching today. Game time is 2pm with the game being broadcast live online with the pay-per-view feed available on Fasthockey.com and a free online audio only broadcast on the Spruce Kings Mixlr channel beginning with the pregame show at 1:40pm.