Pregame ...
Will it be the same story as last night? There are certainly a number of similarities between the story lines as the Spruce Kings get set to play their second inter-divisional game in as many nights against a team that they last met a week ago and hasn't been to Prince George in over two years. Tonight it is the Victoria Grizzlies that will stroll into the Coliseum as they continue on their northern road swing that featured a big come-from-behind win on Thursday night in Quesnel. It is the Grizzlies first visit to Prince George since December 2007.
Looking back over the meetings between these two teams show that the Spruce Kings haven't fared very well against the Grizzlies, but that didn't stop them last night. On Friday night the Spruce Kings opened the scoring and never trailed in posting their biggest win ever against the Clippers defeating them 5-2. The score wasn't indicative of just how close this game was with Prince George holding off Nanaimo with a 1-0 lead from the mid way mark of the opening period until the last minute of the second. In the third, after the Spruce Kings made it a 3-0 game, the Clippers scored twice on the power play to put a scare into the home team and home fans until Sam Muchalla potted the insurance marker and Zac Rasmussen completed his first ever BCHL hat trick with a shorthanded empty netter.
Again the top line of Sam Muchalla, Zac Rasmussen and RJay Berra were instrumental in the game finishing with a combined 5 goals, 6 assists and a plus eight rating. Berra opened the scoring, Rasmussen scored both power play goals as well as the short handed empty netter and it was Muchalla's goal that brought back the crowd late in the third period when the Clippers were pressing hard for the tying goal. Both Berra's and Muchalla's goals were perfect hard shots and goal scorer's goals while the two power play goals and even the shorty were a result of perfect positioning and puck anticipation by Rasmussen.
Again on Friday night there was a large supporting cast starting with Andrew Walsh in net who turned aside 36 of 38 shots as the Spruce Kings were outshot on the night 38-21. His 94.74 save percentage and key saves from a determined Clippers squad earned Walsh his 14th win of the season and third star honours on the night. Brad Bourke quietly contributed on the back end setting up three of the goals and making it difficult on the opposition to get anything of consequence in on the Prince George goal. Up front the play of AP Dylan Richardson was once again a promise of great things to come in the seasons ahead for the seventeen year old from Williams Lake. Richardson had at least two good scoring chances, a number of hits and found himself in another fight after drawing the ire of Cody Bremner following a hit in the Clippers zone.
In tonight's game there is only one lineup change expected as Tyson McCallum will rejoin his Major Midget squad leaving a hole in the fourth line. The top three lines will go untouched by the coaching staff who have watched the top line producing at an unprecedented pace and injecting confidence into everyone on the bench. The second and third lines have looked dangerous as well and will be looking to start clicking tonight as Joe Morgan, Nick DeSousa, Jeff Earnest, Lyndon Martell and Dylan Richardson have had their chances in the past three games. Defensively the Spruce Kings will have to be sharp again tonight against the Grizzlies that have former Spruce King Alex Allan second in team scoring with 53 points, two back of line mate Dustin Mowrey.
Last Sunday in the Bear Mountain Arena, Alex Allan had two breakaways and a penalty shot but came up with only a single point setting up a power play goal mid way through the second period that seemed to deflate the Spruce Kings. Late in that game Allan and Muchalla dropped the gloves perhaps more out of frustration than anything, but that seems to have been the spark for Muchalla as he has picked up eight points (2G, 6A) in the last two games. Another big game tonight could put the Prince George minor hockey product and three year vet with the Spruce Kings in the running for BCHL Player of the Week honours.
That pales in comparison to what Sam and the rest of the squad have in mind as they continue to fight for that elusive playoff spot. Of the four teams in the running for the final three playoff spots in the Interior Conference, only the Merritt Centennials failed to pick up any points last night. The Quesnel Millionaires overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Williams Lake Timberwolves 3-2 and the Trail Smoke Eaters held off the Salmon Arm Silverbacks to also post a 3-2 regulation time victory; the Merritt Centennials dropped a 7-3 decision to the Vernon Vipers. Tonight the Quesnel Millionaires will be doing some scoreboard watching while the Merritt Centennials host the Cowichan Valley Capitals and the Trail Smoke Eaters host the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
As for the Spruce Kings, tonight's game should be another entertaining game as the players seem to be building on some confidence and getting some bounces going their way. Game time tonight is 7:00 with a pregame show at 6:40pm starting off the live broadcast from the Coliseum. Aaron Dubois and Todd Doherty will provide the call of the game on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website and the pay-per-view broadcast on the BCHL Fanzone. Questions and comments can be sent to Ron Gallo by clicking on the "comments" link below.
Rosters ...
Victoria Grizzlies
2 Nick Buchanan (D 6'04" 195 5/09/91 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 1 A 9 Pts 10 31 PIMs)
3 Jake Baker (D 6'04" 205 7/18/91 Port Moody, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 0 A 8 Pts 8 44 PIMs)
4 Jordan Heywood (D 6'01" 193 3/06/89 Regina, SK, CAN) (GP 50 G 13 A 33 Pts 46 51 PIMs)
5 Brad Pawlowski (D 6'03" 219 1/17/89 Marathon, ON, CAN) (GP 43 G 10 A 25 Pts 35 101 PIMs)
6 Jared Eng (D 5'09" 178 8/16/92 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 3 A 12 Pts 15 20 PIMs)
7 Brett Kolins (D 6'01" 172 1/12/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 1 A 3 Pts 4 85 PIMs)
8 Sean Robertson (D 6'01" 174 2/28/91 Cobble Hill, BC, CAN) (GP 6 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 02 PIMs)
11 Mike Tebbutt (F 6'04" 215 5/09/92 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 13 G 4 A 4 Pts 8 19 PIMs)
12 Graeme McCormack (D 6'02" 195 4/22/91 Thunder Bay, ON, CAN) (GP 35 G 6 A 15 Pts 21 16 PIMs)
13 Dylan Nowakowski (F 5'07" 150 9/14/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 53 G 7 A 16 Pts 23 35 PIMs)
14 Alex Allan (F 5'10" 180 8/28/89 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 53 G 18 A 35 Pts 53 23 PIMs)
16 Madison Dias (F 6'01" 175 11/02/92 Penticton, BC, CAN) (GP 48 G 11 A 23 Pts 34 49 PIMs)
17 Joel Lowry (F 6'02" 173 11/15/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 51 G 15 A 25 Pts 40 49 PIMs)
19 Bryce Twa (F 5'11" 170 1/09/91 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 2 A 5 Pts 7 10 PIMs)
20 Wesley Myron (F 6'02" 175 9/16/92 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 9 A 11 Pts 20 06 PIMs)
21 Dustin Mowrey (F 5'09" 178 2/12/91 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 28 A 27 Pts 55 66 PIMs)
22 Derek Bacon (F 5'08" 160 9/27/91 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 7 A 19 Pts 26 48 PIMs)
24 Sam Grist (D 6'03" 200 6/27/93 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 2 A 4 Pts 6 49 PIMs)
25 Spencer Copp (F 6'02" 200 1/12/90 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 51 G 7 A 17 Pts 24 15 PIMs)
26 Brandon Fagerheim (F 5'10" 172 12/13/90 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 52 G 18 A 25 Pts 43 60 PIMs)
27 Gregory Simpson (F 6'00" 195 6/08/90 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 7 A 8 Pts 15 102 PIMs)
31 Ryan Holfeld (G 5'11" 180 6/29/89 Leroy, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 04 PIMs)
35 Colin Fernandes (G 5'11" 170 11/15/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 11 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
Prince George Spruce Kings
4 Reid Blinkhorn (D 5'11" 170 12/23/91 Winfield, BC, CAN) (GP 8 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 11 PIMs)
5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 6 A 33 Pts 39 83 PIMs)
7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 49 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 38 PIMs)
8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 5 A 5 Pts 10 49 PIMs)
9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 21 A 17 Pts 38 35 PIMs)
10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 50 G 7 A 27 Pts 34 55 PIMs)
11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 52 G 5 A 3 Pts 8 21 PIMs)
12 Dylan Richardson (F 5'11" 170 7/16/92 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 12 PIMs)
14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 13 A 15 Pts 28 12 PIMs)
16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 46 G 10 A 12 Pts 22 62 PIMs)
19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 14 A 23 Pts 37 24 PIMs)
20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 0 A 5 Pts 5 13 PIMs)
21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 09 PIMs)
22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 46 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 101 PIMs)
23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 54 G 13 A 17 Pts 30 15 PIMs)
25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 50 G 21 A 24 Pts 45 105 PIMs)
26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 52 G 28 A 48 Pts 76 61 PIMs)
30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 24 PIMs)
35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 23 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
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