At the start of the broadcast, Todd said the Spruce Kings needed a quick and fast paced start if they wanted to win this hockey game. That is exactly what they did, as just 2 minutes Jarryd Ten Vaanholt scored to send the sold out crowd into a frenzy. Paul De Jersey and Tyson Witala would add assists on the opening tally. 7 minutes later though, the Vees showed why it is imperative that you don't break down defensively against them. Wade Murphy broke in on a two on one opportunity, feeding Curtis Loik to tie the game up. The rest of the period saw both teams trade chances and hits, but the scoreboard sat at 1-1 heading into the intermission.
The Vees came out with a vengeance in the second though, as Bryce Gervais would add his 42nd of the season to give his team their first lead of the hockey game. It took the Spruce Kings a little longer than they had hoped, but Ben Woodley would eventually beat a screened Katunar to once again send the crowd of over 2000 to it's feet. After some more stellar play and saves from both goaltenders, we heard the buzzer sound, and everyone was given a chance to collect their breath. Much like the game the night before, the game was up for grabs after two periods of play.
Although, unless last night, it was the home team who would own the final frame. At the 7:16 mark Myles Fitzgerald would score what turned out to be the eventual game winner. 2 minutes later, Michael Colantone would add an insurance marker on the power play to give everyone in the building hope and a real sense of “could this be happening?!” The answer, was yes as Colantone would add the empty netter to seal the deal. After some brief rough stuff, including a tilt between Sean Landrey and Dexter Dancs, the buzzer sounded and the streak became officially busted.
The win gives Prince George sole possession of 3rd place, meaning they will now battle Merritt in the first round. This win tonight gives the Spruce Kings the best piece of momentum possible to head into the playoffs with. Dropping the Vees at home, in front of a sold out crowd will surely give every player in that dressing room a boost of confidence to move forward with. It will be the first time for most of the players to experience playoff hockey in the BCHL, but they can be sure of one thing, the city of Prince George is fully behind them.
Really quickly, I’d like to give a huge congrats to the Penticton Vees on an amazing season. The run they went on, may never be touched again, and that deserves big praise. They are a talented club who are still the hands down favourite to win it all. Hopefully we'll get the chance to prove ourselves against them in the playoffs later on. What an amazing series that would be.
Awards:
Another big time congrats goes to our very own number 8, Paul De Jersey. With his 3 assists tonight, De Jersey took sole lead of the lead scoring title, and became the first ever Spruce King to win the Brett Hull Trophy. An amazing accomplishment, considering he was a player who had only scored 11 goals in his BCHl career thus far.
To read the full box score of tonight's game, click here
The Three Stars:
3)(PG) Paul De Jersey – 3 Assists
2)(PG) Michael Colantone – 2 Goals 1 Assist
1)(PG) Ty Swabb - 25 Saves and The Win
Next Up:
After that amazing perforate, the Spruce kings will now set their sights on the playoffs and Merritt. The two Interior Conference rivals will start their battle next weekend, Friday and Saturday. Games 3 and 4 will then take place at the Castle the following Monday and Tuesday. If need be, Games 4,5 and 6 will play out on the following Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We'll have tid bits and previews for you all week on the blog. Keep checking our facebook as well, as we get you set for our first playoff run since the 08/09 season
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