It is that time of the year again – when the two Royalties of the British Columbia Hockey League meet for bragging rights to the Crown. Over the years the teams have played out of different conferences, but this year both the Powell River Kings and the Prince George Spruce Kings play out of the Coastal Conference – at least they are still in different divisions.
The Powell River Kings are four time defending Coastal Conference Champions and have always had a strong showing throughout the regular season. Last year Powell River finished the regular season with a record of 40-16-2-2 including a single game against the Spruce Kings. In that game nothing was settled in a 2-2 tie.
This season both the Kings and the Spruce Kings sit in the middle of their five team divisions with records of 4-6-0-2 and 5-4-1-1 respectfully. The first noticeable difference between the two coming on the goals for and against stat where Prince George leads that with a +4 to Powell River’s -4.
The Spruce Kings started the season off with points in their first six games but since then have stumbled on back-to-back road trips failing to pick up points in three of four close games. Being back in their own castle might be exactly what the hockey gods have in mind as the Spruce Kings are 1-0-1-1 in the Coliseum.
Tonight will be the first chance for home fans to get a good look at the newest addition to the roster. Shayne Morrissey who hails from St. John’s Newfoundland will be wearing #12 in his fourth game with his new team. Last weekend Morrissey was dealing with the four and half hour time zone difference but says he has settled into the Pacific time zone.
After being the subject of a highlight reel goal that went viral from their last game, the Spruce Kings have put that last second goal behind them. The Powell River Kings suffered a regulation time loss under similar circumstances losing to the Victoria Grizzlies with .6 of a second remaining.
The road hasn’t been kind to the visitors tonight who are on their second long road trip of the season already. At the end of September, the Powell River Kings finished up an Interior Division road trip with a stop in Trail. The return trip to Powell River took the team over 17 hours. This time, after making their overnight stay in Quesnel, the Powell River Kings will head to Merritt.
The Prince George Spruce Kings will also play a pair this weekend with a rematch against the Surrey Eagles on Saturday night. The game tonight is sponsored by BC Hydro who will be on hand with promotional items and information to help you save money with your electrical bill. Ron St. Clair, Peter James and Todd Doherty will have the complete call of the game on 93.1 CFIS-FM with free audio available online at www.cfisfm.com and the pay-per-view broadcast on Fasthockey.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment