Player of the Week

Kirk Thompson corrals a puck during the weekend
in a pair of wins en route to his first BCHL Player of the Week

Kirk Thompson of the Prince George Spruce Kings is this week’s Gong Show British Columbia Hockey League Player of the Week. Thompson earned the honour after a stellar weekend that saw the Spruce Kings post a pair of wins on home ice including a second BCHL career shutout for the third year player.

The 20 year-old goaltender and the Spruce Kings started the weekend with a 2-1 win over the Powell River Kings on Friday night and followed that up with a 3-0 win over the Surrey Eagles. In the two games Thompson turned aside a total of 54 shots from the opposition with a 0.5 goals against average and 98.1 save percentage.

The wins improve Thompson’s early season record to 7-3-1 and move the veteran goaltender into the League’s top five among goaltenders with a minimum of five games played. The Spruce Kings record also improved to 7-4-1-1 giving the team 16 points and a share of second in the Mainland Division standings.

"I'm really happy. This is a great honour and something every player wants to have," said Kirk Thompson. "It finally worked out for me and I owe it to all the guys on the team. They blocked a lot of shots for me this weekend especially on the penalty kill. You can’t ask for more than that especially with some key players out of the lineup."

As well as acknowledging the efforts of his team mates, Thompson also credits the work of Blake Buckham, his goaltending coach in Prince George. This BCHL Player of the Week is a first for Thompson who has played well enough to earn it before but has only finished with an honourable mention previously.

Kirk Thompson and the rest of the Spruce Kings will now prepare to hit the road again this weekend for a pair of Mainland Division games against the Langley Rivermen Friday and their first meeting against the Coquitlam Express on Saturday.