Game Preview vs Penticton Vees

VS
1-5-0-1	Record	6-1-0-0
11	Goals For	27
32	Goals Against	12
2 for 34	Power Play	10 for 36
25 of 38 killed	Penalty Kill	26 of 29 killed

Venue: The Coliseum

Game Time: 7pm

Last Year’s Matchup: Penticton won both games, one in overtime.

Season Series:  N/A

Prince George Home Record: 1-2-0-0

Spruce Kings Leading Scorer: Corey Hoffman (two goals, two assists)

Penticton Road Record: 3-1-0-0

Vees Leading Scorer: Tyson Jost (5 goals, 11 assists, 16 points) tied for 1^st in BCHL

Player to watch:

Spruce Kings:

Bryan Basilico – FW: The big power forward made a good impression for his new team, scoring a goal on the power play in his first game of the season. Basilico was acquired from the Trail Smoke Eaters just before the BCHL showcase, and didn’t have time to make it, but as he’s already committed to Lake Superior State University missing the showcase wasn’t the end of the world for the twenty year old.

Matthew Stief – D: After 33 points in 58 games with Prince George last year, Stief went down to Waterloo, and had a brief stint playing with the Black Hawks. He is back with the team now though, and will be a welcome addition to the backline. Unlike when Bechtel joined the team, Stief has been playing the last month, so he should already be in game shape for tonight.

Vees:

Tyson Jost- FW: Last night against the Merritt Centennials Jost had a goal and four assists to give him 16 points on the year good for first in the BCHL alongside Sheldon Rempal of the Nanaimo Clippers. Since he was held scoreless in his first game, that means all 16 of those points have come in the last six games, for a 2.7 points per game average.

Dante Fabbro- D: In seven games this season, the Whistler native is also a point per game player with nine points in seven games. Last night against the Centennials he had a goal and an assist. Like Jost, he is number one in scoring for defencemen, and is again tied with a Nanaimo Clipper as both he and Yanni Kaldis have nine points, but Fabbro has a game in hand.

In the Standings:

In the mainland division, the Spruce Kings currently sit in fifth place, five points behind Coquitlam, Chilliwack, and Langley. They have two games in hand on all those teams, and have one in hand against Surrey who is just one point behind them. With Wenatchee already looking like the Penticton of the Interior division (guaranteed top spot) it will be the other five teams battling it out for the final three playoff spots.

Speaking of Penticton, they sit first not just in their division, but the entire BCHL. They are tied with Powell River with for 12 points, but have a game in hand on them. Wenatchee is just one point back of Penticton, and have a game in hand over Vees.

Limit the Damage:

A betting man would put money on Fabbro and Jost putting points on the board tonight. The Spruce Kings will do their best to shut down the two players, but it’s not like other teams haven’t been doing that already this season. Prince George needs to make sure that they at least limit the chances for both players. The pair are big and fast, so that is going to be a very difficult job for whoever is tasked with looking after them all night.

Keep the Chemistry Brewing

With a lot of new faces in the lineup, the Spruce Kings haven’t had a lot of time to gel as a team, but hopefully there won’t be changes for a while, so the team can now settle down. Stief will be added into the lineup tonight, and that should help add some defensive depth for the team who will definitely need it against the Vees. Basilico and Hovde each have a game of experience under their belts with the team now, so look for them to improve once again.

Avoid the Box like the Plague

Prince George has struggled on the penalty kill this season, and if they send a march of players to the box, that coud spell an early night for the team. Penticton enters with the third best power play in the league, and it’s no wonder why with their arsenal of weapons. There are usually at least a few penalties to each team in a game, but the Spruce Kings just have to make sure they don’t take an foolish penalties, because the Vees won’t hesitate to pounce on opportunities. Earlier in the year, the team had a 6-2 lead over Surrey late in the third, and continued to send out their top unit looking to rack up the points.

Broadcast Info: For all games, you can listen to the action on Mixlr

 or watch live at BCHL FASTHockey. For tonight’s action, you can also tune into 99.3 The Drive.