Grizzlies Claw Away for Season Sweep

2                                        Final Score                                        4
Logan, Lee	Goal Scorers	Welsh, Stirling, Van Lierop, Barker (EN)
29	Total Shots	33
11	1st Period Shots	9
10	2nd Period Shots	16
8	3rd Period Shots	8
1 for 2	Power Play	1 for 4
Kyle Johnson	3rd Star
	2nd Star	PJ Conlon
	1st Star	Cody Van Lierop
11-30-1-2	Current Record	18-20-0-4

            Following a 2-0 win over Trail the previous night, the Spruce Kings had another thrilling game Friday night against the Victoria Grizzlies.

Entering their second game at home in a row, the Spruce Kings were looking to beat Victoria after falling 2-1 in double overtime at the BCHL Showcase, and then 7-3 in Victoria.

            Things started out well for the visitors, as less than five minutes in Tyler Welsh was able to beat Liam McCloskey who had made 37 saves against the Smoke Eaters for his first BCHL shutout.

            That;s how things would finish in the first frame, but Prince George was eager to get the crowd back into it in the third. It started early, as Connor Logan was able to slip a puck between the post and Mitchel Benson’s pad to even the score at two. It was the Victoria native’s third goal of the season.

Just over two minutes later, the Spruce Kings took their first lead of the game off the stick of Chong Lee. In his fourth game since being called up from the Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League, the big forward took a fast pass from Tanner Campbell, and beat Benson with a quick shot.

Turning Point: Opportunity would then arise for the Grizzlies, as they earned two quick power plays, and wound up with 1:15 of 5-on-3. Part way through McCloskey’s stick got tangled up in the netting, and took Matthew Stief’s stick, so the Spruce Kings played about 30 seconds that way. Finally they would get a whistle, but just as Penner stepped out of the box, Brett Stirling scored on the one man advantage to tie the game up once again.

With six minutes remaining in the second, Cody Van Lierop took a long shot, which took a deflection, and beat McCloskey who didn’t even see it due to the screen in front of him.

That would stand to be the difference, as both team’s traded scoring chances in the third. Brayden Gelsinger had a pair of breakaway’s stopped by McCloskey, while Cavin Tilsley had a breakaway as well that was denied by Benson.

Mitchell Barker would score into an empty net, to ice the game at 4-2.

Scoring

1st - VIC Tyler Welsh (7) (Cole Pickup, PJ Conlon), 4:50

2nd - PG Connor Logan (3) (Parker Colley, Matthew Stief), 2:25

2nd - PG Chong Lee (1) (Tanner Campbell, Matthew Stief), 4:51 (PP)

2nd - VIC Brett Stirling (3) (Cody Van Lierop, Tyler Welsh), 7:15 (PP)

2nd - VIC Cody Van Lierop (2) (Cole Pickup, Kevin Massy), 14:06

3rd - VIC Mitchell Barker (5) (Brett Stirling), 19:50 (EN)