Spruce Kings Take Game One

Chad Staley (22) was able to stay in the game
after taking a blindside hit from Eric Roberts.

The Spruce Kings went in to Chilliwack and did what not very many people thought they could do ... take the first game in the Mainland Divisional Semi-Final best-of-five series. The final score was 3-1 for Prince George, but the shots told a much different story with Chilliwack outshooting their opponents 44-20. The game lived up to its billing of being a physical contest with some heavy hits, a couple of tilts and even the lights going out.

In a scoreless first period of play, with the Spruce Kings just starting to get their wits about them after being outshot 10-1 prior to the BCHL timeout, four lights went out in Prospera Centre above the Spruce Kings blue line. The outage happened just as Prince George was heading up the ice looking to cash in on some of the momentum that they had got to swing their way.

On the first shift after the BCHL timeout, Jeremiah Luedtke got the Spruce Kings first real shot on goal and first quality scoring chance after rifling a shot on goal that Mitch Gillam had difficulties containing and ended up watching slide just past the far post. On the very next shift Shayne Morrissey elected to go for the shot on a two-on-one, this time Gillam was square to the shooter but gave up a juicy rebound that just got away from Morrissey. On the next shift it was Karan Toor who danced through the top of the slot before firing a shot on Gillam.

With 3:52 remaining in a scoreless first period of play, the lights went out prompting the officials to send the teams to the dressing room for an early intermission. At the time of the early dismissal, the Chilliwack Chiefs were outshooting the Prince George Spruce Kings 15-5 and when the first period resumed, they added three more for a first period total of 18-5.

The games first penalty came in the second period to David Stephens who was called for tripping. The Spruce Kings, who had been working on their penalty kill, were successful in killing of the Chilliwack man advantage and tried to use that as leverage to get back in the game with some offense. The offense didn't come easy for the Spruce Kings on this night who found themselves being turned around at every corner and challenged to every puck. The difference was the stellar performance between the pipes of Kirk Thompson.

At the 15:31 of the second period, a bit of a scare was put into the Spruce Kings bench when Eric Roberts caught Chad Staley in an awkward position and checked him into the boards with a blindside hit. The referee's arm went up in the arm immediately. Jace Hennig took exception to the hit and went right after Roberts with the two dropping the gloves and trading a couple of blows. When the dust settled, the Spruce Kings ended up with their second man advantage of the game. Roberts received two minutes for boarding, two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and a five minute major for fighting. Henning was assessed an instigating minor, fighting major and a ten minute misconduct. With the man advantage, Mark Begert was able to use some time and space from the left point to feed the puck to David Stephens standing in the left faceoff circle. Stephens shot the puck towards the net and had the puck deflect off of Cameron Lawson's skate and into the net. With very little dispute or discussion, the goal counted and the Spruce Kings found themselves up 1-0 at 16:43 of the second.

The Chiefs poured it on immediately after that looking for the equalizer and with time ticking down in the second period, everybody in the building was brought to the edge of their seat when Luke Esposito had a chance with a shot into a wide open net. The puck fluttered on Esposito and a Spruce Kings defender may have been able to get a stick on the shot as well, but either way the end result was the same with Esposito lifting the puck over the open net and firing off the glass on the back wall. The second period ended with the Spruce Kings leading the Chiefs 1-0.

The third period was a little more even with the difference coming at the 6:38 mark when David Stephens found Coltyn Hansen on the left wing. With his deceptively quick speed, Hansen found himself a stride ahead of the defender inside the Chiefs zone as he cut to the net. From the top of the blue ice and with an extra little push of the stick, Hansen was able to get the puck to go through Gillam, who had sprawled going for the poke check. After the goal Gillam was seen looking at his jersey and his equipment for a hole or at least an explanation as to how that puck got through him.

With plenty of time left in the game, the Chilliwack Chiefs sent out a steady diet of the top line trying to manufacture a goal from the combination of Luke Esposito, Austin Plevy and Philip Zielonka. The three would all have chances with Esposito actually finding the net but only after the puck was ruled to have been touched by the hand of another Chiefs player. As the time ticked away in the third period, the game remained a 2-0 lead for Prince George with Chilliwack looking to cut that lead in half. With 1:41 remaining in the third period, Gillam was pulled in favour of the extra attacker giving Prince George a chance at the empty net.

Coltyn Hansen would get two attempts to put this game out of reach and wouldn't miss on his second try. Taking a bit of a gamble by taking the shot from the Spruce Kings side of centre ice, Hansen watched as the puck bounced into the open cage with 16 seconds remaining in regulation time giving Prince George a 3-0 lead. On the ensuing faceoff, the Chiefs forced a turnover from below the goal line where Brodyn Nielsen fed the puck to an open Matthiew Tibbet in the slot. Thompson was caught out of position with the traffic in his crease giving Tibbet the easy tap in ruining the shutout bid of Thompson.

With their loan goal coming with less than 4 seconds remaining in the game, the Chilliwack Chiefs seemed content in knowing that they had found a way to beat Thompson and score on the Spruce Kings, they didn't even bother looking for another offensive chance. The win was Kirk Thompson's first post season win and something that had eluded him in his Junior A career.

The Spruce Kings went into the game with the mantra of having "attention to detail" and although they picked up the win, they know there is still room for improvement in their game. Mitch Eden was given a ten minute misconduct for not having his jersey tie down secured, which became apparent early in the second period when he was partially jerseyed in an altercation. Jace Hennig was also given a ten minute misconduct for instigating a fight after Chad Staley was hit in the boards and in the third period Kevin Guiltinan ended up with a two minute minor for checking from behind and a game misconduct for the penalty. There should be no further discipline for that call, despite what I said on the broadcast, because the penalty was only a minor and not a major.

The Spruce Kings will get a chance now to double up their lead on Chilliwack and take a stranglehold in this short series with game two on Saturday night. Certainly the Chiefs will have something to say about that as their goal will be to get a split on home ice and force a game four in Prince George. Faceoff for game two tonight is set for 7pm from Prospera Centre with the game broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as online from the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and pay-per-view broadcast on FASTHOCKEY.com.

Silverbacks Claw Past Spruce Kings in Regular Season Finale

Derek Bulmer (26) and Riley Hawes (24) were emergency callups
from Midget Tier I Cougars saw a lot ice in their first BCHL games

The Prince George Spruce Kings fell behind early and couldn't recover in their regular season finale on Saturday night at a sold out Coliseum.

The Salmon Arm Silverbacks spoiled the party for the hosts and the 2,116 fans who packed the Castle building a 3-0 lead in the first 6 1/2 minutes and hanging on for a 5-3 win.

With six regulars out of the lineup due to illness and injury, the Spruce Kings called three affiliate players - including two making their BCHL debut.

Reece Forman took a regular shift on the blue-line, while local products Riley Hawes and Derek Bulmer played up front. Often paired together, Hawes and Bulmer generated a handful of scoring chances, with Bulmer ringing one off the cross-bar in the first.

Salmon Arm, riding high after clinching a playoff spot in Merritt on Friday night, stormed out to a three-goal lead just 6:22 into the game. First Steven Iacobellis wristed a shot over Kirk Thompson's right shoulder at 3:59; then Josh Bowes took a feed from Brayden Sherbinin, cut to the front of the net and slid one under Thompson at 5:36;then Harlan Orr lifted a rebound over Thompson's pad at 6:22.

The third goal prompted Spruce Kings head coach Dave Dupas to use his timeout and settle his team. The tactic seemed to work as a couple of shifts later Coltyn Hansen found Shayne Morrissey in front and he fired the puck past Silverbacks' goalie Angus Redmond as a pair of graduating Spruce Kings players connected at 8:17.

That score held through the rest of the first and the entire second, but it was Prince George who was beginning to take control of more and more of the play as the game went on.

Hansen got the home side within one at 13:13 of the third when he tipped home Chad Staley's shot for the prettiest goal of the game. Lyndon Martell got the play started, finding Staley with a nice pass in the high slot.

Salmon Arm snuffed any budding momentum with a goal a couple minutes later on the power play. Jordan Levesque's harmless looking point shot hit a Spruce Kings' player in front and fooled Thompson as the visitors resorted their two-goal lead.

Prince George battled back one more time, with Martell snipping a laser of a shot past Redmond at 15:58. Bryant Christian and Hansen picked up the helpers.

Ryan Schwalbe iced the game with an empty-net goal at 19:13 of the third.

The loss had no impact on the Spruce Kings final standing as they finish the regular season third in the Mainland Division and will play the second-place Chilliwack Chiefs in the first round. The best-of-five series begins Friday and Saturday in Chilliwack, with Game 3 coming back to Prince George on Monday March 18.

Vipers Slither Past Spruce Kings In 2OT

Liam Board (28) came back to the Coliseum and led
the Vernon Vipers to a 5-4 win over PG in overtime

The Prince George Spruce Kings entered the final homestand of the regular season seeking consistency heading into the playoffs, but Friday it was inconsistency that was their undoing in a 5-4 double overtime loss to the Vernon Vipers.

The extra session hasn't been friendly to the Spruce Kings all season and they got bitten again Friday at the Coliseum when Brendan Persley converted at 4:23 of the second OT session to give the desperate a Vipers a win. After Bryant Christian charged to the net for the Spruce Kings but was unable to score, Persley led a 3-on-1 rush the other way for Vernon. He faked a pass which froze Spruce Kings goaltender Kirk Thompson and then fired home the game winner.

Although Vernon had the lead three times during regulation, it was Prince George who carried the play much of the game. Yet the home side wasn't able to capitalize on its chances, including a power play in the first overtime period, and lost for the third time in four games to a team who will likely finish the season outside of the playoffs.

Former Spruce King Liam Board, the game's first star, step up the first goal with a strong forecheck in the first period. His work along the boards led to Andrew Tegeler getting the puck alone in front and Tegeler was able to beat Thompson with a quick shot at 4:20.

The Spruce Kings evened the score with a power-play tally at 9:59. Cameron Lawson used speed to gain the zone and set up Justin Rai and Jake LeBrun in front. After a couple of whacks at it, Rai was credited with the goal after knocking the puck up and over Vipers' starter Austin Smith.

The score was tied for less than a shift as Vernon came right back. Board took advantage of a defensive zone break down in the Prince George end and fired a centering pass to Mason Blacklock, who fired home his first of two on the night at 10:28.

The Vipers took that 2-1 lead into the first intermission, but just 1:38 into the second Shayne Morrissey got the Spruce Kings back on even terms when he converted a 3-on-2 with Rai and LeBrun. Morrissey and Rai almost collided as they crossed the blue-line, but LeBrun was patient and when Morrissey got open he dropped the puck back to the trailer and Morrissey's shot snuck past Smith.

Once again the Vipers came right back to take the lead with Persley scoring at 3:08 to give the Vipers their third lead of the hockey game.

Prince George finally got some momentum going in the middle stages of the second with Lyndon Martell and Dairy Queen player of the game Jace Hennig scoring less than a minute apart to give Prince George its first - and only - lead of the game. Martell's goal at 9:03 came off a nice give and go with David Stephens. Kevin Guiltinan also picked up a helper.

Hennig lit the lamp at 10:01 off another nice passing play, Lawson and Christian got the assists on that one.

The Vipers drew even late in the third on a nice individual effort in front of the net by Blacklock. He needed a couple of tries to beat Thompson at 18:28, but his unassisted goal did draw things even.

Neither team was able to muster much of an attack in the third, which brought the game to extra time.

The point for the overtime loss helps the Spruce Kings stay five points ahead of the Langley Rivermen, who will make the trip up to Prince George for a doubleheader to close the weekend. The Spruce Kings can clinch at least third place in the Mainland Division by sweeping Langley on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon at the Castle.

Express Roll Past the Spruce Kings

The Spruce Kings found themselves under siege
for much of the game Friday night

The Spruce Kings came up short on Friday night dropping a 5-3 decision to the Coquitlam Express. Prince George was guilty of starting out flat in the first period but were perhaps lucky to get out of the first period only down 1-0 after being outshot 8-4.

Throughout the first period, the Coquitlam Express showed just how hungry they were to get to within striking range of the Langley Rivermen for the final playoff spot in the Mainland Division. The Express came at the Prince George Spruce Kings in waves and forced turnovers creating chance after chance. Kirk Thompson did what he could to keep the door closed.

The first period featured a massive hit by Kevin Guiltinan on Travis Stephens. Stephens released the puck from the bottom of the faceoff circle and was able to just get the shot released as Guiltinan laid out the forward with a heavy check against the boards. The hit left Stephens woozy and although he skated to the bench on his own, the forward never returned to the game.

Prince George had the first real chance to open the scoring when Sean Landrey found himself streaking down the left wing and was able to blow past the Coquitlam Express defenceman who blew a tire in the neutral zone. Landrey started to cut to the middle and let go a wrist shot that was labelled for the inside of the far post only to find a piece of Cole Huggins' glove and sail wide.

The Express opened the scoring at 17:19 on a play that saw Brandon Morley feed Malcolm McKinney with a perfect pass from behind the net to the slot. McKinney didn't hesitate letting go the one-timer from in close on Kirk Thompson for his fifth of the season. Coquitlam would hold onto that 1-0 lead even while short handed to end the first period.

The Spruce Kings started the second period on the powerplay and were able to get a couple of shots on Huggins during that time. After killing off the penalty, the Express went back on the attack and were looking to go up 2-0 when the Spruce Kings seemed to gain control of the game.

It came with a play initiated by Chad Staley to get the puck deep into the Express zone. The Spruce Kings started cycling the puck and working on getting some chances of their own. Adam Conti, an AP for the Express, ended up icing the puck allowing Prince George to put out their top line for the ensuing faceoff in the Coquitlam end. For almost a full three minutes, the Spruce Kings put the pressure on looking for the equalizer only to be turned aside by some unbelievable saves by Huggins.

Just as the Coquitlam Express were able to get fresh legs out on the ice, one pair of those picked off the puck in the neutral zone and skate into the Spruce Kings zone. Zac Pryzbek gave the home team a 2-0 lead with a shot from the right side wall that got past Kirk Thompson. With the missed opportunity to take over the game and instead now down 2-0, the fear was that the Spruce Kings would not be able to get back into this game.

That wasn't the case as the top line came out and made things happen. Coltyn Hansen started the play spotting Lyndon Martell on the left wall going through the middle with speed. Martell carried the puck deep into the zone pulling Huggins out of his net exposing the far side. Martell spotted David Stephens and was able to feed his linemate a perfect pass for a backhand tap in for Stephens, his third of the season.

Less than a minute later the Spruce Kings found themselves down a man with Sean Landrey in the penalty box on a boarding call. On the penalty kill, Trevor Esau broke up a play just inside the Spruce Kings blue line, Coltyn Hansen recovered the loose puck and with a burst of speed headed down the ice. Bryant Christian jumped up on the rush creating a two-on-one and providing Hansen with an option that he took allowing Christian to tap home an easy shorthanded tally for his ninth of the season.

The goal brought the Spruce Kings even and erased all that had gone wrong previously in the game. The teams would eventually head to the dressing room tied 2-2 but not before the Coquitlam Express applied one more full court press looking to restore their lead that didn't come before the end of the period.

To start the third period, it was the Spruce Kings that started strong and were able to create a couple of scoring chance. Chad Staley kept a play alive in the neutral zone and was able to win a puck battle just inside the Express blueline. Staley carried the puck below the goal line and then wrapped a pass around the net for Justin Rai who put the puck up the middle for Shayne Morrissey who was coming down the slot. Morrissey hesitated just enough to create an opening for himself that he found with his 19th goal of the season giving the Spruce Kings their first lead of the game.

On the ensuing play, Ben Israel changed the game for good with a solo effort that saw him get the puck through a couple of Prince George players and deep into the Spruce Kings zone before firing the puck across the top of the crease to Justin Georgeson. Georgeson leaned into the pass and was able to direct the puck on net and watched it go off Thompson's skate and just inside the short side post. Forty eight seconds after Morrissey gave the Spruce Kings the lead, the game was once again tied.

The next goal was a result of one of those plays that leaves coaches pulling their hair out. With an opportunity to use the glass to clear the zone, the wrong choice was made to spring a player on the opposite of the ice. Adam Rockwood intercepted the pass just inside the blue line and then worked the puck over to Will Cook in the left side faceoff circle who found a seam to the back of the net giving the Coquitlam Express a 4-3 with over twelve minutes to play in the third period.

The Spruce Kings could not find the equalizer and resorted to pulling the goaltender. That gave the Express the chance they needed for the equalizer that came when Malcolm McKinney and Zac Pryzbek found themselves moving into the Spruce Kings zone on a two-on-one with Mitch Eden doing what he could to prevent both the shot and the pass. Ultimately the pass was made, McKinney to Pryzbek and the Express had their 5-3 lead late in the third period. They would hold onto that lead despite picking up a penalty with 36 seconds remaining.

Coquitlam held their 5-3 lead to the final buzzer and headed to their dressing room knowing that they had pulled to within three points of the Langley Rivermen and that final playoff spot. By the time they got to an internet connection to check the BCHL scoreboard, their gain was as short lived as the Spruce Kings third period lead. The Langley Rivermen posted a 5-1 win over the Chilliwack Chiefs leaving the Express still five points out of that playoff spot and pulling the Rivermen to within six of the Spruce Kings.

Saturday night the Prince George Spruce Kings will find themselves in Chilliwack to take on the Chiefs and see if they can repeat what they did the last time they were in Prospera Centre. On February 9th, the Spruce Kings registered their first win of the season against the Chiefs with a 3-1 final. Game time is 7pm and will be broadcast on all the usual sources - 93.1 CFIS-FM, MIXLR.com and FASTHOCKEY.com.

Spruce Kings Grounded by the Eagles

Liam McLeod (35) robs Jordan Klimek in the third period

The Prince George Spruce Kings suffered their worst loss of the regular season to the Surrey Eagles on Friday night after the Birds handed the royal ones a 5-2 decision. It was the eighth and final meeting of the two teams and the Eagles were in no mood to let the Spruce Kings leave with even a single point this time. In the previous seven meetings, Prince George held a 4-0-0-3 record but couldn't keep that trend going on this night.

It started early for the Surrey Eagles, but as it had been in the previous seven meetings, Kirk Thompson was finding ways to turn aside the Eagles allowing Prince George to open the scoring. Jeremiah Luedtke picked up the puck from Chad Staley at the side of the net and pulled it to the slot before roofing a snapshot above the shoulder of Michael Santaguida. For Luedtke it was his seventh goal of the season, bur for the Spruce Kings it was a short lived lead.

On the ensuing faceoff at centre ice, the puck made its way into the Spruce Kings zone and a strong forecheck force a turnover that Joel Gaudet jumped all over. With the puck on his stick at the top of the faceoff circle, Gaudet wasted no time directing the puck on goal and he too found the top shelf to tie the game 14 seconds after Luedtke's goal.

From there special teams would be the undoing of the Spruce Kings as they gave the Surrey Eagles three powerplays to work with in the first period. The third man advantage would lead to a spectacular goal in the final minute of the first period. After dodging the full force of a Kevin Guiltinan hit in front of the Spruce Kings bench, Brady Shaw slid into the offensive zone and was able to fire a pass from his knees across the ice to Adam Tambellini. The newest member of the Eagles tapped in his 28th of the season to give Surrey a 2-1 lead heading to the dressing room.

To start the second period the Spruce Kings came hard at the Eagles and were outshooting them 5-0 through the first seven minutes of the middle frame before things changed in a dramatic fashion. On their second powerplay of the game, the Spruce Kings saw Brent Mulcahy find the puck and head in on Kirk Thompson on a shorthanded break away. Thompson was able to make the initial save with the paddle of his stick, directing the puck behind the net. Mulcahy stayed with the puck and recovered it from behind the goal line, brought it out front and then banked it into the net off a defender's skate.

The goal gave the Surrey Eagles a 3-1 lead but weren't done there. Minutes later the Surrey Eagles found themselves two men when Tommy Stipancik was called for boarding and then less than a minute later Michael Santaguida was called for delay of game after clearing the puck over the glass. The Eagles not only killed off those penalties but stuck a dagger into the heart of the Spruce Kings. As Stipancik's penalty expired the puck was cleared out to the neutral zone and found the released player who went in on Thompson. Stipancik went forehand backhand and snuck one through the Spruce Kings veteran netminder.

In an effort to spark the bench, Kirk Thompson was pulled bringing in the youngster - Liam McLeod. It didn't take long before McLeod was being tested and it was Tambellini that tried first only to be denied by the glove hand of the rookie netminder. McLeod would end up turning aside all 18 shots that he faced in relief earning himself the DQ Player of the Game.

Karan Toor had the best chance of the second period for the Spruce Kings jumping up on a rush with David Stephens and Lyndon Martell who fed the rookie defenceman the puck who found himself all alone on top of the crease but was turned aside by a sprawling Santaguida. The second period would end with the Surrey Eagles leading 4-1 and the Spruce Kings wondering what they needed to do to claw back into this one.

Coltyn Hansen was able to solve the riddle between the pipes for Surrey but scoring with 6:49 remaining proved to be too little too late. The Surrey Eagles solidified their win with an empty net goal from Brady Shaw. A player who has gambled and been rewarded is Shaw who once again waited in the neutral zone behind the Spruce Kings defender and was given the puck by Trevor Cameron who lobbed it up and over all the players on the ice. The empty net goal came a split second before the final buzzer giving the Surrey Eagles the lopesided win on the scoresheet and relief in the dressing room that they had excised the demon that was the Spruce Kings this season.

Prince George will now look to do the same thing to the Chilliwack Chiefs on Saturday night. In six meetings so far this season, the Spruce Kings have picked up only a single point in an overtime loss to the Chiefs. Chilliwack has a six point edge on the Spruce Kings and will be looking to spread that out some more while Prince George will be looking to pull away from the Langley Rivermen who have closed to within six after defeating the Victoria Grizzlies 6-3 on Friday night.

Spruce Kings Clipped by Nanaimo

Spruce Kings had chances ... all but one sailed by
photo courtesy Gary Dorland

The Prince George Spruce Kings let one get away Friday night at the Coliseum.

Leading the Nanaimo Clippers 1-0 heading into the third period, Prince George was unable to hold on to the lead eventually dropping a 2-1 decision to close out a four-game homestand with two wins, a loss and an overtime loss. Josh Bryan evened the score for the Clippers on a back door power-play goal midway through the third and Mason Mitchell scored the game winner. Cameron Lawson opened the scoring for the Spruce Kings in the first period.

Despite only getting the one goal, Prince George had ample chances against Clippers netminder Jayson Argue. In the first period a Lyndon Martell point blast on the power play rung off the post. In the second, again with the man advantage, Shayne Morrissey clanged one off the cross bar and in the third Coltyn Hansen found the iron.

Argue, who shut out the Spruce Kings in their previous meeting, turned aside 24 shots and was named the Treasure Cove Casino first star.

Lawson's goal came on the Spruce Kings first recorded shot at 8:28 of the opening period. Liam Blackburn's centering pass - likely intended for Morrissey - bounced off a Clipper defender and right to Lawson. The Spruce Kings leading goal scorer wasted little time in putting his 16th goal of the season in the net.

The Spruce Kings got into penalty trouble in the first, but escaped a two man disadvantage unscathed. In fact the penalty killing unit did an excellent job through two periods, killing off four infractions with ease. But it was the fifth penalty that did Prince George in.

The game's second star Greg Fraser set up the pretty goal with a cross-ice pass to a Bryan who was streaking in from his blue-line post. His quick shot beat Spruce Kings goaltender Kirk Thompson. Mitchell also got an assist on the play. Moments later Mitchell notched the game winner, again set up by Fraser with linemate Matthew Grant picking up the third assist.

Thompson, the game's third star, made 29 saves in a losing cause.

For the second game in a row the Spruce Kings captain Trevor Esau was named the Fortis Energy player of the game, while Jace Hennig took home Dairy Queen player of the game honours.

The Spruce Kings begin a stretch of seven straight games against Mainland Division opponents next week when they hit the road for games against Surrey and Chilliwack.

Spruce Kings Soar Past Eagles

Liam Blackburn (24) was called up from the Cariboo Cougars
and notched his first in the BCHL

The Surrey Eagles may be the Mainland Division leaders, but the Prince George Spruce Kings sure have their number so far this year.

For the fourth time in seven meetings the Spruce Kings came out victorious, decisively defeating the Eagles 4-1 at the Castle on Thursday night.

Lyndon Martell had a goal and an assists and Cameron Lawson chipped in with three helpers as the Spruce Kings improved their record against the Eagles to four wins and three overtime losses. Chad Staley and Liam Blackburn also scored for the home side, while Kirk Thompson turned aside 31 shots to earn Treasure Cove Casino first star honours. Martell, the Dairy Queen player of the game, got things started with a power-play goal at 9:07 of the opening period. His blast from the point appeared to hit something and front and fool Michael Sanatguida in the Eagles net. Jake LeBrun and Lawson picked up the assists.

Just over a minute later the Spruce Kings doubled their lead as Chad Staley and Jeremiah Luedtke broke in 2-on-2. Staley tried a drop pass to Luedtke, but the winger fanned on his first shot attempt. The puck bounced right back on Staley's stick and he lifted it over Santaguida at 10:31. Skylar Pacheco also picked up an assist.

The Eagles got one back in the second period when their most dangerous player on the night Brady Shaw capitalized. He came in on a rush, cut to the middle of the ice and fired a shot past Thompson - the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect night for the Spruce Kings' ace. Thompson had played spectacularly well against the Eagles this season, with both his shutouts coming against Surrey.

The Spruce Kings weathered a strong second period by the Eagles and carried a 2-1 lead into the third. Using all four lines all game, Prince George appeared to have more jump in the final stanza and it paid off on the scoreboard.

First sniper Shayne Morrissey restored the two-goal lead with the help of Lawson and Mark Begert at 8:26. Then Blackburn, a member of the midget triple-A Cariboo Cougars and one of three affiliate players in the Spruce Kings lineup, scored his first BCHL goal at 10:21. Santaguida made a save on a Lawson shot, but Blackburn dug out the rebound and fired it in the net. Blackburn was named the game's second star.

The game got chippy in the third and the Spruce Kings were awarded ample power play time in the dying minutes which allowed them to control possession and run out the clock.

Captain Trevor Esau was named the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game for his steady - and physical - play patrolling the Spruce Kings blue-line.

The Spruce Kings are back on the ice on Friday night when the Nanaimo Clippers make their first and only regular season visit to the Castle this year.

Sorry

Bryant Christian (11) winning a faceoff draw against Luke Esposito,
Christian had a fantastic game against the Chiefs top line

It would seem that the Spruce Kings at least had two points picked from their grasp as time was winding down in Friday night's divisional matchup with the Chiefs. In the end Chilliwack was able to capitalize on two marginal penalty calls, one in the final two minutes and one in overtime, to defeat Prince George 3-2 in extra time.
Penalties would really be the difference in this game as all five goals were scored with a player sitting in the penalty box, four of them when Prince George was short a man. The Chilliwack Chiefs opened the scoring just 15 seconds into their first powerplay of the game after Karan Toor was called for the trip. The Chiefs would finish the first period 1 for 2 with the man advantage while the Spruce Kings went 0 for 2 in their chances.
To start the second period the Spruce Kings were the recipient of two overlapping calls against the Chiefs putting Prince George on a two man advantage for 1:27. Just as the first penalty expired and the penalized player stepped onto the ice, Lyndon Martell pulled the Spruce Kings even with his six of the season. The shot came from just off the faceoff circle and blew past Mitch Gilliam just off the inside of the far goal post.
The Spruce Kings would kill off their next two penalties in the second period and the Chiefs their lone infraction leaving the teams tied 1-1 after two periods of play. The Spruce Kings were full value for their effort on Friday night coming out fast against the Chilliwack Chiefs and building on their chances. At times the speed of the Spruce Kings seemed almost too much for the home team to handle, such was the case in the third period.
In the final period the Spruce Kings were called for three penalties. The first one was a hooking call against Cameron Lawson, who must have thought he was playing in a phone booth all night as the Chiefs stuck to him like glue and didn't give him much room to work with. The Spruce Kings killed off the penalty and seemed to be building momentum when they were caught with too many men on the ice.
What should have taken the wind out of the sails for Prince George and provide Chilliwack with the opportunity they needed turned the other way. On a great defensive play at the right point Coltyn Hansen stole the puck from the Chiefs defenceman, played it off the wall to centre ice and with a burst of speed picked up the puck in full flight through the middle. Flying down the left side wall, Hansen teed up the puck deep in the faceoff circle and let go a howitzer that handcuffed Gilliam finding the far side of the net on the glove side.

All five goals were odd-man situations

The goal was an unbelievable snipe coming off a show of incredible speed by the twenty year old vet and gave the Spruce Kings a huge lift on the bench. Prince George killed off that penalty and looked to have the game in hand when everything turned around them and the referee made a series of decision that impacted the game when maybe they shouldn't have.
There are marginal calls made in just about every game, sometimes they are actual calls and sometimes they are non-calls. There is an old-school belief that in the late stages of a game and especially overtime that the whistles should be put away. We know that isn't always the case and it certainly wasn't that way on this night. But what makes the whole thing even more unbelievable is that the referee making the calls apologized to the Spruce Kings bench for two of them when Prince George still had the 2-1 lead.
The first questionable call came against Kevin Guiltinan as he tried to stay close to his man and went to poke the puck away from the Chiefs forward. Spencer Grabowski moved the puck to the wall at the same time that Guiltinan's stick went for the poke check, Grabowski as much stepped on the stick as anything and went down bringing up the referee's arm. After the call was made, the official went over to the bench and apologized saying that maybe that wasn't a penalty after all.
Okay, fair enough, but we've all heard of the make up call to correct a mistake, right? In a battle for the puck that ended up seeing Lyndon Martell hooked just behind the play and go down, there was no call made and seconds later the Chilliwack Chiefs scored the tying goal. Again the referee came over to the bench and explained that although he saw Martell on the ice he couldn't be sure how that whole play developed.
A perfect chance to even things up, never was. If there was a penalty call made the play would have stopped, the faceoff would have gone down into the Chiefs end of the ice, Gilliam would have had to stay in the net and there would be one minute for the Spruce Kings to kill off to claim the win. As it was the teams would now head to overtime tied 2-2 instead.
In the extra time the Spruce Kings best player on the night was called for a hook after lifting his stick up against a Chiefs player and barely making contact. The Chiefs forward still got the pass he wanted towards the net and the shot on goal that Kirk Thompson turned aside. But the call was made putting Bryant Christian in the penalty box, giving the Chiefs a 4-on-3 to finish out the game with. The play allowed the newly acquired Phillip Zielonka to play the overtime hero on an ugly goal that flipped up and over Thompson.
The Spruce Kings were rightfully sour afterwards and a show of support from the Spruce Kings fans as well as the Chiefs fans indicated that a lot of people believed that the Spruce Kings were denied a win that they deserved. Either way, Prince George will have to put this behind them and look forward to their next game - Saturday night against the Coquitlam Express.
The Express are coming off an overtime win against the Merritt Centennials and will be looking to keep that rolling against Prince George. Game time is 7pm with the game broadcast on 93.1 CFIS-FM as well as the Spruce Kings MIXLR.com channel and FASTHOCKEY.com.

Spruce Kings Extend Winning Streak To Five

Liam McLeod (35) was instrumental in the Spruce Kings win
Friday night and picked up his first win in the BCHL
(photo courtesy LG Photography)

Even by Latrell Charleson's strict definition, the Prince George Spruce Kings are on a winning streak.

The Spruce Kings won their fifth straight game Friday night, downing the visiting Alberni Valley Bulldogs 6-3 at the Coliseum. Prior to the game Charleson, a Spruce Kings defencemen tweeted that four wins could be a fluke, but five is a streak.

The fifth straight win came thanks to what's become a staple of the 2012-13 Spruce Kings - offence from up and down the lineup and excellent goaltending. The six goals came from five different players on three different lines and with Kirk Thompson getting a well deserved night off between the pipes rookie Liam McLeod recorded his first BCHL win with a 34-save effort and was named Treasure Cove Casino first star.

The Spruce Kings scored within the first three minutes of each period and never trailed during the game.

Alberni Valley was actually taking the play to the Spruce Kings in the early going of the first period but Bryant Christian opened the scoring for Prince George at 2:34 - albeit against the run of play. He took a feed from FortisBC Energy Player of the Game Sean Landrey and bolted down the wing firing a shot over the glove of Bulldogs starter Brad Rebagliati. Brad Ryan also picked up an assist.

The lead was shortlived as just 50 seconds later Jared Wilson's long shot beat a screened McLeod to even the score at 1-1.

The Spruce Kings took the lead for good late in the first as Cameron Lawson tipped in Brad Ryan's point shot on the power play at 18:05. Lawson was a game time decision with a lower-body injury, but it didn't seem to slow him down as he was force all three periods and garnered second star honours.

The Spruce Kings added to their lead early in the second as Shayne Morrissey used his great hands to bang home a shot from a sharp angle at the side of the net at 2:23. Liam Board and Skylar Pacheco provided the assists.

The 3-1 lead held through two periods, but just 1:09 into the third Tyson Witala made it a three-goal lead with a controversial tally. After a shot by Lyndon Martell was stopped and juggled by Rebagliati, Witala crashed the crease, found the loose puck and deposited it past the goalie just as he was deposited on top of the goalie.

The goal was immediately ruled good by the official behind the net, but it took a lengthy discussion by the four men in stripped shirts to confirm it would stand. Martell and Coltyn Hansen got the helpers.

The Bulldogs rallied in the middle stages of the third, scoring twice in a three-minute period to get back within a goal. First the game's third star Ryan Lough beat McLeod with a power-play goal the Prince George netminder didn't have a chance on at 6:13. Then at 9:05, McLeod got a piece - but not a big enough piece - of Evan Tironese's shot as the puck trickled in.

The rookie netminder shut the door from there and got a pair of insurance markers from Hansen, the College Heights Dairy Queen player of the game.

Hansen made a nice individual effort at 12:33, cutting out from the corner, beating a defenceman and Rebagliati to restore the two-goal cushion. Rebagliati finished the night with 30 saves.

Hansen added another goal into an empty net at 19:09.

With the win the Spruce Kings improved to 10-4-1-1 and kept pace with Chilliwack for first place in the Mainland Division.

The Spruce Kings are back in action on Saturday night when the West Kelowna Warriors visit the Castle.

Spruce Kings Sunk by the Rivermen

Liam Board (19) dropped the mitts with Trevor Cope (16)
after a questionable hit on Chad Staley (22)

The Spruce Kings suffered a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Langley Rivermen on Saturday night in Langley. In a fairly defensive physical battle, the Spruce Kings had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the third period but couldn't hold on giving up two late goals. The Spruce Kings will have an opportunity to earn the weekend split when the two teams meet again on Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

Time and space was at a premium for both teams Saturday night with a close checking and defensive strategy adopted by both teams. Langley was the more physical team on the night and took every opportunity to initiate and finish hits. Although the Rivermen controlled much of the play throughout the game, they had difficulty getting setup even when on the powerplay.

The Spruce Kings would open the scoring on a powerplay of their own late in the first period. On a play started by Tyson Witala with a dump in, Martell was able to fish the puck out of traffic in the right faceoff circle and get it into the slot where Coltyn Hansen was waiting. As Hansen got a piece of it he directed the slow moving puck off the far post and in at 18:16 of the first period.

That goal would be the lone marker on the board for either team for over 22 minutes as the teams continued to battle each other and not allow the opposition to set up anything of significance. That changed in a big hurry at the start of the third period with the Spruce Kings on their fifth powerplay of the game.

The Spruce Kings powerplay unit started off with the right idea, trying to collapse the four man penalty kill unit looking for the perfect shot on goal. Unfortunately, the setup pass through the top of the crease was picked off by Austin Azurdia who raced down the other end of the ice untouched.

With tons of speed on the clear cut breakaway, Azurdia went straight down the middle putting the puck into the pads of Kirk Thompson. The backward momentum of Thompson brought both the goalie and the puck over the goal line allowing the Rivermen to tie up the game 1-1 just 39 seconds into the final period.

The Spruce Kings would get that one back and restore their one goal lead with their second powerplay tally of the night at 7:33. With a D-to-D pass along the blueline, the puck went into the corner and came out on Tyson Witala's stick. The Prince George hockey product came around the faceoff circle and while trying to split a pair of defenders just lobbed the puck on net, squeezing one under the arm for his sixth of the season.

The Langley Rivermen did not give up nor did they change their physical approach to the game. On one Spruce Kings rush, Chad Staley was tracking the puck into the corner when he was tagged team along the glass. Liam Board was right there and immediately went after Trevor Cope. The pair dropped the gloves and exchanged a few blows, when the dust settled Board was given an extra minor for roughing.

That would be just what the Langley River needed even though they didn't officially score with the man advantage. As the penalty was coming to an end Bo Pellah took the puck and started to head behind the Spruce Kings net but before he got completely behind it, he was able to center the puck where Azurdia was standing and waiting to knock in his second of the game.

Throughout the game, both teams struggled with puck possession - errand passes, bounces and rolling pucks causing much of the problem. On one clearing attempt, the Spruce Kings were able to get the puck to the blue line not once but twice only to have the puck come off the heel of a stick and right onto the tape of Jakob Reichert.

The one time Merritt Centennial carried the puck to the top of the faceoff circle and let go a rising shot that was tipped past Kirk Thompson. The goal gave the Rivermen their first lead of the game with less than 3 minutes remaining. After the Spruce Kings had held the lead for over 30 minutes of the game, the Rivermen had found a way to come back and take over that lead with 2:39 remaining in regulation.

The Spruce Kings coaching staff tried everything to find even some of the chemistry that the team had one night earlier when they posted a 4-1 over the Surrey Eagles. Dave Dupas picked players from every line to try and find a combination that would even up the game, even pulling Thompson with well over a minute remaining in the game. The Spruce Kings would get a couple of chances, but like the chances earlier on, nothing was working.

When the final buzzer sounded, the Rivermen had upset the Spruce Kings and posted their fourth win of the season to really tighten up the Mainland Division standings. The lose coupled with a Chilliwack/Coquitlam tie, sees the Spruce Kings fall into a two way tie for second place with the Chilliwack Chiefs who have a game in hand on Prince George.

That will turn into two games after Sunday's return to the LEC and rematch of the Langley Rivermen and Prince George Spruce Kings. A 2pm game to finish out the three game road trip and an opportunity to pick up the split against their Mainland Division rival.

Sunday's game will not be broadcast on 93.1 CFIS-FM. A free online audio only broadcast of the game will be available from the Spruce Kings UStream channel. The game will also be available as a pay-per-view broadcast on Fasthockey.com beginning at 1:40pm. Following the game, the Spruce Kings will head back home to enjoy the rest of the Thanksgiving weekend and prepare for a home weekend with games against the Powell River Kings Friday night and Surrey Eagles on Saturday night.

Spruce Kings, Centennials Fit To Be Tied

Tyson Witala (9) with the Spruce Kings best chance
to win the game in the second overtime

The Prince George Spruce Kings must love to play hockey, because they've sure done a lot of it early in this BCHL season.

For the third time in five starts the Spruce Kings went to overtime on Saturday night, this time settling for a 2-2 tie with the Merritt Centennials at the Coliseum.

Kirk Thompson was brilliant in net for Prince George, garnering his second straight first star honour, making 34 saves — including eight in extra time. A shoulder save off Regan Soquila in the dying minutes of the second overtime period was key as was a stop in the first OT when Soquila was on the doorstep.

The Spruce Kings had their own chances to get the winner in OT and collect the extra point. Chad Staley had the best opportunity in the first overtime, but Centennials goaltender Russell Sanderson was able to get a pad on his deflected shot.

Staley and Tyson Witala both had glorious scoring opportunities in the second overtime — Witala even had a breakaway — but neither could find the back of the net.

Special teams continued to play a big role for the Spruce Kings as they finished the night 1-for-7 on the power play and failed to capitalize on a two-man advantage for 1:15 in the third period.

The Centennials, who came into the game with the best power play in the league, showed why just 4:36 into the game when Brandon Bruce put a rebound past Thompson to open the scoring on the man advantage.

Prince George was slow out of the gate. It took the Spruce Kings just under seven minutes to register a shot on rookie Sanderson and the Centennials took an early 9-0 shot advantage.

Jeremiah Luedtke, who was in the penalty box when Bruce scored, got Prince George on the board at 13:19 coming up with the loose puck in the slot to bury it into a wide open cage. Justin Rai and Staley picked up the assists.

The Centennials restored their advantage just over a minute later when Jeff Wight took a feed from Brendan Lamont and beat Thompson at 14:41.

The Spruce Kings finally tied it up for good in the second period when Cameron Lawson scored on the power play. Lawson, who rung one off the cross bar moments earlier, took a pass from Lyndon Martell and buried the equalizer at 7:09. Coltyn Hansen also picked up an assist.

The Centennials outshot the Spruce Kings in each period and finished with a 36-26 advantage overall.

The Spruce Kings, now 3-0-1-1 on the year, wrapped up their first homestand of the season with a win, a tie and an overtime loss. They now head out on the road for six straight, first with visits to Vernon, Merritt and Penticton next weekend and then a trip to the Lower Mainland to play Surrey once and Langley twice.

The next home game isn't until Oct. 12 when Powell River comes to the Castle.

Character Win

Spruce Kings celebrate an overtime win Sunday night

The Prince George Spruce Kings came out of the BCHL Showcase with the full allotment of their four points after posting a 6-5 come-from-behind overtime victory on Sunday evening against the Langley Rivermen. The win capped off a big weekend in Chilliwack for the Spruce Kings who opened with a 4-1 victory over the Merritt Centennials Saturday afternoon.

Although the Spruce Kings ended up with two wins and four points in their two games, it certainly wasn't looking that way through much of the game Sunday. Against the Langley Rivermen, the Prince George squad never led the game and twice had to erase multiple goal deficits to get the game to overtime.

As the game started out the two teams traded chances with neither team able to capitalize on their limited chances. At the BCHL timeout midway through the first period the two teams had three shots each in a scoreless tie. After the time out, the Rivermen came out with a physical game and started creating chances for themselves that included a power play opportunity that produced seven shots on goal.

On the first goal a collision in front of the net that should have at least led to a stoppage in play if not an interference call against the Rivermen, was allowed to continue. Kirk Thompson was sent sprawling into the net with players laying on top of him as the puck came out to the point for Tyler Vanscourt to find the top half of the net and the game's opening goal at 15:12 of the 1st period.

The unfortunate circumstances continued for Prince George a couple of minutes later when Latrell Charleson was given a minor for boarding. The call was made by the back official even though the referee that was right beside the play saw it and looked away without raising his arm. The powerplay for the Langley Rivermen was potent early for them.

The Rivermen poured on the pressure with Charleson sitting in the penalty box and were able to double their lead at 18:48 of the first period. The teams headed to the dressing rooms with Prince George down 2-0 on the scoreboard and trailing 14-3 on the shot clock. To make matters seemingly worse, the second period would start the way the first ended.

Forty seconds into the middle frame, Brad Ryan was given a two minute minor for tripping and the Rivermen went to work on their third powerplay. Again pressure was applied but it would be a lucky bounce for the Rivermen this time when Vanscourt's shot from under the blueline went off Karan Toor's stick. The deflected puck took the flight of a three point basketball shot as it lobed up and over four players including Thompson and fell into the back of the net. Vanscourt's second of the game gave Langley a 3-0 cushion 1:47 into the second period.

Cue the first comeback for the Spruce Kings as they started getting small little doses of momentum-building plays. It started defensively with a couple of timely saves and blocks before the top line started getting some chances. Coltyn Hansen was the first Spruce Kings to get a shot on goal in almost 15 minutes of play and although it was stopped it was still something.

On the same shift Hansen found himself with another opportunity to take a shot and this time made no mistake taking a hard shot that took flight about five inches off the ice beating James Barr to the far side. It was just the fifth shot on goal but it put the Spruce Kings on the board and gave Hansen his second goal of the season at 4:12 of the second period.

Just four minutes later on the most unselfish play I have ever seen, the Spruce Kings got to within a goal. The play started on an offensive opportunity for the Rivermen, Thompson stacked the pads to keep the puck out. A redeeming heads up play from Toor saw the defenceman feed the puck up to Liam Board at centre and behind the five Rivermen who were all playing far too up the ice. Board headed straight down the middle on a clear breakaway with Tyson Witala trailing.

Board made only one move after getting to the deep slot and that was to give the puck to Witala. The play surprised everybody in the building and allowed Witala to walk around Barr and give the Prince George forward his second goal of the season. More importantly that put the Spruce Kings within a goal of the Langley Rivermen trailing 3-2.

The Spruce Kings continued to apply the pressure with their next best scoring chance coming just before the second period BCHL time out when Coltyn Hansen and Cameron Lawson found themselves on a two-on-one down low. Hansen fed the puck through to Lawson who was streaking to the net only to have Barr come up with his best save of the night slamming the door shut on the far side.

With momentum on their side the Spruce Kings continued looking for the even up marker which would come at 17:20 on a two man powerplay. The goal itself was a result of a series of related events that started with a huge hit by new Spruce Kings forward Alec Butcher on Bo Pellah. The hit left Pellah groggy and drew an immediate reaction from the referee and Pellah's team mate, Mario Puskarich who dropped his gloves and immediately went after Butcher.

Surprisingly it was the Spruce Kings that came out shorthanded as a result of the original call on Butcher's hit and the lack of an instigator penalty and the Rivermen forward. The Spruce Kings killed that off successfully and shortly after Pellah was seen back on the ice taking his frustrations out on Brad Ryan, two handing the 6' 5" defenceman across the side of the shin. The referee saw the infraction and assessed a two minute minor for the slash.

Twenty seconds later with the Spruce Kings on the powerplay and applying pressure, Trevor Cope was caught for closing his hand on the puck in the crease resulting in another penalty to Langley. With the Spruce Kings on the two man advantage, they worked the puck around the zone until finally Mitch Eden was able to step into a shot in the very high slot. The bullet shot went through everybody and found the back of the net pulling the Spruce Kings even with the Rivermen with a 3-3 score at 17:20 of the second period.

The Langley Rivermen were able to settle down after the tying goal and went back on the attack. Into the final minute of the second period, Cameron Lawson was cross checked into Kirk Thompson sending both Spruce Kings onto the ice and into the back of the net leaving the top open for Trevor Cope to restore a lead for the Rivermen. The period would end with Langley leading 4-3 and enjoying a 21-12 shots on goal lead, although the Spruce Kings outshot the Rivermen 9-7 in that middle frame.

The Rivermen would build up their lead to 5-3 with an early third period powerplay goal scored by Cope at 2:23. Again the Spruce Kings found themselves back in a hole and needing a bailout. That would come with a heads up play while shorthanded. Coltyn Hansen found himself looking to get around a defender on the left side, put on the brakes and fed the puck across the ice to Brad Ryan. Ryan walked in and fired a shot hard along the ice that was kicked out by Barr coming right out to Liam Board who just flipped an easy one up and over the goaltender for his first in the BCHL.

On their next shift the pair that played together last season with the Oakville Blades would setup the Spruce Kings second tying goal. Tyson Witala was the recipient of more hard work and determination getting the puck from Board and Ryan in the corner and coming out front to slip his second of the game past Barr. With 10:08 remaining in regulation time, the teams were tied 5-5.

The remaining time in regulation would end with both Thompson and Barr forced to keep their teams alive. Shots on goal in the third ended even at 7 giving the Rivermen 28 through sixty minutes to the Spruce Kings 19. In overtime the Langley Rivermen had the better of the chances and directed four more shots on Thompson but in the end it was the hockey gods that showed they had been watching the entire game and corrected all of the inconsistencies from earlier on.

With just the Spruce Kings second shot in the extra period, Lyndon Martell came in from the half wall on his backhand. With a simple and harmless looking half flip, Martell's shot fluttered up and over the glove hand of Barr and into the back of the net. The Spruce Kings bench erupted and the players poured over the boards to celebrate the completed comeback and a four point weekend at the BCHL Showcase.

The team's focus will now shift to the Trail Smoke Eaters and the Spruce Kings home opener on Friday night September 14th in the Coliseum. As Brad Rihela (Spruce Kings Assistant Coach) said in the post game show, "I want to see the fans come out, fill the rink and see these guys play!" The Spruce King ended last season with three consecutive sell outs and are hoping to see the same to start the 2012-13 season.

Advance tickets, punch cards and season tickets will be available prior to the game at the Season Opening Tailgate Party sponsored by Save On Foods beginning at 5pm Friday evening. Along with a hot dog bar-b-que, chips and drinks for $3 with proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters, there will also be ticket give-aways for the Stone Temple Pilots concert and Charlie Daniels Band later in the month. A $10,000 "Shoot To Win" will also take place in the first intermission.

Game Day - Langley Rivermen

Spruce Kings defeat the Merritt Centennials 4-1
in a game that featured some physical play from both teams

The Prince George Spruce Kings have started the season on a winning note with a 4-1 victory over the Merritt Centennials in the first game of the season. Playing in the Prospera Centre in Chilliwack at the BCHL Showcase, the Spruce Kings lined up against the team that ended their season on March 20th. As Dave Dupas said in the pregame interview, that particular piece of history would fall on deaf ears with the new players on the squad so motivation would have to come from a different source.

Many of the players that played prominent roles for the Spruce Kings weren't even in the lineup at the end of the season. Coltyn Hansen, Cameron Lawson and Lyndon Martell led the way with three of the four goals while Tyson Witala had the other. Other play makers that made a difference in the game included Mitch Eden along with Trevor Esau and Skylar Pacheco.

The Spruce Kings created many scoring chances throughout the game but didn't really cash in until the third period with three goals unanswered goals. One scoring chance early in the first period belonged to Lyndon Martell who was setup by a good penalty kill forecheck from Cameron Lawson who sprung the pair on a two on one. After getting the puck from Lawson, Martell was able to come straight in on Tyler Steel pulling the puck from his backhand to his forehand. Steel was able to get a piece of the puck with his skate sending the puck just past the post.

A few minutes later it was Skylar Pacheco that was able to get the Spruce Kings moving in the right direction. Under a little pressure from the Centennials forwards, Pacheco used the back of the net to get away and find some open ice in the corner before using the wall to get the puck up to Cameron Lawson. From there Lawson found Coltyn Hansen through the middle and Hansen used his speed to get around a defenceman before cutting to the net. Hansen cruised through the top of the crease and just waited for Steel to commit before depositing his first of the season into the back of the net at 7:12 of the first period.

That's how the first period would end even though the Spruce Kings trailed 8-6 in the shots on goal stat. In the second period the Spruce Kings again created chances but were unable to capitalize on any of them. On an icing call in the middle of the second period both teams got a chance to regroup during the BCHL time out but it would be the Merritt Centennials that would eventually benefit from the break.

After winning the ensuing faceoff, the Centennials found themselves with a scoring chance. The puck was fired wide off the back boards where it was picked up by Brandon Bruce who just shoveled it towards the front of the net where it found Kirk Thompson's pads and ended up in front of the goal line against the goal post. Trevor Esau rode Bruce out of the play with a heavy check against the boards that drew the attention of Dylan Chanter who immediately dropped the gloves and went after Esau.

In the same stoppage of play, Karan Toor and Payton Schaefer also got into it with Toor getting the early edge in the fight before being tackled to the ice by Schaefer. Meanwhile Esau and Chanter had a pretty spirited battle of their own. When the dust settled, Esau was given two minutes for cross checking, two minutes for roughing and five minutes for fighting. Chanter was charged with an instigator to go along with his five minute major and Toor and Schaefer were both given five minutes for fighting and game misconducts.

The net result put the Centennials on the powerplay and would make short order of the Spruce Kings with the man advantage. Less than a minute after the scuffle, Sean Maktaak was able to find a loose puck and force it home past a down and out Kirk Thompson who thought he had it covered. The goal put the teams back to even tied at a goal a-piece and that's how the second would end.

The Spruce Kings found a new gear in the third period and were buzzing early again creating scoring chances. Even while inside their own zone, a good work ethic shone through and at 7:07 of the third period the Spruce Kings would take the lead for good as a result of the no quit attitude on the ice. From inside his own zone, Mitch Eden fought to get the puck out of the defensive zone including a last ditch dive and poke at the puck that setup Coltyn Hansen and the rest of the top line.

Hansen carried the puck through the middle and was able to get a shot on goal that left Tyler Steel looking for the bouncer. Both Lyndon Martell and Cameron Lawson got a crack it before Lawson got the last touch and was able to lob it up and over Steel to make it a 2-1 game.

Lyndon Martell for one wasn't done there and would get himself on the board a couple of shifts later and seemingly harmless looking play. After a D-to-D pass inside their own zone, Mitch Eden and Skylar Pacheco were able to get the puck to Martell cruising through the middle. At the tail end of their shift, Martell step over the blue line and instead of dumping it in decided to take a shot on goal that fooled Steel as it sailed in over his glove. The insurance goal was scored at the 14:37 mark of the third period putting the Centennials into desperation mode.

A line that has been working hard at developing some chemistry came together for the Spruce Kings fourth goal at 18:06 after Tyson Witala finished another one of those no quit type plays. Again it was just good solid work at trying to get the puck down low that resulted in the goal by both Bryant Christian, Liam Board and Tyson Witala all had a touch on the puck in the left corner before Witala was able to come out front and bury his first of the season.

The Spruce Kings did a great job in capitalizing on chances especially in the third period and if they can continue on the path they have set for themselves, could become a team that others will be forced to bring their 'A' game to play against. One area that the coaching staff will want to take a closer look at is the powerplay that came up empty on five chances. Although the penalty kill did allow one goal against, that special team did an effective job on the night.

The attention will now shift to the team that currently sits in top spot in the Mainland Division by way of their four goal victory over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs on Friday night. The Langley Rivermen are a much different team than they were last season when they finished with a disappointing 19-35-1-5 record last season.

The Rivermen did keep nine of their players from last season and also acquired Jakob Reichert from the Merritt Centennials in a two for one deal. For Langley, their strength looks like it will come by committee with a couple of rookies leading the way out of the gate. Ben Butcher (2 goals) and Matt Ustaski (2 assists) combined on two of Rivermen's seven goals. Scott Moyer was the only other multiple point player with a goal and an assist.

The Langley Rivermen have the longest break between games at the BCHL Showcase after opening the tournament format on Friday afternoon and will now play in the last game of the weekend. Game time is 6pm from the main rink in Prospera Centre Chilliwack. Something will give in this game and depending on two earlier games, the winner of this one could come out of the weekend with sole possession of first place in the Mainland Division.

All five teams have two points only difference is that the Chilliwack Chiefs have played both of their games. The Coquitlam Express will face the Cowichan Valley Captials at 2pm and the Surrey Eagles will play the West Kelowna Warriors at 5:30pm. The Express picked up their two points in a 1-0 overtime win over the Victoria Grizzlies and the Surrey Eagles needed overtime as well to claim their two points in a 3-2 decision over the Powell River Kings.

The Spruce Kings and Langley Rivermen game will be available on 93.1 CFIS-FM which can also be found online as an audio feed from the radio station's website or as a Pay-Per-View full broadcast on Fasthockey.com.

Preseason Game Preview: Spruce Kings vs Smoke Eaters

The Spruce Kings go into tonight's preseason game with one win under the belt and looking to double that up on the Trail Smoke Eaters with the back half of the neutral site double header tonight at 7pm. Last night it was the Smokies that opened the scoring with the Spruce Kings tying up the game in the first period on a two man power play advantage. The game remained tied until the late stages of the third when Jeremiah Luedtke was able to knock in a loose puck for the 2-1 victory.

There will be some player changes tonight on both sides of the ice as the teams will opt to go with a little more of an experienced lineup. For the Spruce Kings the notable insertions will be Latrell Charleson who is back from the Moose Jaw Warriors training camp and Lyndon Martell who has opted to leave the Regina Pats for the Prince George Spruce Kings.

Also coming into the lineup for Prince George tonight are Karan Toor who played a handful of games last season as an AP with the Spruce Kings, Coltyn Hansen the twenty year old acquired from the Victoria Grizzlies, Brad Ryan the big tall twenty year old defenceman and local hockey product Sean Landrey. Kirk Thompson will get the start tonight giving the sixteen year old Liam McLeod a much deserved break after a big win for the youngster last night.

The Trail Smoke Eaters will also go with a few new bodies in their lineup with expectations being that Anthony Conti will be in after finishing up at the Calgary Hitmen training camp and Braden Krogfoss from the Kamloops Blazers camp. The Smokies are expected to dress a few more twenty year olds led by Tyler Berkholtz, Djordje Leposavic, Brent Baltus, Garrett McMullen and Alex Holland.

Last night's win by the Spruce Kings didn't come easy as they fought through a 1-1 tie for much of the game. I would suspect that the coaching staff was happy with the overall performance both defensively and offensively but would like to see the Spruce Kings bury more of the chances they created. Tonight however the Trail Smoke Eaters will be looking at tightening up defensively and eliminated that many chances from happening.

If all goes well in the broadcast booth, there will be a solo Spruce Kings broadcast available as Chris Wahl (voice of the Trail Smoke Eaters) will have his own internet connection and broadcast feed. Look for the video to start approximately an hour before the game on the Spruce Kings Ustream Channel or follow the link from the Spruce Kings twitter feed (@SpruceKings) or my twitter (@ron_gallo).

BCHL Preseason Game
Prince George Spruce Kings vs Trail Smoke Eaters
7:00pm from the Art Holden Memorial Arena in Chase, BC
Broadcast Link: Spruce Kings Ustream Channel

Training Camp Day 3

Bodies all over the place for the tying goal

The big event for Day Three was the third and final Intra-Squad Game between Team Blue and Team White and true to my expectation, this game delivered!

The Training Camp this year was considered to be a small one with 38 players attending for the weekend. Many of the players were either returning players or players that had been carded in the off-season. The remainder of the camp consisted of players that were either looking for a chance to fill an available spot or knock someone out of contention. There were also a handful of players that are considered to be great prospects for the team but may be a season away from being ready to play Junior A hockey in the BCHL.

The teams were made up in advance by the Spruce Kings General Manager, Mike Hawes, who used his knowledge of the players coming in to make up two fairly balanced team. As the weekend progressed it is now safe to say that he nailed it as can be seen in the results of the three Intra-Squad games and even in the fitness testing and practice times.

On Friday night, Team Blue applied all the pressure early and only seemed to ease up when the game seemed to be well in hand. Final score in the first intra-squad game was 4-2 in favour of Team Blue. The following night was a completely different story with Team White applying all the pressure right to the final whistle. Although there was no scoring in the first period and Team Blue even scored the first goal early in the second, Team White won the game 4-1 on the strength of a three point night by Jeremiah Luedtke (2G, 1A).

With the three game series tied at a win a-piece, the game on Sunday had all the makings of a very competitive one. It was all that and more featuring some great goals, big saves, hard hits and a lot of fiestiness between the two teams.

Team White carried the momentum of the win the night before into this game and applied the pressure early with Liam Board getting the first really good scoring chance only to be turned aside by Liam McLeod. Moments later Skylar Pacheco carried the puck in feeding it up to Ryan Keis who in turn dropped it back from Pacheco. The shot from the right point was perfect finding the top corner on the short side at 4:36 of the first period.

Team White continued to carry the play and two minutes later Riley Hawes found himself crashing the net much to Rourke O'Briain's displeasure. The two were given coincidental minors for roughing. Team Blue started to rally shortly after this and caused some grieve for Team White who ended up taking a pair of penalties twenty seconds apart putting the Team Blue on a two man advantage.

Coltyn Hansen (9 Blue) tips in his first of three

The top line for Team Blue wasted little time in finding the open man on the right side of the crease with a perfect pass and perfect tip-in to tie the game up. The play was started by Lyndon Martell who left the puck in the corner for Cameron Lawson. From deep in the corner and through traffic, Lawson found the tape on Coltyn Hansen's stick at 10:49.

That's how the first period would end, tied 1-1 but with Team Blue coming on from the mid point of the period and it showed on the shot clock as they led that stat 12-6. The second period was another low scoring affair with teams trading goals before the goalie change. As they did in the first, Team White opened the scoring in the second period when Kirk Thompson saw nothing but white jerseys up the ice.

With Team Blue dumping the puck into the zone and going for wholesale changes, Thompson picked up the puck and quickly fed it up the ice to Chad Staley who in turn passed it up to wide open Jeremiah Luedtke as he crossed the opposition's blue line. The shot itself was nothing more than a quick snap shot that eluded Liam McLeod giving Team White their second lead of the game 2-1 at 5:28 of the second period.

Team Blue would answer back six minutes later with Rourke O'Briain's first of the weekend at 11:45 after Kirk Hards dished out a nice pass from behind the goal line. Cameron Lawson was also in on the play after keeping it in the zone knocking down the clearing attempt. Again the teams would head to their dressing rooms tied, this time 2-2 with Team Blue still leading on the shot clock 20-15.

I have to rewind here a bit to talk a little bit about a Prince George player that I can't wait to see in a Spruce Kings jersey full time. Kirk Hards is a small player that plays with a big edge and isn't afraid to cause a little commotion when he's on the ice. The agitator reminds me of a Zac Rasmussen with the buzzing capabilities of any one of the Fitzgerald triplets.

With about a minute and a half remaining in the second period, Hards followed the play into the crease and never let up getting in a little extra shot. As he skated away, the usually mild mannered Skylar Pacheco came over and grabbed Hards to let him know he can't do that. Unfortunately for Pacheco it cost him two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct at 18:39.

To start the third period Team Blue were all standing at the bench rallying the players on the ice with the familiar stick slap on the boards. The rally cry worked and worked quickly as Coltyn Hansen scored his second goal of the night again on the powerplay and again on the nice pass from Lyndon Martell with Mitch Eden getting the other assist.

The goal seemed to rejuvenate Team Blue especially the top line when they came out for the second shift of the period. Hansen picked up his hat trick goal and again it was Martell with the first assist at 4:00. The goal took the wind out of the sails of Team White and the next ten minutes of the game didn't seem to generate too many chances until Tyson Witala was sprung on a breakaway. Witala had everything going for him but just couldn't tuck the puck under Adam Griffith.

To make matters worse for Team White, the top line for Team Blue came back out and again Lyndon Martell was the setup man this time for Cameron Lawson who scored his third of the weekend to put the game out of reach at 5-2. Did I say out of reach? Apparently nobody told Team White or at least Tyson Witala wasn't listening.

Witala who had been robbed on the breakaway just a shift earlier made no mistake with the pass from Pacheco to bury his first of the game at 16:13. Team White called their time out, drew up a play and left the Witala line out there and it resulted in a fourth goal for Team White just 35 seconds later. Witala found the loose puck on a goal mouth scramble and buried it with assists credited to Liam Board and Brad Ryan.

Jeremy Matte with the save of the game

If the time out wasn't the Studio Cuts Crowning Moment of the Game, the save Jeremy Matte made off Lyndon Martell was. The setup man on four of Team Blue's goals found himself streaking down the left side on an uncontested 2-on-1 only to have his shot stopped by Matte. Spencer Schoech picked up the puck for Team White and went the other way finding the man with the golden touch. Tyson Witala's bid at a hat trick was stopped but Chad Staley was right there to put in the tying goal at 18:25.

Both teams tried to end it in regulation but there was no denying this one going to a shootout to determine a winner. Team Blue went first electing to go with Lyndon Martell who tried to sneak the puck in on the far side but somehow Matte kept it in front of the goal post even as it came off it's moorings. Chad Staley was given the first shot for Team White and he too would be stopped.

The second shooter for Team Blue was Cameron Lawson who tried to pull Matte off the far post. For a 5' 8" goalie, Matte has pretty good leg extension and was able to get a toe on the shot sending it wide. Team White sent Jeremiah Luedtke up next who went right down the middle. When Adam Griffith wouldn't give up the five hole, Luedtke just picked the corner, putting the pressure on Team Blue to score with their third shooter.

Team Blue elected to go with the defenceman Mitch Eden who came in tight on the forehand and was poke checked before he could get the puck over to his backhand side. The save completed the comeback for Team White who were down by three goals with less than four minutes remaining in the game. As Todd Doherty (Team White coach) said in a tweet after the game, "#teameffort."

It was an entertaining game to watch and the 350 plus fans in attendance showed their appreciation throughout the game especially in those final minutes as they watched the comeback. Also on hand to watch all the games, practices and fitness testing were the coaches and scouts who had the unenviable task of informing players afterwards if they would be staying or not for the exhibition season.

At the time of this blog, I only have an unofficial list of players so I will leave it until tomorrow. The players that will be sticking around for at least a few more days will be practicing on Monday and then heading to Chase for a pair of preseason games against the Trail Smoke Eaters on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Spruce Kings will also play a home-and-home series against the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League on Friday in Grande Prairie and Saturday in Prince George at 7pm.

Training Camp Day 1

Skylar Pacheo scores on this shot for Team White

The Prince George Spruce Kings opened their training camp today at the Coliseum with a total of 38 players (4 goaltenders, 12 defenceman and 22 forwards) in attendance. The numbers this year are a little lower than in past years but that has allowed for the camp to be broke into two teams immediately and pit the teams against each other in three intra-squad game.

After a first look at the players in team specific practices, the two teams reconvened at the Prince George Coliseum for the first of those intra-squad games. Early on Team Blue imposed their way keeping Team White pinned in their own end. Shots on goal prior to the first goal were 7-1 for Team Blue. Kirk Thompson got the start for Team White showing good positioning with the opposition getting some good shots.

Alex Bartel was the first to solve Thompson getting Team Blue on the board at 11:12 of the first period after he found the rebound off a Mitch Eden point shot. Team Blue would go up 2-0 five minutes later when Bryant Christian (yes the younger brother of Spruce Kings alumni Jordy Christian) converted on a play set up by Lydon Martell and Jake LeBrun. That's how the first period would end with Team Blue leading 2-0 on the scoreboard and 17-6 on the shot clock.

Already with three penalties in the first period including one that spilled over into the second, Team White found themselves down in that stat category as well but did a perfect job on the penalty kill. That perfect job went one step farther when Team White found themselves short handed again. Skylar Pacheco was given a gift tip into the neutral zone and wasted no time turning it into a break away. Looking once into the middle for some help and finding none, Pacheco took the shot beating Liam McLeod with the unassisted short handed goal at 5:24.

Before the midway mark of the second period Cameron Lawson made his presence noticed in the game turning on the jets a couple of times. At 9:50 Lawson broke in untouched and snapped a quick wrister that fooled Thompson sneaking in under the goaltenders arm. It was a sour note to end on, but that goal marked the goalie change bringing in Jeremy Matte for Team White and Adam Griffith for Team Blue.

As if the dirty little wrister wasn't enough, Lawson danced around a couple of defenders deep inside the zone and dangled out in front of the net. A quick pull of the puck slid just into the toe of Matte and no further. Matte looked good for his time behind the pipes and was beaten only once by arguably the best line on the ice especially for Team Blue.

Karan Toor got the play started with a point shot from the left side that ended up on the stick of Bryant Christian. Christian was stopped but a juicy rebound in the slot with Lyndon Martell cruising through quickly found the back of the net making it a 4-1 lead for Team Blue.

The third period seemed to be a little more intense with a few big hits and some extended gatherings around the net, but not much on the scoreclock. Chad Staley was the only one to register a goal in the final frame but perhaps it was too little too late as Team White just couldn't seem to fully recover offensively. Staley's goal (assists to David London and Liam Board) would come with 1:38 remaining in the third period and that's how the game would end with Team Blue winning 4-2.

Final shots on goal were 39-30 for Team Blue. Kirk Thompson made 20 saves and Jeremy Matte stopped 15 shots in the loss, Liam McLeod had 11 and Adam Griffith turned aside 17 of 18 shots. Team White was penalized four times while Team Blue received two minor infractions. Neither team was able to capitalize on the man advantage but Team White did have that short handed marker.

The officials went with the four man system, Brendon Creyke and Bill Hudyma wore the red stripes while Nick Albinati and Ritchie Rodgers worked the lines. The officials introduced the full set of BCHL rules into the intra-squad game including the no change icing and no change for clearing the puck out of play from the defensive zone.

Tomorrow morning the players will report back to the Coliseum for team practices where they will go over some of the things the coaching and scouting staff picked up in the first game. After the practices, the teams will head over to the Factory Hockey Training facility for some off-ice fitness testing. After the dinner break, the teams will drop the puck for their second intra-squad game beginning at 8pm in the Prince George Coliseum.