The Spruce Kings are officially on a roll as they downed the Warriors 5-2 tonight at the Castle. It was the second win in as many nights over Westside, and a game that featured a lot of similarities to their Thursday match up. There were big hits, lead changes and even a couple of tilts featuring the Spruce Kings top players. But in the end, it was Prince George who would continue to climb up the standings, pushing Westside further down into the basement of the Interior Conference.
It did start out well for the Warriors though, as like last night, they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and were out playing the Kings. Prince George was firing a ton of shots, but many of them were easy saves for Dwayne Rodrigue as the Westside did a good job of boxing out the Kings, allowing their goaltender to see most shots. The First period also featured our two fights for the night, as Michael Colantone dropped the mits with Izaak Berglund. A Colantone slash started the tussle, but neither man landed anything significant, leading to the bout being declared a draw. Minutes later Jujhar Khaira decided he wanted to test his punching power with Max French. This fight was more of a glorified wrestling match as both men grabbed on, attempted to throw, before crashing to the ice. The two fights from Colantone and Khaira were unrealistic, but they seemed to fire up the bench moving forward.
The Spruce Kings used that momentum to their advantage early, as 2 minutes into the second frame Paul De Jersey stick handled his way through the Warriors before dekeing out Rodgrigue to tie the game up. 10 minutes later Ben Matthews helped Prince George take the lead as hr walked in and fired a wrister home on the power play. Paul De Jersey would round out the scoring in the second after tipping a nice feed from Patrick Chore. It was De Jersey's second of the game, and 30th of the season.
The Third period started of great for Prince George, as Leo Fitzgerald snipe a shot top corner to make it 4-1. The highlight of the third period came when Cody Bardock took a shot from the point, that missed everyone, including the goaltender, giving him his first ever BCHL goal. The crowd gave him a nice salute, while Ben Matthews made sure to scoop up the puck for him. The Warriors would add a goal from Marcus Basara, but that is as close as they'd get, and have to head back to Kelowna after dropping two straight in Prince George.
The win gives Prince George 43 points on the season, which is good for 3rd place at the moment. They sit 3 points up on 4th place Chilliwack, but the Chiefs do have three games in hand. They also sit 6 points up on 5th place Vernon, who have two games in hand.
For tonight's box scores, click here
The Spruce Kings are flying high right now, having won their last 4 games. This is a team that can make some real noise going forward, as long as they stick to their game. The big three up front continue to score big goals, and they'll need to continue to do so. The secondary scoring is coming together, as the Fitzgerald are adding points at the right time, while the Defence has scored some big goals lately. The goaltending has been very strong as well, and will need to get even better as they try to get back to the playoffs for the first time in two years. Also don't forget that the trade deadline is on January 10th, and with the Spruce Kings down 2 forwards, they will likely be big players from now, until then. Stay tuned to the blog for all the updates.
The Three Stars:
3) (PG )Leo Fitzgerald – 1 Goal
2) (PG) Cody Bardock – First BCHL Goal
1) (PG) Paul De Jersey – 2 Goals
Next Up:
The Spruce Kings are getting set for a huge three game weekend. Next Friday they will battle Chilliwack. The following night they will travel to Penticton to take on the high flying Vees. Then they will head to Vernon to face off against a team that they are fighting against for the 3rd and 4th playoff spot. Be sure to head to the BCHL website to catch all the action.
Showing posts with label Max French. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Max French. Show all posts
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The First Win of 2012
The Spruce Kings have come out of the Christmas break flying, including getting their first win of 2012. The game tonight played out at the Coliseum against a feisty Westside Warriors side, one that was in desperate need of a win. Prince George though, needed a win for a different reason, and that reason was to stay in a playoff spot. They did just that, disposing of the Warriors, posting a 4-1 victory in front of the PG faithful.
It didn't start very well for the Spruce Kings though, as they found themselves badly out played in the first 10 minutes of the hockey game. The Warriors struck first as Reid Simmonds walked in and fired a beautiful wrister past Kirk Thompson. The play was opened up after Charleson laid out a big open ice hit, but unfortunately it left the Warriors on an odd man rush, and they capitalized. At this point, Westside was out shooting the Spruce Kings 9-1. It only took 5 minutes though for the Spruce Kings to get out of their funk, as Michael Colantone put home a one timer on the power play. The Warriors powered through the rest of the period, and headed into the intermission up on the shot clock 14-8.
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| Sean Landrey (18) provided the spark that extinguished both Dustin Cave (22) and the Westside Warriors on this night. Photo courtesy Les Gagnon. |
The second period was a complete 180 for the Spruce Kings, as they fired chance after chance at Dwayne Rodrigue. This period also saw our one and only tilt on the night as Sean Landrey and Dustin Cave dropped the mits 3 minutes in. The fight started out with both men landing a shot, but Landrey soon got Cave's jersey over his head and landed a couple clean upper cuts that rocked the Warrior defenceman. The two men went crashing to the ice, and that's when it was notice that Landrey did indeed land a few shots on the button, because Cave's nose was broken and bent to the side. After the ice was briefly cleaned, play resumed and we saw the Spruce Kings press the action for most of the second before finally taking their first lead of the game, another power play goal, and another one form Michael Colantone. The goal came with just 10 seconds left in period, and would prove to be a huge momentum grabber going forward.
Three minutes into the third period, Ben Matthews put the icing on the cake with a shot form the point that made it's way by a screened Rodrigue. This game could have been drastically different though had it not been for Kirk Thompson, who was very good between the pipes for Prince George. Our game changing play came at the hands of Thompson, who stoned Max French of a breakaway with about 5 minutes remaining in the game. A goal would have pulled the Warriors within 1 goal, giving them considerable momentum. But the Prince George goaltender was up to the task, and eventually finished with 26 fine saves and a “W”. Colantone would eventually add a fourth goal, and finish off his second hat trick in eight days. The Spruce Kings happily skated away tonight with a 4-1 win over a division rival.
A couple of big points to add about tonight's effort, and both of them involve special teams. The Spruce Kings power play had not been good throughout the first half of the season, as they had the 16th ranked power play coming into tonight. But there is a good chance that after tonight, they will finally be out of the basement as they went 2-4 on the PP. Their penalty kill was just as good, as they killed off all 3 of their penalties tonight. In today's game, Special Teams is often the difference maker, and with all the fire power Prince George has 5 on 5, imagine what kind of team they can be if their power play becomes an effective machine. It should also be noted that Paul De Jersey got an assist tonight, meaning he now has a 17 game point streak going.
The Three Stars:
3) (PG) Chase Golightly – 1 Assist
2) (PG) Kirk Thompson – 26 Saves in the Win
1) (PG) Michael Colantone – 3 Goals 1 Assist
Next Up:
These two teams will do it all over again tomorrow night at the Castle. Puck will drop once again at 7pm, but as always if you can't make the trip, you can always listen to the FREE audio broadcast here
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Another One Goal Loss...
Westside came into the Castle having lost nine of their past 10. The Spruce Kings came in having lost their past three. After it was all said and done, Westside would skate away with the Win. The Warriors had an abysmal November, losing eight of nine. They started off December with a loss, but tonight, they were not going to lay down and die. The Spruce Kings didn't have as long of a losing streak, but losing three games in a row by 1 goal, isn't fun. It's a streak that continued tonight, as they dropped a 3-2 decision to Westside. It was a very entertaining game, but only one team skated away smiling.
The Break Down:
The first started off as most do, back and forth puck movement, a few chances, but no real scoring opportunities. But at the 8:48 mark, the Spruce Kings top line struck again, as Michael Colantone fired a wrister top corner on Dwayne Rodrigue to open the scoring. Ben Woodley and Paul De Jersey add the assists on the goal. The Warriors didn’t take long to tie the game up, as they took advantage off a miscue by the Spruce Kings defender and tied the game up. Brett Mckinnon was left alone out front, took a feed and one timed it past Kirk Thompson. That's where things left off heading into the intermission.
The second period would prove to be the eventual difference maker as the Warriors would score 2 goals just over a minute apart. Max French would start it off by sending a puck on net from the top of the right circle that fooled Thompson. The Prince George net minder reached out for it, and just plain missed it. Then 1:04 later, Richard Vanderhoek took a pass on a two on one and scored on a wide open net. It was a quick turn around for the Warriors of Westside, and it would prove to be too much to over come
The Spruce Kings would apply a ton of pressure in the third, thanks in large part to the a five minute power play handed to them after Garrett Skrbich was sent to the showers early for charging Kirk Thompson. Thompson would lay on the ice for a moment, before getting up under his own power to stay in the game. Jujhar Khaira would make them pay quickly, just 8 seconds into the major, he fired a shot from the top of the right circle that found it's way past Rodrigue. It was a quick strike, that gave hope to the Prince George faithful going forward with seven minutes to go. One of the turning points in the game would come during the five minute power play, when the Spruce Kings were called for too many men on the ice. It still left them with time to work with, but it essentially killed off the momentum that they had just gained.
The Spruce Kings would press, but Rodrigue held down the fort, and helped his team skate to a 3-2 victory. Rodrigue made 22 saves in the game, taking home the “W”. Thompson would be given the loss, as he made 25 saves in defeat.
The game was a very good one, but ultimately it ends up being yet another 1 goal loss for the Spruce Kings. This was Prince George's fourth 1 goal game in a row that they end up on the wrong side of. It's a tough pill to swallow, and one that leaves Coach Dave Dumas and his squad wondering what they have to do to end up on the right side of things. There were a couple of different turning points for me in tonight’s contest. One came in the second period, during Prince George's first power play. Jujhar Khaira made a backdoor feed to Paul De Jersey who had a good amount of net to look at. Rodrigue though was not wiling to let up easy, as he slip across his crease and made a split leg toe save. It was a save that may not have been noticed by many, but at the time, it kept the game all tied up. The other turning point for me came during the Max French 2-1 goal. It was a shot that Thompson should have saved, and one he would make if given another try. But unfortunately, these things happen, he missed the puck and gave all the momentum to Westside going forward.
To read the full box score and get a recap in scoring from tonight, click here
The Three Stars:
3)(WW) Richard Vanderhoek – 1 Goal, GWG
2)(PG) Gerry Fitzgerald
1)(WW) Max French – 1 Goal
Next Up:
These two teams will battle once again at the Coliseum tomorrow afternoon. This game becomes eve bigger for the Spruce Kings, as they hope to re-establish their 6 point lead on the Warriors in the standings. Tonight’s game was a good one, so be sure not to miss the rematch tomorrow as the puck drops at 3pm
The Break Down:
The first started off as most do, back and forth puck movement, a few chances, but no real scoring opportunities. But at the 8:48 mark, the Spruce Kings top line struck again, as Michael Colantone fired a wrister top corner on Dwayne Rodrigue to open the scoring. Ben Woodley and Paul De Jersey add the assists on the goal. The Warriors didn’t take long to tie the game up, as they took advantage off a miscue by the Spruce Kings defender and tied the game up. Brett Mckinnon was left alone out front, took a feed and one timed it past Kirk Thompson. That's where things left off heading into the intermission.
The second period would prove to be the eventual difference maker as the Warriors would score 2 goals just over a minute apart. Max French would start it off by sending a puck on net from the top of the right circle that fooled Thompson. The Prince George net minder reached out for it, and just plain missed it. Then 1:04 later, Richard Vanderhoek took a pass on a two on one and scored on a wide open net. It was a quick turn around for the Warriors of Westside, and it would prove to be too much to over come
The Spruce Kings would apply a ton of pressure in the third, thanks in large part to the a five minute power play handed to them after Garrett Skrbich was sent to the showers early for charging Kirk Thompson. Thompson would lay on the ice for a moment, before getting up under his own power to stay in the game. Jujhar Khaira would make them pay quickly, just 8 seconds into the major, he fired a shot from the top of the right circle that found it's way past Rodrigue. It was a quick strike, that gave hope to the Prince George faithful going forward with seven minutes to go. One of the turning points in the game would come during the five minute power play, when the Spruce Kings were called for too many men on the ice. It still left them with time to work with, but it essentially killed off the momentum that they had just gained.
The Spruce Kings would press, but Rodrigue held down the fort, and helped his team skate to a 3-2 victory. Rodrigue made 22 saves in the game, taking home the “W”. Thompson would be given the loss, as he made 25 saves in defeat.
The game was a very good one, but ultimately it ends up being yet another 1 goal loss for the Spruce Kings. This was Prince George's fourth 1 goal game in a row that they end up on the wrong side of. It's a tough pill to swallow, and one that leaves Coach Dave Dumas and his squad wondering what they have to do to end up on the right side of things. There were a couple of different turning points for me in tonight’s contest. One came in the second period, during Prince George's first power play. Jujhar Khaira made a backdoor feed to Paul De Jersey who had a good amount of net to look at. Rodrigue though was not wiling to let up easy, as he slip across his crease and made a split leg toe save. It was a save that may not have been noticed by many, but at the time, it kept the game all tied up. The other turning point for me came during the Max French 2-1 goal. It was a shot that Thompson should have saved, and one he would make if given another try. But unfortunately, these things happen, he missed the puck and gave all the momentum to Westside going forward.
To read the full box score and get a recap in scoring from tonight, click here
The Three Stars:
3)(WW) Richard Vanderhoek – 1 Goal, GWG
2)(PG) Gerry Fitzgerald
1)(WW) Max French – 1 Goal
Next Up:
These two teams will battle once again at the Coliseum tomorrow afternoon. This game becomes eve bigger for the Spruce Kings, as they hope to re-establish their 6 point lead on the Warriors in the standings. Tonight’s game was a good one, so be sure not to miss the rematch tomorrow as the puck drops at 3pm
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