Game 44 - at Langley Chiefs

Pregame Notes ...

Apparently when things go bad for the Spruce Kings, they go really bad. After a series of hard fought games that have resulted in disappointing losses, the team found out that things can be worse with a 6-0 shutout loss to the Burnaby Express. It was the team's first shutout loss of the season and happened after a string of one goal losses for the Spruce Kings dating back to before the Christmas break. For the most part, the Spruce Kings had their chances to bury a few and received goaltending through the first half that kept the team to within a goal of tieing up the game.

After allowing a bad goal against early in the first period, a result of bad communication in the defensive zone, the team looked like they were right in this one. A number of players had chances including Kyle Manlow, RJay Berra, Zac Rasmussen, Joe Morgan and Lyndon Martell. Andrew Walsh made some unbelievable saves to keep the game to within a goal, including a few saves from point blank off some Express snipers. Both Brad Reid and Simon Denis were robbed in close as was James Bettauer, Zac Ashdown and Garrick Perry.

At the other end, Nick Enegren was not really tested in the first period and only had to make eight saves to keep the Spruce Kings off the board through the opening twenty minutes. The second period was a different story as the Spruce Kings came in waves but could not get anything to go for them. Andrew Walsh had to be sharp when called upon early in the second as the Express themselves got a number of scoring chances but Walsh was able to turn those aside.

The Express built up a 3-0 lead before the end of the second on a pair of odd man rushes converting on both of them. The first was a give-and-go two-on-one finished off by garrick Perry, giving the Express a 2-0 lead and some breathing room at 13:26 of the second. The Express followed that one up with a late period goal on a play that started with a slew-foot on Lyndon Martell resulting in a turnover in the Burnaby end that was quickly fed up the ice.

Malcolm McKinney found himself on a rush with Perry and the two-on-one turned in to a three-on-two with Simon Denis in a few strides behind the pair. Perry dropped the puck to Denis and kept going towards the net and actually crashed into Walsh as the shot from Denis was enroute to the net. Walsh, Perry and the puck all ended up in the back of the net and the referee called it a good goal giving the Express a 3-0 lead with a 1:06 remaining in the second period. That goal was the "Crowning Moment" of the game as the teams went to the dressing rooms.

In the third period, the Spruce Kings tried to get back into the game and had a few more chances including a cross bar and a couple of odd man rushes themselves. Josh Pineiro found himself up on the rush with Zac Rasmussen to his left, Pineiro faked a pass to Rasmussen and then took the shot but Enegren hadn't bit on the fake and the shot hit him in the logo. Joe Morgan rang one off the cross bar and Kyle Manlow, who made a nice backhand forehand move, had the goaltender beat but was all tied up and never got the shot away cleanly and never drew a penalty either.

At 5:56 of the third period, Andrew Walsh was chased from the net after Brodie Jamieson was able to come around the net and score only his second of the season on a wrap-around. Steve Papciak didn't fare much better giving up two goals on eleven shots in ten minutes, the first of which was a rebound that caught the goaltender out of position and the other just a lucky bounce for Denis. While on the powerplay, the Express forward took a shot towards the net from deep inside the faceoff circle, Pineiro blocked the shot but the rebound went right back to Denis. Before Papciak could get reset in the net and tight to the shortside post, Denis had the puck into the top shelf and his second on the night.

Walsh finished out the game after that goal and the Spruce Kings tried to solve Enegren for the remaining minutes of the game. Although the Spruce Kings had great pressure through big portions of the game; after the outcome wasn't in doubt, the best chance to ruin the shutout bid for the Express came from a head's up play by Lyndon Martell. The youngster that has been impressing since joining the Spruce Kings in late October, found himself behind the net and spotted Luke Hannas all alone in front of the net. Enegren had gone to his right and Hannas was parked on the left, Martell gave the perfect pass to Hannas who looked at the opening and watched it disappear as he shot the puck. Enegren made his 26th save of the game and for the remaining moments of the game the Express players played keep-away, handing the Spruce Kings their first shutout loss of the season.

Still searching for their first points of this Coastal Conference road trip, the Spruce Kings won't have it any easier tonight as they take on the Langley Chiefs in the new Langley Events Centre. The Chiefs are riding a nine game winning streak including a 3-2 win over the Surrey Eagles last night that moves the Chiefs back to within one point of third place and three points of second place in the Coastal Conference. All nine wins have come with Mark Friesen in net for the Chiefs. Friessen is expected to get his tenth consecutive start tonight as Langley goes looking for their tenth consecutive win as well.

Friessen is one player that the Spruce Kings will have to solve as he comes in to the game with a record of 9 wins, 2 losses, a goals against average of 2.88 and a 90.91 save percentage. Other players to watch from the Langley roster include two time BCHL Player of the Week, Colten Beck who is tied in fifth place for the most points in the league at 65. In the Chiefs current nine game win streak, Beck has 12 goals and 11 assists including a hat trick and three two goal games. Next up on the Chiefs leader board is Brandon Thompson who has collected 12 helpers and chipped in with four goals in the past nine games.

As a team, the Langley Chiefs share the Coastal Conference lead for average goals scored with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs at 3.90, their goals against average is 3.40. Their 9-1 record in the last ten games has improved both their home record (13-9-1-0) and road record (11-7-0-2) that were both hovering around the .500 mark before December 11 ... their last loss that came against the Powell River Kings.

For the Spruce Kings, there is still a believe that they are right in the thick of things and a few bounces their way will go a long way to getting them right back in to the playoff race. Currently the Spruce Kings sit three points out of the last playoff spot and have played one more game then the Trail Smoke Eaters who sit in seventh place in the Interior Conference. The players are also aware that they are only three games back of both the Merritt Centennials and the Quesnel Millionaires and have a home-and-home with the Mills next weekend. It makes for an interesting few games over the next few days and weeks.

Game time tonight from the Langley Events Centre is 7:00pm with a live broadcast available from 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website (click on the CFIS-FM Listen Live link). Pregame show with player and coaches interviews can be heard beginning at 6:40pm. Following the game the Spruce Kings will head home and are expected to arrive in Prince George around 7:00am at the Coliseum. Their next game will be in Quesnel against the Millionaires on Friday January 15 and on Saturday January 16, the Spruce Kings will host the Millionaires in the final game of the CNC Challenge Cup at 7:00pm.


Rosters ...

Langley Chiefs

1 Mark Friesen (G 6'00" 185 3/29/89 Calgary, AB, CAN) (GP 12 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Tyler Miller (D 6'03" 210 1/01/91 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 55 PIMs)
4 Brad Bakken (D 6'03" 197 2/14/89 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 2 A 7 Pts 9 47 PIMs)
5 Dennis Robertson (D 6'00" 195 5/24/91 Fort St. John, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 7 A 17 Pts 24 65 PIMs)
6 Ryan Bakken (D 6'01" 180 4/08/91 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 1 A 9 Pts 10 30 PIMs)
7 Matt Cronin (D 6'02" 185 5/21/92 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 3 A 2 Pts 5 80 PIMs)
8 Tim Daly (D 5'11" 165 2/01/92 Maple Ridge, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 9 A 22 Pts 31 61 PIMs)
10 Brad Goss (F 6'01" 175 7/19/89 Smithers, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 10 A 13 Pts 23 44 PIMs)
11 Mitch Pacey (F 6'03" 195 11/10/91 Richmond, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 3 A 2 Pts 5 89 PIMs)
12 Mac Roy (F 5'11" 175 4/20/89 Chilliwack, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 19 A 22 Pts 41 75 PIMs)
16 Kody Dhaliwal (F 5'11" 175 4/24/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 16 PIMs)
17 Max Fiedler (F 5'10" 190 4/07/93 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 3 A 1 Pts 4 12 PIMs)
18 Trevor Gerling (F 5'11" 180 6/30/90 Seattle, WA, USA) (GP 43 G 10 A 24 Pts 34 46 PIMs)
19 Colton Beck (F 5'10" 175 6/10/90 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 31 A 34 Pts 65 34 PIMs)
20 Jordan Sims (F 5'11" 190 12/28/89 Fort Wayne, SK, CAN) (GP 41 G 8 A 10 Pts 18 35 PIMs)
21 Brad McBride (F 6'00" 193 1/08/91 Denver, CO, USA) (GP 24 G 2 A 7 Pts 9 40 PIMs)
22 Kevin Tuohy (D 5'07" 160 6/04/91 Salisbury Mills, ON, CAN) (GP 39 G 2 A 14 Pts 16 13 PIMs)
23 Josh Myers (F 5'11" 180 9/26/90 Colorado Springs, CO, USA) (GP 33 G 17 A 13 Pts 30 54 PIMs)
24 Colten Hayes (D 6'02" 190 1/31/90 Maple Ridge, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 4 A 13 Pts 17 41 PIMs)
25 Justin Lachance (F 6'01" 175 4/30/92 Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 1 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
27 Ryan Hankin (F 6'00" 187 4/27/91 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 10 G 1 A 2 Pts 3 04 PIMs)
28 Brandon Thompson (F 5'11" 165 11/10/90 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 13 A 30 Pts 43 46 PIMs)
33 Wyatt Galley (G 6'00" 170 12/17/91 Boston, MA, USA) (GP 0 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)


Prince George Spruce Kings

1 Steve Papciak (G 5'11" 185 4/26/90 Des Plaines, IL, USA) (GP 9 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Wes McLeod (D 6'02" 185 9/30/90 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 9 A 27 Pts 36 63 PIMs)
5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 5 A 27 Pts 32 60 PIMs)
7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 27 PIMs)
8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 4 A 5 Pts 9 41 PIMs)
9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 19 A 7 Pts 26 22 PIMs)
10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 40 G 5 A 17 Pts 22 40 PIMs)
11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 42 G 5 A 2 Pts 7 14 PIMs)
12 Marcus Watson (F 6'03" 198 1/17/89 San Jose, CA, USA) (GP 39 G 13 A 22 Pts 35 32 PIMs)
14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 9 A 12 Pts 21 08 PIMs)
15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 88 PIMs)
16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 35 G 8 A 8 Pts 16 48 PIMs)
17 Brooks Robinson (F 5'11" 180 8/18/89 Duncan, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 18 A 40 Pts 58 20 PIMs)
19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 8 A 22 Pts 30 22 PIMs)
20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 07 PIMs)
21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 22 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 04 PIMs)
22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 85 PIMs)
23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 43 G 8 A 10 Pts 18 13 PIMs)
24 Josh Pineiro (D 5'10" 211 8/25/89 Huntington Beach, CA, USA) (GP 37 G 7 A 19 Pts 26 34 PIMs)
25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 13 A 20 Pts 33 81 PIMs)
26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 23 A 30 Pts 53 44 PIMs)
30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 16 PIMs)
35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 18 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)

Game 43 - at Burnaby Express

Pregame Notes ...

Spruce Kings had a day off from their four game Coastal Conference road trip after dropping another close contest on Wednesday night to the Surrey Eagles. In that game Prince George had to respond to being down 2-0 early in the first, but were able to tie it up 2-2 on the strength of a pair of goals from Brooks Robinson before heading to the dressing room. In the second period, Sam Muchalla scored to give the Spruce Kings a 3-2 lead, but that would be taken back by the Eagles on a powerplay goal of their own and they would add another and take a 4-3 lead before the end of the second.

In the third period, the Spruce Kings tied up the game again with a great end to end rush by Brad Bourke who squeezed through no less than three checks to get into the Eagles zone before saucering a nice pass to an open Nick DeSousa on the other side of the net. After that things started conspiring against the Spruce Kings as highlighted by a controversial delay of game penalty being made against the newest member of the Spruce Kings, goaltender Andrew Walsh.

The nets in the South Surrey Arena are not secured in place with the typical plastic pegs found in most other rinks but instead are just set in place on a divet in the ice. The natural movements of a goaltender and even pressure by the offense at the side of the net resulted in the net coming dislodged no less than seven times in the game prior to the one that resulted in the penalty call. With the Eagles pressing and trying to get Walsh to move side-to-side, the big goaltender kicked out his right leg to make a skate save and hit the net knocking it off its moorings. The referee made the call putting the Spruce Kings down a man with Josh Pineiro serving the penalty for Walsh.

On the ensuing penalty kill, Wes McLeod was called for a slash after he turned to force his man into the corner and his stick hit the stick of Andrew Wallace. On the delayed penalty call it appeared that at least one member of the Spruce Kings squad touched the puck but the whistle never sounded. Wallace used the confusion to take a shot on goal that Walsh stopped but the rebound was picked up by Wallace and fired into the back of the net. At the end of the play McLeod took some frustration out on Wallace and the check put the Eagles forward into the net; the hit drew a five minute major and a game misconduct to go along with the two minute minor.

Killing off the seven minute penalty successfully still proved costly for the Spruce Kings as they spent a good portion of that time in their own zone and were tired afterwards, never able to really get any good pressure in the Eagles zone. In the last minute and some odd seconds, Andrew Walsh was pulled from the goal for the extra attacker and for the second consecutive night gave up an empty net goal in the dying seconds of the game. Wallace eventually got the goal although it took him three tries to do it after missing the first one wide and having the second attempt deflected away by the good stick work of Marcus Watson.

During the day off, the Spruce Kings did get some ice time at the Langley Events Centre with an hour long practice in the newest building in the BCHL. The practice was intense and gave the boys a good feel for the ice and the building for their game against the Langley Chiefs on Saturday. Before Langley though it is the Burnaby Express and a team that finds itself in the same place as the Spruce Kings - on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.

The Burnaby Express who have a game in hand on the Prince George Spruce Kings are two points back of the Cowichan Valley Capitals and desperate for some wins to try and cover some of that gap. The Express have played four games since the Christmas break and three points as a result of two of those games going to overtime. The Express haven't played since Sunday afternoon when they lost 5-2 to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.

This is the first of the two meetings between the Express and the Spruce Kings, the second will be the Spruce Kings final regular season game of the season in the Coliseum on Saturday February 20th. By the numbers the Express have struggled offensively this year scoring the league's second lowest number of goals and averaging 2.80 goal per game compared to the Spruce Kings 3.50 average a game. Defensively the Express have slightly better numbers allowing 4.20 goals against per game while Prince George has been known this year to allow 4.40 against every game.

The top three forwards for Burnaby are 19 year old Brad Reid (18-21), 20 year old import Rich Manley (16-22) and 19 year old Garrick Perry (17-14). Four year vet of the BCHL, Dylan Herold has 15 goals on the season and is the team's fourth point getter with 23 points. Former Penticton Vees players, James Bettauer and Jimmy Geerin, are among the team's leading setup guys with a combined 30 assists.

This game has an interesting twist to it with RJay Berra getting a chance to play against the team that held his rights during the summer months but eventually traded them back to Prince George just before the start of training camp. Berra hasn't thought too much about it until recently and would like to use the game as a chance to show the Express what he is capable of doing. Another player that will be in the spotlight tonight will be Sam Muchalla; the spotlight will start shining on Muchalla before the first puck drops when Bernie Pascall will interview Muchalla for an upcoming Inside BCHL video feature for the league's website.

Game time tonight is 7:30 with game audio available on 93.1 CFIS-FM and online from the Spruce Kings website (click on the CFIS-FM Listen Live link) beginning at 7:20pm. The Spruce Kings will wrap up their four game Coastal Conference road trip on Saturday night in Langley against the Chiefs before returning home to Prince George for a few days and then a home-and-home against the Quesnel Millionaires starting in Quesnel on Friday January 15th.

Rosters ...

Burnaby Express

1 Scott Ismond (G 6'00" 185 5/05/89 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 0 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
2 Stefan Gonzales (D 6'02" 175 5/07/92 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 0 A 2 Pts 2 28 PIMs)
7 Alex Petan (F 5'08" 155 5/02/92 Delta, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 22 PIMs)
8 Malcom McKinney (F 5'08" 150 9/27/92 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 13 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 06 PIMs)
9 James Bettauer (D 6'01" 180 3/19/91 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 16 G 5 A 12 Pts 17 45 PIMs)
10 Sean Dinsmore (F 6'01" 190 11/07/91 Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 42 PIMs)
11 Rich Manley (F 6'05" 228 12/22/89 Buffalo, NY, USA) (GP 36 G 16 A 22 Pts 38 51 PIMs)
12 Dylan Herold (F 6'00" 185 2/17/89 Tsawwassen, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 15 A 8 Pts 23 57 PIMs)
14 Garrick Perry (F 6'01" 186 5/14/90 Apple Valley, MN, USA) (GP 41 G 17 A 14 Pts 31 43 PIMs)
15 Jimmy Geerin (D 6'01" 185 12/28/89 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 41 G 4 A 18 Pts 22 32 PIMs)
16 Luke Challier (F 6'00" 184 5/29/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 5 A 12 Pts 17 115 PIMs)
17 Brodie Jamieson (F 5'10" 170 9/01/92 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 3 A 5 Pts 8 22 PIMs)
18 Zac Ashdown (F 6'01" 190 9/07/91 Campbell River, BC, CAN) (GP 9 G 1 A 6 Pts 7 14 PIMs)
20 Konrad Sander (F 6'01" 195 10/18/90 Squamish, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 3 A 5 Pts 8 32 PIMs)
21 David Dotan (D 6'04" 218 6/18/91 Richmond, BC, CAN) (GP 30 G 1 A 3 Pts 4 22 PIMs)
24 Michael Mackie-Kwist (F 6'02" 195 1/01/91 Clevland, OH, USA) (GP 4 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
25 Paul de Jersey (F 6'02" 185 1/01/92 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 15 PIMs)
30 Nick Enegren (G 5'08" 150 10/08/92 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 17 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
31 Harrison May (G 6'03" 175 1/15/89 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 29 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 10 PIMs)
44 Chris Van Duynhoven (D 6'05" 230 2/15/89 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 0 A 7 Pts 7 47 PIMs)
77 Simon Denis (D 5'10" 160 8/20/91 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 4 A 7 Pts 11 22 PIMs)
83 Brad Reid (F 6'01" 174 6/20/90 Delta, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 18 A 21 Pts 39 28 PIMs)
91 Colby Kulhanek (F 6'01" 195 8/11/89 Port Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 19 G 2 A 12 Pts 14 26 PIMs)


Prince George Spruce Kings

1 Steve Papciak (G 5'11" 185 4/26/90 Des Plaines, IL, USA) (GP 8 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Wes McLeod (D 6'02" 185 9/30/90 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 9 A 27 Pts 36 63 PIMs)
5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 5 A 27 Pts 32 60 PIMs)
7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 27 PIMs)
8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 4 A 5 Pts 9 41 PIMs)
9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 19 A 7 Pts 26 22 PIMs)
10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 39 G 5 A 17 Pts 22 40 PIMs)
11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 41 G 5 A 2 Pts 7 14 PIMs)
12 Marcus Watson (F 6'03" 198 1/17/89 San Jose, CA, USA) (GP 38 G 13 A 22 Pts 35 32 PIMs)
14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 9 A 12 Pts 21 08 PIMs)
15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 88 PIMs)
16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 34 G 8 A 8 Pts 16 48 PIMs)
17 Brooks Robinson (F 5'11" 180 8/18/89 Duncan, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 18 A 40 Pts 58 20 PIMs)
19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 8 A 22 Pts 30 22 PIMs)
20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 07 PIMs)
21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 22 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 04 PIMs)
22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 85 PIMs)
23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 8 A 10 Pts 18 13 PIMs)
24 Josh Pineiro (D 5'10" 211 8/25/89 Huntington Beach, CA, USA) (GP 36 G 7 A 19 Pts 26 34 PIMs)
25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 13 A 20 Pts 33 81 PIMs)
26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 23 A 30 Pts 53 44 PIMs)
30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 16 PIMs)
35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 18 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)

Game 42 - at Surrey Eagles

Pregame Notes ...

Heading into the first game back after an extended break for Christmas, the Spruce Kings knew that rust could play a role and a quick start would be a good thing if they were to get their four game Coastal Conference road trip off on the right note. Another area of the game that the Spruce Kings wanted to see improvement in was the play between the pipes - without question, Kyle Nielsen gave the team that and was the Spruce Kings best player on the night. Through the first twenty minutes the Spruce Kings found themselves in a scoreless tie with the Coastal Kings despite being outshot 17-11. After forty minutes the game was still tied but this time at one goal each and again the Powell River Kings outshot the Spruce Kings, this time 16-7. In the final frame Nielsen faced another 17 shots, turning aside 16 of them for a game total of 48 saves on 50 shots.

Despite that strong performance in goal, the Spruce Kings were unable to get their offense going and were only able to find the back of the net once. Marcus Watson opened the scoring for Prince George with a quick goal just 18 seconds into the second period after the Powell River Kings looked like they were going to dictate the game with a strong physical prescence. After a couple of big hits off the opening faceoff, Justin Fillion was able to get the puck up to Zac Rasmussen who fed Marcus Watson a nice pass to get into the zone and move in on Gartieg before letting go with a quick shot that beat the Prince George minor hockey product. The Spruce Kings kept pressing and got a few chances, but perhaps the first "Crowning Moment" of the game came as the result of a missed hit in the offensive zone.

With the Spruce Kings pressing hard and getting pucks down low in the offensive zone, an opportunity presented itself for a big hit behind the Powell River net. Brooks Robinson had his guy in his sights and was moving in for the kill shot; problem was that Marcus Watson was in behind the intended target going for the puck and when the Powell River defender ducked the check at the last second, Robinson hit Watson. While getting up, Gartieg slapped at Watson's ankles which prompted a bit of a verbal exchange between the two players. Perhaps if the referee had saw this he might have blown the play down which would not have allowed the Powell River Kings the odd-man chance in the Spruce Kings zone that eventually produced the tieing goal.

Newly acquired Powell River Kings forward, Daniel Carr looked to have a sure goal after getting a feed from behind the net in the slot. His shot was stopped by Nielsen and the entire building went from a partial goal celebration, to the groan of realizing that the puck stayed out. The disappointment of the non-goal was just as short-lived when Chad Niddery came in as the free man on the play, was able to find the loose puck and put it into the net for the first of two on the night and his tenth of the season. The goal turned into the start of a momentum swing that gave Powell River some new life and started to take the life out of the Spruce Kings.

Shortly after the tieing goal, Ben Schmidt got called for a boarding penalty after taking a run at Jesse Scrimbit from behind. Scrimbit took exception to the hit and the pair dropped the gloves. While trying to grab onto the sweater, Schmidt appeared to gouge Scrimbit but was not called for the illegal use of his hands. Besides the offsetting majors for fighting, the Spruce Kings were given the powerplay opportunity for the boarding call. With the man advantage, the Spruce Kings had a couple of chances - the best coming off the stick of Joe Morgan who beat Michael Gartieg but was stopped by the cross bar.

The third period saw the Spruce Kings get another great chance to reclaim the lead when Sam Muchalla's shot careemed off of Gartieg and landed on the stick of Nick DeSousa who was coming in hard on the opposite side. After stringing together some great numbers and getting to 18 goals in the reqular season prior to the break, DeSousa fired just wide off the shortside post. Those chances and a few others would start to come back to haunt the Spruce Kings as the game progressed and the Powell River Kings went on the attack. In one situation down in the Spruce Kings end, Wes McLeod was called for holding his opponent giving Powell River their fourth powerplay of the game. It took almost the full two minutes, but the Coastal Kings would get thier first powerplay goal of the game at 8:57 and take the 2-1 lead.

The Spruce Kings would get one more chance with the extra man themselves, but could not get anything through on the Powell River net and came away empty handed on the powerplay. To make matters worse, the Spruce Kings had to pull their best player of the game from between the pipes in hopes of scoring a goal to tie the game with Kyle Nielsen on the bench. In the dying seconds of the game, Justin Dasilva was able to step up and stop a breakway pass and lobe a high dump in towards the Prince George net that crossed the goal line with 1.2 seconds left in the game. The Spruce Kings lost 3-1 giving up 51 shots against while only registering 24 for. Next up is the Surrey Eagles and the lone game in the BCHL on Wednesday night with a 7:00pm start time.

The Surrey Eagles are sitting in third place in the Coastal Conference with a record of 23-15-0-4 for 50 points in 42 games, four points back of Powell River and one point up on the Langley Chiefs. The Eagles appear to be a fairly balanced team with an identical 3.30 goals for and goals against average per game. Their points leader is Michael Krgovich (pron: Kirk-oh-vich) with 15 goals and 27 assists through 42 games. Just behind Krgovich is Grant Toulmin, who suited up for the Prince George Spruce Kings at the tail end of the 2007-08 season, and Andrew Wallace who both have identical records of 12 goals and 26 assists through 42 games. Chris Santiago is the team's goal scoring leader with 16 followed by Krgovich with 15 and Adam Basford with 14.

At the time of writing this, Andrew Walsh has still not caught up with his new team but is expected to be on the bus when the Spruce Kings head to the South Surrey Arena for tonight's game. Walsh is also expected to get the start in goal with Nielsen on the bench in a backup role. Although there may be a few tweaks with the line combinations before the game tonight, I don't expect to see too many changes in the lines or defensive pairings. Last night in Powell River, the Spruce Kings went with Zac Rasmussen, Brooks Robinson and Marcus Watson; Joe Morgan, Nick DeSousa and Sam Muchalla; Lyndon Martell, Kyle Manlow and RJay Berra; Jonathan Gibson, Jeff Earnest and Stewart Lambert up front. Defensively the pairings were predominately Wes McLeod with Justin Fillion, Brad Bourke with Jesse Scrimbit and Josh Pineiro with Jeff Datoff.

*note* ... just received the lineup card ... there are a few more changes than expected ... Sam Muchalla, Brooks Robinson and Jeff Earnest; Joe Morgan, Nick DeSousa and RJay Berra; Lyndon Martell, Zac Rasmussen and Marcus Watson; Luke Hannas, Kyle Manlow and Jeremy Wiebe ... talking with Ed Dempsey, he is trying to maximize his offensive weapons on the larger Olympic size rink. No surprises with the defensive pairings: Wes McLeod and Justin Fillion, Brad Bourke and Josh Pineiro, Jesse Scrimbit and Jonathan Gibson. Andrew Walsh will be starting in net with Kyle Nielsen in a backup role. Steve Papciak is a scratch along with Jeff Datoff and Stewart Lambert.

Game time is at 7:00pm and will be broadcast live on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website (click the CFIS-FM listen live image) or from the CFIS-FM website beginning at 6:40pm. Those fans interested in watching the game online from Surrey can do so with a pay-per-view account from the BCHL website. Following the game the Spruce Kings will head back to their Lower Mainland home base in Surrey for a day off from game play but are expected to skate at the Langley Events Centre in the afternoon. On Friday they will play the Burnaby Express before wrapping up the four game road trip against the Chiefs in Langley on Saturday night.


Rosters ...

Surrey Eagles

1 Mike Chan (G 6'00" 170 5/16/90 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 6 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Wes Vannieuwenhuizen (D 6'03" 205 4/20/92 Chilliwack, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 92 PIMs)
4 Jeff Regier (D 6'01" 195 1/03/91 Abbotsford, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 3 A 4 Pts 7 62 PIMs)
5 Paul Levarsky (D 6'01" 205 1/16/89 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 2 A 9 Pts 11 36 PIMs)
6 Derek Henderson (D 5'11" 188 2/09/90 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 19 G 1 A 2 Pts 3 46 PIMs)
9 Adam Basford (F 6'01" 175 3/06/89 Richmond, BC, CAN) (GP 16 G 14 A 6 Pts 20 10 PIMs)
11 Jamus Lane (F 6'01" 195 2/08/92 Delta, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 4 A 4 Pts 8 61 PIMs)
12 Connor Tiechko (F 6'00" 175 4/22/92 Chilliwack, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 1 A 6 Pts 7 08 PIMs)
13 Michael Krgovich (F 6'00" 180 1/29/90 Coquitlam, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 15 A 27 Pts 42 66 PIMs)
14 Jason Grecica (F 6'02" 205 5/05/90 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 12 A 6 Pts 18 28 PIMs)
15 Cam Lawson (F 5'07" 155 1/16/93 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 1 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
16 Manraj Hayer (F 5'09" 155 1/20/93 Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 5 A 10 Pts 15 14 PIMs)
17 Bradley McGowan (F 5'11" 175 4/09/90 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 9 A 23 Pts 32 13 PIMs)
18 Dante Godhino (F 6'00" 170 3/05/92 West Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 1 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
20 Richard Vanderhoek (F 5'10" 180 1/20/91 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 12 A 16 Pts 28 42 PIMs)
21 Erik Cooper (F 5'10" 172 10/30/91 Anchorage, AL, USA) (GP 35 G 1 A 5 Pts 6 18 PIMs)
22 Jesse Pauls (D 5'10" 160 2/10/92 Chilliwack, BC, CAN) (GP 8 G 1 A 0 Pts 1 06 PIMs)
24 Neil Blunden (D 5'11" 176 2/05/90 Montreal, PQ, CAN) (GP 36 G 5 A 6 Pts 11 22 PIMs)
27 Cole Gelley (D 6'00" 180 1/14/91 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 1 A 19 Pts 20 18 PIMs)
29 Vinny Lessard (G 6'01" 185 5/11/90 Beaconsfield, PQ, CAN) (GP 29 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
30 Andrew Hunt (G 6'02" 180 3/19/92 Surrey, BC, CAN) (GP 3 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
66 Grant Toulmin (F 6'05" 210 3/02/89 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 12 A 26 Pts 38 77 PIMs)
86 Tyler Morley (F 5'08" 160 12/19/91 Burnaby, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 6 A 16 Pts 22 40 PIMs)
89 Andrew Wallace (F 5'10" 180 4/27/89 Bedford, NS, CAN) (GP 42 G 12 A 26 Pts 38 48 PIMs)
96 Chris Santiago (F 5'11" 180 9/22/89 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 42 G 16 A 19 Pts 35 29 PIMs)


Prince George Spruce Kings

1 Steve Papciak (G 5'11" 185 4/26/90 Des Plaines, IL, USA) (GP 8 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Wes McLeod (D 6'02" 185 9/30/90 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 9 A 26 Pts 35 52 PIMs)
5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 5 A 26 Pts 31 60 PIMs)
7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 27 PIMs)
8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 4 A 5 Pts 9 41 PIMs)
9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 18 A 7 Pts 25 20 PIMs)
10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 38 G 5 A 16 Pts 21 40 PIMs)
11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 40 G 5 A 2 Pts 7 14 PIMs)
12 Marcus Watson (F 6'03" 198 1/17/89 San Jose, CA, USA) (GP 37 G 13 A 21 Pts 34 32 PIMs)
14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 25 G 9 A 11 Pts 20 06 PIMs)
15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 88 PIMs)
16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 33 G 8 A 8 Pts 16 48 PIMs)
17 Brooks Robinson (F 5'11" 180 8/18/89 Duncan, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 16 A 39 Pts 55 20 PIMs)
19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 32 G 8 A 22 Pts 30 20 PIMs)
20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 07 PIMs)
21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 22 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 04 PIMs)
22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 83 PIMs)
23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 41 G 8 A 10 Pts 18 13 PIMs)
24 Josh Pineiro (D 5'10" 211 8/25/89 Huntington Beach, CA, USA) (GP 35 G 7 A 17 Pts 24 34 PIMs)
25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 13 A 20 Pts 33 81 PIMs)
26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 22 A 30 Pts 52 42 PIMs)
30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 14 PIMs)
35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 18 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)

Game 41 - at Powell River Kings

Pregame Notes ...

It has been a full sixteen days since the Spruce Kings played their last games of the season and the team is looking forward to getting back on the ice and back into the playoff race. At times through the course of the forty games already played, the Spruce Kings were sitting in fifth or sixth spot in the Interior Division. The extended layoff and an unfortunate string of heartbreaking losses, the team has watched themselves fall one point out of the final playoff spot.

With a game in hand on the team they trail, the Spruce Kings will start their final twenty games of the season against the Powell River Kings - the first of four in five nights against Coastal Division opponents. After the Kings, the Spruce Kings will come back to the Lower Mainland to face the Surrey Eagles (Wednesday), the Burnaby Express (Friday) and the Langley Chiefs (Saturday). With the race for a playoff spot of utmost importance, these four games are huge for Prince George to catch, pass and keep the Trail Smoke Eaters down.

The Powell River Kings on the other hand are looking to find the Coastal Conference bye currently sitting in second place with 52 points, 11 points back of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs with three games in hand. The Kings recently blostered their lineup acquiring Daniel Carr from the St. Albert Steel of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. Carr, who played with Wes McLeod on Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge, has already picked up three points in two games with his new team and is expected to be a major contributor through the stretch. Carr is the second player on the Kings' roster from that Canada West team, the other is Mat Bodie who was paired up with McLeod on the blue line.

The Spruce Kings have also made a personnel change that sees the team bring in Andrew Walsh, a second year veteran goaltender that was playing for the Langley Chiefs. Walsh has played in 26 games this season with a win loss record of 11 and 12; he has a 3.80 goals against average and a 83.33 save percentage with 2 shutouts. Walsh won't be in the Spruce Kings lineup but is expected to join the team and start in net on Wednesday night in Surrey.

The Powell River Kings have a pair of Prince George connections starting with Michael Gartieg in goal and Darcy Huisman on defence. Gartieg, a Prince George minor hockey product, has skated with the Spruce Kings during the team's training camp two years ago before being ap'ed and eventually signed by the Powell River Kings. Huisman is one of the last remaining ties to the silver medal finish for the Spruce Kings at the 2007 RBC Royal Bank Cup held in Prince George. The following season, Huisman went up to the Western Hockey League to play with the Kamloops Blazers and last year his junior A rights were dealt to Powell River in exchange for future considerations.

According to the numbers, the Powell River Kings are a more defensive team than the Spruce Kings but slightly less offensive. The Kings have averaged 3.10 goals for per game while giving up 2.50 goal against; comparatively speaking the Spruce Kings are 3.60 goals for and 4.40 against per game. Although Powell River`s road record is just .500 (9-9-1-3), their home record is one of the best at 14 wins, 2 losses, 0 ties and 2 overtime losses. The Spruce Kings will be looking to bring their road record back to .500 and above starting tonight after watching it drop to one game below during their last road trip.

Players to watch for the Powell River Kings include the newly acquired Daniel Carr (1-2), Andrew Petite (26-17) leads the team in scoring, chad Niddery (9-32) has proven to be the setup man and has four helpers in the past two games, Jordan Grant (22-19) along with rookie sniper Matt Garbowski (15-15) round out the team`s top three goal scorers. On the back end twenty year old Huisman (5-30) has proven to be a solid defenceman playing in key situations for the Kings. In goal the tandem of Gartieg (11-8-0) and Josh Watson (12-8-1) have been solid in goal while alternating starts for the team.

Players to watch for the Prince George Spruce Kings include the team`s points leader in Brooks Robinson (16-39) who is no stranger to the trip to Powell River and is making a return to the team that dealt him to Grande Prarie at last year`s trade deadline. Sam Muchalla (22-30) is currently riding an eight game points streak and is the team`s leading goal scorer. Nick DeSousa (18-7) has found an unbelievable prescence around the net in the last thirteen games averaging a point a game including 11 goals during that stretch. Wes McLeod (9-26) will be looking to shutdown his Canada West teammate tonight and keep his offensive numbers rolling while protecting his own end. Brad Bourke (5-16), Justin Fillion (5-25) and Josh Pineiro (7-17) will also be looked at to keep the puck out of the defensive end and move it quickly and effectively up the ice.

Game time tonight is at 7:30pm, a half hour later than originally scheduled to allow for fans a chance to watch the Canada vs USA World Junior game beforehand. Audio for the game can be heard on 93.1 CFIS-FM and also online from the Spruce Kings website (click the CFIS-FM listen live image) or from the CFIS-FM website beginning at 7:10pm. Those fans interested in watching the game online from Powell River can do so with a pay-per-view account from the BCHL website. Following the game the Spruce Kings will have to overnight in Powell River before taking the two ferry trip back to the Lower Mainland for Wednesday's game against the Surrey Eagles.


Rosters ...

Powell River Kings

1 Michael Garteig (G 6'01" 185 11/05/91 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 19 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 00 PIMs)
2 Reid Campbell (D 5'10" 185 2/04/89 Haines Junction, YK, CAN) (GP 33 G 8 A 11 Pts 19 52 PIMs)
3 Braden Pears (D 5'11" 160 5/22/93 Victoria, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 08 PIMs)
6 Klay Kachur (D 6'02" 195 9/26/91 Lanigan, ON, CAN) (GP 30 G 1 A 4 Pts 5 27 PIMs)
7 Brenden Forbes (D 5'10" 165 12/15/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 39 G 2 A 1 Pts 3 41 PIMs)
8 Teagan Waugh (F 5'09" 170 4/16/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 2 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 02 PIMs)
9 Matt Garbowsky (F 5'10" 170 7/26/90 St. George, PQ, CAN) (GP 33 G 15 A 15 Pts 30 29 PIMs)
10 Andrew Pettitt (F 5'11" 180 10/22/90 Whitehorse, YK, CAN) (GP 39 G 26 A 17 Pts 43 37 PIMs)
11 Daniel Carr (F 6'00" 185 11/01/91 Leduc, AB, CAN) (GP 2 G 1 A 2 Pts 3 04 PIMs)
12 Jordan Grant (F 5'10" 180 8/17/90 Ladysmith, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 22 A 19 Pts 41 49 PIMs)
14 Mitch Labreche (F 5'10" 175 5/03/90 Nelson, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 6 A 14 Pts 20 20 PIMs)
15 Jason Yee (D 6'00" 175 7/17/90 Sidney, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 1 A 7 Pts 8 30 PIMs)
16 Craig Eisenhut (F 5'11" 190 5/19/90 Kelowna, BC, CAN) (GP 28 G 2 A 4 Pts 6 37 PIMs)
17 Ben Schmidt (F 6'02" 195 3/17/89 Campbell River, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 9 A 10 Pts 19 59 PIMs)
18 Brandon Formosa (F 6'00" 170 3/10/93 Mission, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 2 A 2 Pts 4 12 PIMs)
20 Alex McDougall (D 6'00" 210 2/25/90 Whitehorse, YK, CAN) (GP 24 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 27 PIMs)
21 Chad Niddery (F 5'10" 165 10/05/90 Penticton, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 9 A 32 Pts 41 27 PIMs)
22 Mat Bodie (D 6'00" 160 3/07/90 East St. Paul, MB, CAN) (GP 31 G 3 A 12 Pts 15 25 PIMs)
23 Carter Shinkaruk (F 5'10" 185 11/11/91 Langley, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 4 A 7 Pts 11 18 PIMs)
24 Darcy Huisman (D 5'10" 175 3/15/89 Smithers, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 5 A 30 Pts 35 21 PIMs)
25 Justin Dasilva (D 6'05" 215 5/22/90 Cambridge, MA, USA) (GP 30 G 2 A 7 Pts 9 45 PIMs)
27 Robbie Bailey (F 6'03" 190 3/28/89 North Vancouver, BC, CAN) (GP 34 G 3 A 7 Pts 10 64 PIMs)
35 Josh Watson (G 6'02" 180 9/07/90 Lititz, SK, CAN) (GP 21 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 00 PIMs)
44 Cody Rainaldi (F 6'00" 185 2/15/89 Hinton, AB, CAN) (GP 20 G 1 A 5 Pts 6 45 PIMs)


Prince George Spruce Kings

1 Steve Papciak (G 5'11" 185 4/26/90 Des Plaines, IL, USA) (GP 8 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)
3 Wes McLeod (D 6'02" 185 9/30/90 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 33 G 9 A 26 Pts 35 50 PIMs)
5 Justin Fillion (D 5'11" 175 4/23/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 5 A 25 Pts 30 60 PIMs)
7 Jesse Scrimbit (D 6'01" 180 12/19/90 Sicamous, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 0 A 4 Pts 4 22 PIMs)
8 Jonathan Gibson (D 6'01" 205 2/01/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 37 G 4 A 5 Pts 9 41 PIMs)
9 Nick DeSousa (F 6'00" 180 11/13/90 Fraser Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 18 A 7 Pts 25 20 PIMs)
10 Brad Bourke (D 6'01" 175 4/21/89 Onoway, AB, CAN) (GP 37 G 5 A 16 Pts 21 40 PIMs)
11 Kyle Manlow (F 5'10" 165 6/28/91 Murrieta, CA, USA) (GP 39 G 5 A 2 Pts 7 12 PIMs)
12 Marcus Watson (F 6'03" 198 1/17/89 San Jose, CA, USA) (GP 36 G 12 A 21 Pts 33 32 PIMs)
14 Lyndon Martell (F 6'01" 190 1/13/93 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 24 G 9 A 11 Pts 20 06 PIMs)
15 Luke Hannas (F 6'02" 185 9/09/91 Williams Lake, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 0 A 3 Pts 3 88 PIMs)
16 Jeff Earnest (F 5'10" 175 2/08/91 Anchorage, AK, USA) (GP 32 G 8 A 8 Pts 16 48 PIMs)
17 Brooks Robinson (F 5'11" 180 8/18/89 Duncan, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 16 A 39 Pts 55 20 PIMs)
19 Joe Morgan (F 5'08" 180 4/07/89 Kitimat, BC, CAN) (GP 31 G 8 A 22 Pts 30 20 PIMs)
20 Jeff Datoff (D 5'10" 160 5/26/92 Nanaimo, BC, CAN) (GP 27 G 0 A 1 Pts 1 07 PIMs)
21 Stewart Lambert (F 6'00" 175 4/05/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 21 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 04 PIMs)
22 Jeremy Wiebe (F 6'00" 180 7/20/91 Vernon, BC, CAN) (GP 35 G 1 A 1 Pts 2 83 PIMs)
23 RJay Berra (F 6'00" 180 7/26/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 40 G 8 A 10 Pts 18 13 PIMs)
24 Josh Pineiro (D 5'10" 211 8/25/89 Huntington Beach, CA, USA) (GP 34 G 7 A 17 Pts 24 32 PIMs)
25 Zac Rasmussen (F 5'09" 178 5/08/89 Kamloops, BC, CAN) (GP 36 G 13 A 19 Pts 32 79 PIMs)
26 Sam Muchalla (F 5'08" 150 8/14/90 Prince George, BC, CAN) (GP 38 G 22 A 30 Pts 52 42 PIMs)
30 Andrew Walsh (G 6'02" 185 12/15/90 Dawson Creek, BC, CAN) (GP 26 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 14 PIMs)
35 Kyle Nielsen (G 5'10" 170 7/21/90 New Westminster, BC, CAN) (GP 17 G 0 A 0 Pts 0 00 PIMs)

Trade for Andrew Walsh

On the bus heading to the Lower Mainland for four games in five nights against Coastal Conference teams. Earlier this morning it was confirmed by Ed Dempsey, Spruce Kings head coach and general manager, that a trade had been completed with the Langley Chiefs for second year goaltender Andrew Walsh. Here is a copy of the media release ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 4, 2010

PRINCE GEORGE, BC - The Prince George Spruce Kings have completed a trade with the Langley Chiefs of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). The Spruce Kings have acquired 1990 goaltender, Andrew Walsh from the Chiefs in exchange for nineteen year old defenceman Brendan Nadolny and future considerations.

In his second season in the BCHL, Andrew Walsh has played in twenty six games this season with Langley recording 11 wins and 12 losses. With a goals against average of 3.80 and a save percentage of 88.43, Walsh has recorded 2 shutouts this season and also picked up 14 minutes in penalties. From Dawson Creek, Walsh is 6'2" 185lbs and catches left.

Andrew Walsh is expected to join the Spruce Kings on Wednesday January 6th when the team will play their second of a four game Coastal Conference road trip in Surrey.

For more information, please contact the Prince George Spruce Kings at 250.564.1747.

Allan Cup in the Peace

The Allan Cup is the Holy Grail of the senior hockey circuit and this Spring the 102nd edition of the tournament will be held in Fort St. John, BC. Leading up to the event I will be catching up with organizers, players and other people of interest involved with the Allan Cup. At the end of November, I had a chance to talk with Paul van Nostrand, the president of the 2010 Allan Cup Host Committee. What follows is the three parts of that extended interview ...

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3

Show Home Lottery FAQ

Let me start by passing along my wishes for a safe and Happy New Year to everyone and then let me just acknowledge that it has been awhile since I was last able to post something on this blog. Honestly it wasn't intentional, but rather a direct affect of being heavily involved with the sale of the Spruce Kings Show Home Lottery tickets through the months of November and December. It is there that I will begin my blogging in 2010.

The Spruce Kings Show Home Lottery is the team's 28th annual and, being the team's major source of revenues for its hockey operations, is a very important part of the team's success. A successful lottery can generate up to 75% of the team's operating budget and that in turn goes a long way in maintaining a viable hockey team in the British Columbia Hockey League.

This year the Show Home Lottery is offering a very impressive 1 in 7,500 chance at winning the grand prize as well as offering a total of ten early bird prizes. The grand prize is a 1,501 square foot modestly designed rancher style home constructed by Ebb Construction in the Aberdeen Glen Subdivision. The subdivision is intertwined with a 73 par championship golf course that has been nominated twice as the BCPGA facility of the year.

Valued at $376,000 including taxes and GST, the grand prize includes seven appliances (washing machine, dryer, fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave and television) and an alarm system from Curtis Elite Security. A number of local businesses have added their special touches to the house including McInnis Lighting, General Paint, Closets Done Right, Furnaceland and Marathon Eavestroughing.

There were a total of ten early bird prizes to be won as well, but that count is down to five and will be down to four after Sunday night's draw for a four pack of adult season tickets to the 2010-11 Spruce Kings season. There other four early birds are a $3,200 RONA gift card, a Las Vegas Get-Away, a Mexican Riveria Cruise and a Disney Family Vacation. The three trips are made possible through Japatedon Travel and Cruises and feature departure from Prince George.

As mentioned a few sentences back, there are only 7,500 tickets in the Show Home Lottery and as of January 1, 2010 the number still available sits at 1,156 and dropping everyday! Since the start of the lottery in late October, the number of tickets being purchased has averaged over 500 per week. Using that number going forward would suggest that the Show Home Lottery will be sold out in less than three weeks.

A sell out would mark the third consecutive year that the Show Home Lottery has sold out and in the shortest period of time ever. Although I spent the better part of the past two months selling the Show Home Lottery tickets from a kiosk in the Pine Centre Mall, that location is now closed but there are a number of other locations available for those seeking the best lottery odds out there.

Lottery tickets are available at the house at 2628 Links Drive between the hours of 11am and 6pm everyday, from the Canadian Tire store from 9am to 5pm and from the Spruce Kings office in the Prince George Coliseum from 10am to 2pm during the weekdays. A more convenient option is to use the 24 hour phone line service and call 250.962.I-WIN (4946) locally or 1.888.962.4946 toll free from anywhere in the Province of British Columbia.

That is one of the rules of the Lottery - tickets can only be purchased in BC and a ticket purchaser must be at least 19 years of age. The BC Lotteries regulates the Spruce Kings Show Home Lottery and watches over the daily operations of the Lottery. Part of the rules require the Spruce Kings to use certain phrases and information in any and all forms of advertising - which this now qualifies as, so ... know your limit, play within it.


Please click on the image to bring it into focus ...