Brar plays OT hero for Spruce Kings
Ben Brar had the winner on his stick.
And he did not miss.
The second time around. The Prince George Spruce Kings winger, stuffed on a breakaway chance seconds earlier, gained the puck again in the Chilliwack Chiefs’ end and dragged it across the crease before lifting a shot in behind goalie Daniel Chenard at 8:45 of overtime on Thursday night at RMCA.
The 3-2 victory gives the Spruce Kings a 3-2 lead in the best-ofseven BCHL Mainland Division semifinal series with a chance to wrap it up Saturday in Chilliwack.
In the third period, Brar appeared to have the go-ahead goal on a two-man advantage when he one-timed a pass from Dylan Anhorn while standing off to the side of the Chiefs’ net.
Brar’s bullet rippled the net but it did not count. The goal was waved off by one of the referees who ruled a Spruce King made incidental contact with Chenard before the puck ended up in the net.
The teams were tied in shots 2222 at the end of regulation time.
The Chiefs got themselves into penalty trouble when Corey Andonovski was caught hooking and 20 seconds later Anthony Vincent tripped Kings defenceman Layton Ahac as he carried the puck across the blueline. They were under extreme pressure in their own zone just before Brar’s disallowed goal.
As they’ve done in four of the five playoff games, the Chiefs opened the scoring. Bryan Allbee’s low shot from the point found its way through a screen in front of goalie Evan DeBrouwer 10:03 into the game, the second of the series for the 20-year-old from Prince George.
The Kings started the second period on the penalty kill and got out of that unscathed and found a way to tie the game three minutes later. Kyle Johnson dug the puck off the end boards and fed a backhanded pass to defenceman Liam Watson-Brawn, who slid a shot along the ice just inside the post behind Chenard.
The Chiefs answered right away with some sustained pressure in the Prince George zone and Allbee’s point shot with traffic in front caused DeBrouwer to lose his balance. That left the net open for Jared Turcotte, who buried the rebound for his first of the series. That came just 21 seconds Watson-Brawn’s goal.
The Spruce Kings drew even again, 14:54 into the second, when their beleaguered power play ended an 0-for-15 drought. Johnson took the puck off the stick of linemate Patrick Cozzi and from a sharp angle picked the corner on Chenard.
If Game 7 is required, it would be played Sunday night in Prince George.