One win away
Spruce Kings can end Powell River’s season tonight, advance to BCHL final
The Prince George Spruce Kings know what’s at stake. Win tonight on home ice and they move on to the championship round and can begin writing a new chapter in the team’s 22-year history in the B.C. Hockey League. But if they lose to the Powell River Kings, that means another 15-hour trip to Powell River for Game 6 on Saturday – a trip the Spruce Kings obviously want to avoid.
Coming off a 5-4 win Tuesday in Powell River the Spruce Kings lead the best-ofseven Coastal Conference final series 3-1. If they wrap it up tonight at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena that would mean Prince George will have eight days off between games, giving a much-needed break to a team that’s played 18 games in the last month. Both Mainland Division series the Spruce Kings won to get to the third round were sevengame affairs.
“It’s really exciting for our group and I think it would be deserved for our fans and the support we’ve had to end this thing on home ice,” said Spruce Kings head coach Adam Maglio. “We’re certainly getting excited to have that opportunity to do it in our rink. We need to be ready because we’re playing a team’s that’s on their last legs. We’re playing a hungry team, so we have to elevate our game a bit here.”
With the exception of Game 2, a 5-1 Spruce Kings’ win in Prince George, the three other games in the series were decided by one goal. Powell River head coach Brock Sawyer knows they had Tuesday’s game within their grasp, leading 3-2 late in the second period. But it got away on them when they gave up two even-strength goals in the last four minutes of the period (Nolan Welsh and Layton Ahac scored 43 seconds apart) and Dustin Manz deflected in a power-play shot 30 seconds into the third for what ended up the game-winner.
“Obviously we played well (Tuesday) but it wasn’t our night at the end of it and we can’t dwell on that, we have to look forward to the challenge ahead and getting into the winning column (tonight) to make sure we live to see another day,” said Sawyer, who knows the Spruce Kings won three straight after falling behind 3-1 to Surrey in the Mainland final series.
“It’s something we know we have to do to keep playing and our mentality is one day at a time and making sure we put our best foot forward every day.”
Already having received a minor penalty for arguing a non-call in the second period Tuesday after winger Ben Brar got tangled with a Powell River player and fell behind the net, the Spruce Kings bench became irate when, with 3:19 left in the third period, Spencer Chapman was at the receiving end of a cross-check from Powell River forward Kevin Obssuth which went unpunished and left Chapman with a concussion.
Obssuth approached the Spruce Kings winger, who was protecting the puck as he stood with his back to his check while tight to the boards. Although it didn’t appear an overly violent hit, Chapman’s head hit off the glass and a second later he fell to the ice. Referee Steve Brown let Obssuth off without penalty but thought Chapman was embellishing and sent him to the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In obvious discomfort holding his head, Chapman was finally allowed to leave the penalty box when Powell River called a timeout and he skated under his own power to the dressing room. The 18-year-old Cochrane, Alta., native is now out of the lineup with a concussion expected to keep him sidelined for at least 10 days.
“It’s pretty clear what happened – he got hit and was called for a dive, and he has a severe concussion and we were short for two minutes from a diving call,” said Maglio. “I knew he was hurt. I know my players and he doesn’t dive.”
Fifty-one seconds into the penalty, Obssuth scored on the power play to make it a one-goal game with 2:28 left.
“I was proud of our group, we stuck to it with what was going on with penalties and other stuff and it was a good resilient effort where we stuck to our game when it seemed everyone was against us and we got the one we wanted on the road,” said Maglio.
After sputtering on a 0-for-25 clip which started in their second-round series with Victoria, the Powell River power play finally sparked to life in Game 3 when Ben Berard fired the game-winner 13:40 into the second overtime period. All four of their goals Tuesday came with the man advantage and they went 4-for-7 on the PP, reminding the Spruce Kings of the importance of staying out of the box.
“Our power play was clicking the last two nights, the guys dissected some video and simplified things and started getting pucks towards the net and that’s what we need to do to be successful,” said Sawyer.
“We cashed in and it gave us an opportunity to win last night. Two bad shifts cost us the game.”
Spruce Kings goalie Evan DeBrouwer has played all 18 games of the playoffs so far and has won 11 of them, and in Game 4 he clearly stood out. He wasn’t picked as a game star but made 33 saves, many of which were difficult, including a flat-onhis-back paddle stop on Josh Coblenz with two minutes gone in the third period. The Spruce Kings were outshot 37-26.
“Ev made some really key saves at important times and he made a couple he probably shouldn’t have,” said Maglio. “All year, he’s been our MVP and last night he was outstanding. Having good goaltending is important at any stage and he certainly helped us get home-ice advantage, which has been important through the playoffs.”
If Powell River stays alive tonight, Game 6 will be played Saturday in Powell River, with the Spruce Kings to host Game 7, if needed, on Monday.
Wednesday night in Trail, the Smoke Eaters beat the Wenatchee Wild 5-2 and now trail that conference final 3-1. The series resumes Friday in Wenatchee.