After starting the weekend with a pair of losses, the Prince George Spruce Kings found a way to lighten the mood for the long bus ride back from Vancouver Island.
The posted a convincing 4-1 win over the Nanaimo Clippers Sunday afternoon.
Chong Hyun Lee scored the winner 12 minutes into the second period and also assisted on defenceman Drew Lennon's insurance goal later in the period. Both were scored on Spruce Kings' power plays, as was Brett Mennear's 20th goal of the season which opened the scoring late in the first period.
Mennear, the Spruce Kings' leading scorer, saw only limited action Sunday after he hurt his upper leg muscle in a collision with Lucas Finner, 15:14 into the game. The Clippers forward was handed a charging penalty and Mennear scored while Finner was in the box. The 20-year-old Mennear, who ranks third in the BCHL scoring race with 57 points, 15 points off the pace set by Brendan Harris of Wenatchee, returned for just one more shift Sunday, in the third period.
Ben Brar capped the scoring with a shorthanded effort into an empty net with nine seconds left.
Vincente Millette broke up Tavin Grant's shutout during a Nanaimo power play 8:35 into the second period. Grant made 33 saves for his 12th win of the season. The Kings were outshot 34-26.
Lennon's goal, 15:18 into the second period, chased Clippers goalie Evan De Brouwer to the bench. Austin Roden came in and stopped all 10 shots he faced the rest of the game.
The win allowed the Spruce Kings (19-16-2-2) to leapfrog Langley back into third place in the Mainland Division. Prince George is one point ahead of the Rivermen. Nanaimo (15-21-5-10) remained fourth in the Island Division standings.
"It was our best effort of the weekend, for sure," said Spruce Kings head coach Chad van Diemen.
"We had a lot of guys step up and play well and it kind of salvages the road trip, but it still doesn't take away from the first two games and hopefully we can learn from those two losses moving forward. We needed the two points today and credit the guys for bouncing back to get it."
The Alberni Valley Bulldogs beat the Kings 4-1 Saturday night, following a 10-4 loss Friday in Powell River. Trevor Cosgrove scored twice for the Bulldogs, including an empty-netter, the only goal of the third period. Cayden Kraus and Alex MacDonald also found the net behind Grant, who made 31 saves while his team was outshot 34-21. Parker Colley scored the lone goal Saturday for the Spruce Kings.
"In Alberni it was just a few bad decisions in the second period that cost us and our effort wasn't fully there," said van Diemen. "We played better in the third but that wasn't a 60-minute effort and credit to them, they played a great game and their goalie (Brody Claeys) played well."
For the three games, the Kings were without centre Kyle Johnson, who suffered a concussion when he got tagged by Langley's Ryan Barrow with an illegal hit to the head Dec. 29 in a game in Prince George. Barrow received a four-game suspension as a result.
Van Diemen expects Johnson will be ready for Wednesday's game at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena when the Spruce Kings host the Vernon Vipers (21-13-3-2, second in the Interior Division), followed by a weekend set at home against the Chilliwack Chiefs, Friday and Saturday. After that, just one of the Kings remaining 16 regular-season games (Feb. 9 against West Kelowna) will be played at home.
Right winger Tanner Campbell is also back skating and could return to the Kings' lineup this week. The 19-year-old from Kelowna hasn't played since he suffered a neck injury Nov. 10 in Surrey. Campbell had five goals and 19 points in 22 games before he got hurt.
