Ben Butcher and Christian Cakebread made mincemeat out of the Prince George Spruce Kings.
They each delivered a pair of goals for the Vernon Vipers in a 6-3 B.C. Hockey League shelling Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
Three unanswered goals put the Vipers in the driver's seat and they left town with their 22nd win of the season to solidify their hold on fourth place in the Interior Division. That moved the Vipers (22-24-3-0) five points ahead of the fifth-place Trail Smoke Eaters, who did not play Wednesday.
The loss officially eliminated the Spruce Kings (11-34-3-1) from playoff contention.
Butcher, the 20-year-old son of former NHL'er Garth Butcher, got the Vipers on the scoreboard 9:54 into the game and completed the scoring late in the game, converting a 2-on-1 rush with Charley Michalowski.
With the Vipers nursing a 3-2 lead late in the second period, Cakebread, an Arizona native, increased the gap to 5-2 with back-to-back goals, one at even strength late in the second period and one on a Vipers ' power play with 3:35 gone in the third.
Kings captain Stephen Penner had tied the game 2-2 three minutes into the second period with a shot from the point which dipped in past Viper goalie Andrew Shortridge. The deadlock was broken late in Vipers' power play, 10:03 into the second, when Mitchell Oliver fired a screened shot from just inside the blueline which slipped in behind Joseph McLeod.
Down by three in the third period, the Kings tried to get back within striking distance with the man advantage when Nik Ponak tipped in a Matthew Stief shot. Stief took a cross-ice feed from Colton Sandberg, who earned his first point as Spruce King since being acquired in a deadline deal from Powell River. Sandberg had been sidelined with a shoulder injury since before Christmas.
But that's as close as it got for the Kings, who had a crowd of 752 watching from the bleachers.
Shortridge made 30 saves to improve his record to 17-19-0. McLeod made 30 saves in the Spruce Kings nets.
Kings rookie defenceman Cooper Prechel opened the scoring with his first BCHL goal, 5:55 into the game, set up in the slot for a one-timer by blueline partner Stief on a 3-on-2 rush. But Butcher and Callum Volpe responded for Vernon before the first intermission. Volpe's goal was set up by Vipers' winger Steven Jandric, a former Cariboo Cougar midget, a native of Prince George, who picked up the 20th point of his rookie BCHL season.
Jandric's 17-year-old brother Chris played his third game on defence for the Vipers, called up from the Cariboo Cougars.
Vernon went 2-for-3 on the power play, while the Kings were 1-for-5.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Surrey Eagles will be in town Friday and Saturday to face the Spruce Kings in their last visit of the season.. The Kings have signed a pair of 1999-born forwards - Ethan de Jong and Ben Poisson -- who now play for the Burnaby Winter Club under-18 prep team. De Jong leads the prep team with 53 points and has 20 goals in 39 games. Poisson, who played last week as an affiliated player for the Kings against Chilliwack and Merritt, has 26 points in 39 games... The Kings will host their third annual awards banquet and auction on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Ramada Hotel ballroom. Tickets for the team fundraiser are available at the team's Coliseum office for $40 each or $350 for a table for 10... The Spruce Kings Spring Prospects camp has been scheduled for April 8-10 at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, the building formerly known as the Coliseum.
Game Summary:
Vipers 6 at Spruce Kings 3
First Period
1. Prince George, Prechel 1 (Ponak, Stief) 5:55
2. Vernon, Butcher 9 (Finlay, Pellah) 9:54
3. Vernon, Volpe 3 (Stapley, Jandric) 18:19
Penalties - Stapley VE (slashing) 6:50, Cakebread VE (roughing), Burnett PG (roughing) 9:21, Stoley PG (boarding) 11:18.
Second Period
4. Prince George, Penner 3 (Tilsley, Funk) 3:11
5. Vernon, Oliver 4 (Williamson, Sacco) 10:03 (pp)
6. Vernon, Cakebread 11 (Lambert, Tufto) 16:05
Penalties - Butcher VE (high-sticking) 0:16, Finlay VE (slashing) 7:04, Stief PG (interference) 8:18, McCarthy VE (holding stick) 18:59.
Third Period
7. Vernon, Cakebread 12 (Tufto, Pellah) 3:35 (pp)
8. Prince George, Ponak 5 (Stief, Sandberg) 6:49 (pp)
9. Vernon, Butcher 10 (Michalowski) 17:08
Penalties -- Sandberg PG (boarding) 2:52, Charleson VE (elbowing) 5:55, Lambert VE (misconduct) 7:35
Shots on goal by
Vernon 16 13 7 --36
Prince George 11 10 11 --32
Goal - Vernon, Shortridge (W,17-19-0); Prince George, McLeod (L,1-4-0).
Power plays - VE; 2-3; PG: 1-5.
Attendance - 752
Referees -- Josh Albinati, Tom Henetiuk; Linesmen - Nick Albinati, Ian Walker.
