The big line was the difference for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Ethan de Jong and the two Bens - Poisson and Brar - gave the Coquitlam Express more than it could handle Friday.
That trio was a factor in three goals, including Poisson's game-winner 6:51 into the second period, in what ended up a 4-2 Spruce Kings' victory in front of a crowd of 1,019 at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The win improved the Spruce Kings' B.C. Hockey League record to 13-10-3-2, while the Express dropped to 3-20-0-1.
"They're one of the premier lines in the league and we saw that here tonight, they ended up with two points each and they were great in the game - you know they're out there every time," said Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"They apply a lot of pressure in the offensive zone and that takes a lot of pressure off the group when we spend a lot of time in the offensive zone. All the lines played well tonight and did their jobs but that line certainly stood out."
The Spruce Kings began the game ranked fourth in the Mainland Division standings, 21 points ahead of the fifth-place Express and that gap became apparent early on. The Kings looked the better team right from the start, using their speed to win most of the loose-puck battles, a trend they kept up most of the game.
Brar set the example three minutes into the game with his diving effort just outside the Express zone to chip the puck ahead to de Jong. Brock Hamm made the save on de Jong's breakaway shot and the rebound came out to Brar, who spun the puck into the net.
The Kings had back-to-back four-minute power plays in the first period but couldn't score, unlike their opponents. Express forward Christian Sanda chipped the puck off the boards and took off on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break, setting up Riley Johnson for a tap-in that beat Evan DeBrouwer, making his third consecutive start in goal for the Kings.
The Kings got into the shorthanded act themselves late in the first period. Kyle Johnson won a footrace at centre ice and streaked in alone with the puck, hammering a shot past Hamm. Hamm was making his fifth start in net for the Express this season. The 20-year-old former Saskatoon Blade joined the Express two weeks ago. He tried out with the Prince George Cougars and was the last goalie the Cats cut in the WHL preseason.
The Express had just two shots on goal in the first period but came within a goalpost of tying it late in the period. They played a better second, creating a few more quality chances around the Kings net but DeBrouwer stood his ground on the way to his 10th win of the season. The shots ended up 36-17 in favour of the Kings.
Poisson, probably the hardest-shooting Spruce King, let go a blast from the point while on the power play for the only goal of the second period. The play was set up by defenceman Layton Ahac, who picked off a Coquitlam clearing attempt. Ahac, 16, signed an NCAA commitment earlier this week at Ohio State University.
In the third period, de Jong, at even strength, and Express forward Haydn Delorme, on a Coquitlam power play, traded goals.
Blake Hayward, in his first game against his former team since the Express traded him to Prince George two weeks ago, just missed with his shot at the empty net in the dying seconds.
"From what I've seen from him, Blake is a pretty consistent performer, game-in, game out," said Hawes. "He plays a heavy game, which is something we didn't really have prior to him getting here and it's nice to have a guy with that size and physicality to go along with his skating and skill."
The same teams meet again tonight at RMC. Game time is 7 p.m.
