It was too little, too late for the Prince George Spruce Kings.
The Kings turned in a halfhearted effort in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs in the back half of a doubleheader at the Prince George Coliseum much to the dismay of the 971 spirited British Columbia Hockey League fans. Fresh off Thursday's dominating 5-2 win over the Chiefs, the home team spent too much time toying with their opponents and not enough time playing good, solid hockey.
The Chiefs (22-16-0-2) led 2-1 after two periods and it didn't take them long to add to their lead as Derek Huisman scored his second of the game to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage. Prince George tried to rebound, but a disallowed goal and a Paul De Jersey shot off the post allowed the Chiefs to maintain their cushion.
Myles Fitzgerald did pull the Kings to within a goal at 3-2 with a power-play marker, but Malcolm Gould iced it for Chilliwack with an empty netter.
If the Kings (21-16-2-3) are going to stop the 23-game win streak of the Penticton Vees (36-3-0-2) when they visit the BCHL leaders Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) a more solid effort will be required. The Vees shutout the Westside Warriors 4-0 on Friday.
It only took 45 seconds for Leo Fitzgerald to give the Kings a 1-0 advantage on his eighth goal of the season. Jarryd Ten Vaaholt and Myles Fitzgerald picked up the assists as Prince George began strong for the second straight night. But, whether it was over confidence, a desire to impress their fans or just plain laziness the Kings sat back in the latter half of the period, getting too cute at times, and the Chiefs tied the game at 1-1.
Kings goaltender Kirk Thompson kicked out a puck off a pointblank shot but his teammates were unable to clear the zone, allowing Spencer Graboski to score his sixth goal of the season.
The Kings' casual play continued into the second frame, resulting in a pair of early penalties which gave the Chiefs a two-man advantage for 56 seconds. The visitors didn't needed all 56 seconds as Huisman gave the Chiefs a 2-1 lead 32 seconds later.
Mitch Gillam came up with a couple of big saves on back-to-back power plays for the Kings, allowing the Chiefs to hold onto their lead after 40 minutes. The Kings out shot the Chiefs 25-16 through two periods.
KINGS NOTES: A flu bug making its way through the Kings' locker room claimed a new victim Friday as centre Michael Colantone was victimized. Myles Fitzgerald was back in the Prince George lineup after missing Thursday's game, but brother Gerry missed his second game with the bug. Kings' rookie defenceman Skylar Pacheco (lower body) missed his fifth straight game.
Chilliwack Chiefs 4 Prince George Spruce Kings 2
1st period:
1. Prince George Leo Fitzgerald 8 (Ten Vaanholt, M. Fitzgerald) 0:45
2. Chilliwack Spencer Graboski 6 (Sitterley, Hills) 10:12
Penalties: De Jersey PG (slashing) 7:28; Ten Vaanholt PG (holding) 18:33; Bondra CHIL, Woodley PG, (unsportsmanlike conduct) 19:45; Huisman CHIL (unsportsmanlike conduct) 20:00.
2nd period:
3. Chilliwack Derek Huisman 21 (Thompson, Gould) 8:00 pp (56 second two-man)
Penalties: Woodley PG (interference) 6:25; De Jersey PG (slashing) 7:30; Thompson CHIL (hooking) 14:11; Perron-Fontaine CHIL (cross checking) 16:13.
3rd period:
4. Chilliwack Derek Huisman 22 (Bondra, Gould) 3:20
5. Prince George Myles Fitzgerald 12 (Matthews, Ten Vaaholt) 14:57 pp
6. Chilliwack Malcolm Gould 18 (Hansen) 18:47 en
Penalties: Dhaliwal CHIL (hooking) 4:45; Ten Vaaholt PG (hooking) 6:25; Perron-Fontaine CHIL (hooking) 11:21; Hutchinson CHIL, Golightly PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 13:18, Woodley PG (10-minute misconduct) 13:18; White CHIL (interference) 13:46.
Shots:
Chilliwack 8 8 17 33
Prince George 13 12 12 37
Attendance: 971
