Tyson Dyck scored 22 seconds into overtime and the Cranbrook Bucks finally found a way to beat the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Their 4-3 victory Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete will no doubt make that nine-hour bus trip back to the Kootenays a little earlier to take for the B.C. Hockey League expansion team, who lost the first two games of their three-day trip to Prince George.
Rhys Bentham scored his first two goals of the season and set up Dyck for the game-winner to lead the Bucks to their 11th win in 22 games this season.
Hayden Gelbard also scored for Bucks, who took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Nick Rheaume, Rowan Miller and Ben LeFranc were the Kings’ marksmen.
Shots were dead-even at 24 apiece. Evan Gartner picked up the win in goal for Cranbrook while Jordan Fairlie had the loss go on his record in net for the Kings in front of a crowd of 626 at RMCA.
The Bucks (11-10-1-0-0, sixth in the Interior Conference) crept to within four points of the fourth-place Spruce Kings (13-7-1-0-0), who have a game in hand over Cranbrook.
Prince George skated to a 3-0 victory Thursday and won Friday’s rematch with the Bucks 4-3.
The Spruce Kings will head south for their next two games, Friday in Salmon Arm and Saturday in Vernon, their last game action before the Christmas break.
