Don't get too used to seeing the Prince George Spruce Kings playing games at the Coliseum.
They about to get evicted.
Following their two B.C. Hockey League games tonight and Saturday, the Kings are going to be forced to give up their home ice to make way for the Canada Winter Games.
The Kings host the Coquitlam Express in a weekend set the next two nights, then go on the road for six straight games over the following two weeks.
They won't play at home again until the final two games of the regular season, Feb. 27-28, when they host the Langley Rivermen.
The results from the Coliseum tonight and Saturday could go a long way in determining where the Kings and Express end up in the Mainland Division standings at the end of the season. The third-place Kings (23-20-0-5) are six points ahead of the fourth-place Express (20-24-1-4) and have one game in hand over Coquitlam. Prince George has 10 games left in the season, while Coquitlam has nine.
In their previous six meetings this season with the Express, the Kings have four wins, one regulation time loss and an overtime loss. The two teams last met Jan. 18 at the Coliseum, which ended in a wild 7-5 Kings' victory. Braiden Epp came up with the best offensive display of his BCHL career in that game with three goals and an assist, while Coquitlam sniper Brett Supinski struck for four goals.
Coquitlam has the top two scorers in the BCHL in Supinski and his linemate Corey Mackin. In 49 games Mackin has 44 goals and 44 assists for 88 points, nine more than Supinski, who has 79 points, including 41 goals. Jeremiah Liedtke (18-40-58), Chad Staley (19-29-48) and Michael Buonincontri (18-23-41) are setting the pace as the Kings' leading pointgetters.
Both teams have been getting solid goaltending. Chris Tai has handled the bulk of the load in the Coquitlam nets. In 31 games he has a 16-13-1 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and .900 save percentage. On a team that has suffered considerably with injuries this season, Jesse Jenks and Alex Brooks-Potts have been models of consistency, evenly splitting the Kings' netminding duties. Jenks, 20, sports a 14-13-0 record, 3.58 GAA and .901 save percentage, while Brooks-Potts, who turns 20 on March 1, is 9-12-0 this season with a 3.30 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Game time tonight is 7 p.m.
