On the surface, the Prince George Spruce Kings appear to be off to one of their best starts in recent memory in the B.C. Hockey League season.
But that's not how head coach Dave Dupas assesses his team's performance after a seven-game stretch that has the Kings at 5-1-0-1 with 11 points and first place in the Mainland Division.
"It's close to our best start after seven games, but in my mind we're not off to our best start," he said after putting the team through a rigorous practice Monday afternoon at the Coliseum. "I don't like the way we're playing. Things have to change.
"With only earning three out of four points [last weekend], we're not following our game plan and not working for it."
He's referring to last weekend's home-opening weekend against the Chilliwack Chiefs where the Kings earned three out of four points with a 6-4 win Friday and a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 until seven minutes left in regulation, the Chiefs rallied with a goal to draw even and scored the OT winner with 16 seconds left in the first extra period.
The Chiefs earned the second point and are one point back of the Kings at 4-1 in the Mainland Division.
Prince George hosts its Mainland Division rivals, the 2-3-0-1 Langley Rivermen Thursday and Friday. Both games are at 7 p.m. at the Coliseum.
The Rivermen finished atop the Division last season with a 12-point advantage over the second-place Kings.
"We've had a good rivalry with Langley over the years and we've got to keep soldiering on," said Kings captain Chad Staley Monday. "Obviously that's not how we wanted to open at home [last weekend] and we have enough talent and we are hard-working. We're looking to get [win] both of these games against Langley."
Staley, a 20-year-old centre, already has 10 points in seven games with four goals and six assists on an offensive line with right-winger Jeremiah Luedtke and left-winger Justin Rai.
Rai sits second in BCHL scoring with 14 points (eight goals, six assists) behind West Kelowna's Liam Blackburn who has 15 points.
Luedtke has three goals and 10 assists.
Dupas knows his team can be better, and it will have to be at the top of its game to beat the Rivermen.
"Langley is projected to be the best team in the league," he said. "We have a team that has a lot of talent, but that talent doesn't necessarily feel it has to work as hard. We've been beaten by inferior teams talent-wise and we've been able to score but we can't keep surviving on talent. We're going to run into a hot goaltender or more defensive teams as the season goes on."
