Vengeance has to be on the minds of the Prince George Spruce Kings when they face off tonight on Coliseum ice against the Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Locked in the clutches of a six-game losing streak, the Spruce Kings can't help but think back to the one that got away from them last Saturday in Salmon Arm.
Tied 3-3 with the Silverbacks and seemingly headed for overtime, with one second left in regulation time Silverbacks forward Josh Blanchard pulled the trigger and blasted a bullet that found the back of the net behind Kings goalie Alex Brooks-Potts.
The last-second goal spoiled the night for the visiting Spruce Kings, who went on to lose to Penticton the following afternoon and returned pointless from their three-game tour of the B.C. Hockey League Interior Division.
The Kings (18-18-0-4, third in Mainland Division) would love to turn around their fortunes over the next two weeks in which they play five games in the familiar confines of the Coliseum. Following tonight's game (7 p.m. start) the Kings host the Victoria Grizzlies on Saturday (7 p.m.) and the Coquitlam Express in a Sunday matinee (3 p.m.).
Despite their six-game slide, the Kings are still within striking range of the first-place Langley Rivermen, who lost 5-2 Wednesday night in Merritt to the Centennials. With that result, the Kings remained nine points out of first place. They also have three games in hand on the Rivermen.
