It's not over until it's over, especially with a slithery rival.
Good advice for the Prince George Spruce Kings after they blew a two-goal lead in the final minute Sunday and lost 5-4 in overtime to the Vernon Vipers in the second game of a weekend doubleheader at the Prince George Coliseum.
"It was a huge game for us and I was very disappointed to go out this way," said Kings' head coach Dave Dupas. "That was a three-point swing in the last 50 seconds."
"I'd like to say it's unfortunate, but it really isn't," he added. "Because we did it to ourselves. It's unacceptable."
The Kings (22-17-2-4) now lead the Vipers (21-20-1-2) by five points for the fourth, and final, playoff spot in the British Columbia Hockey League's Interior Conference instead of being up eight points and tied with the Chilliwack Chiefs (24-17-1-2) for third place.
The Kings and Vipers have split the season series with three wins each and one game to go in Vernon on March 4. Prince George has points in five of the six games.
The 937 loyal and vocal Kings' fans were ready to celebrate after the home team scored three unanswered goals in four minutes of play late in the final period to take a 4-2 lead. Paul De Jersey potted his league-leading 37th goal of the season to tie the game before Leo Fitzgerald gave the Kings their first lead of the afternoon with a blast from the top-right circle. Leo added an empty-net goal to put Prince George up 4-2 with 71 seconds left to play.
But that's enough time for the three-time defending BCHL champion Vipers.
"We get caught standing around and they get a breakaway and penalty shot, which should never ever happen," said Dupas about the Vipers' Colton Sparrow being held up as he went in alone on Kings' goaltender Ty Swabb.
The referee called the penalty shot, which Sparrow was unable to take after he crashed into the net on the breakaway and was helped off the ice by a couple of teammates, putting no weight on his right leg. It appeared his right knee collided with the goal post.
A confident Colton Cyr took the shot for the Vipers and looked like a pro as he easily beat Swabb pulling the visitors within a goal. After that the Kings had a few chances to clear their zone as the Vipers had the extra attacker, but failed to chip the puck out.
"We didn't get it out and after a kind of lucky bounce, it hit a couple of shin pads, the back wall and bounced to the front of the net," said Dupas. "Those are the things that happen when you don't close teams out."
Michael Zalewski tied the game at 4-4 and then won it for the Vipers 22 seconds into the four-on-four overtime period.
It was 2-1 for the Vipers after 40 minutes. Vernon had a power-play marker from Sparrow and a goal from Adam Tambellini. Zack Rassell replied for the Kings tying the game at 1-1.
"I think we were just a little bit lackadaisical and full of ourselves and they were desperate and that's how it played out in the first couple periods," said Dupas. "We had a good third period and thought we put them away, but it's never away until the buzzer sounds."
It was a tough loss for Myles Fitzgerald, 18, who picked up an assist in each game on the weekend.
"It's just simple stuff, like not covering your man," said Myles. "When we're up by two goals we can't stop we've got to keep going."
In Saturday's game the Spruce Kings broke open a 1-1 tie with four second-period goals, going on to the 7-2 win. Jujhar Khaira had two goals for the Kings, bringing his season total to 20, while De Jersey and Gerry Fitzgerald each had three-point nights. There were 853 fans braving the snowy road conditions to watch the game.
ROYAL NOTES: Injured Kings' rookie defenceman Skylar Pacheco missed his eighth straight game Sunday with a high-ankle sprain. Dupas said Pacheco is skating and should be ready to go on the weekend. But the team may have lost defenceman Cody Bardock who injured his shoulder after slamming a Vipers' player into the boards in the third period. He'll be reevaluated today. Bardock started the season on the injured list with shoulder problems. The Ness Lake Bible Camp had a display set up at the game Sunday looking for donations to help rebuild the multipurpose gymnasium that burnt down in late December. The camp is insured but the replacement of sports equipment is not covered. The Polar Bear Dip, canceled due to the fire, is rescheduled for Feb. 19. Next action for the Kings is Friday and Saturday when the Salmon Arm Silverbacks visit the Coliseum. Game time is 7 p.m.
