Prince George Spruce Kings goalie Logan Neaton thought about joining his team's celebration in the corner of the rink in Victoria Tuesday after Ben Poison's overtime goal ended the Victoria Grizzlies' season, but took one look at dejected Grizzlies goalie Kurtis Chapman down on his knees with his head down and skated over to the crease to give him a tap on the back.
Neaton then circled back towards his teammates but decided the time was right to go back to Chapman and give him a hug and a few words to console him.
That remarkable expression of empathy to the heartbroken Grizzly netminder was a true act of sportsmanship and compassion which for a brief instant overshadowed the joy of the moment for Neaton, who brilliantly backstopped the Spruce Kings into the B.C. Hockey League Fred Page Cup championship series for the second consecutive season.
"I just congratulated him on a good year, I've definitely been on the other end of goals like that, losing a game in OT, and it's not a good feeling," said Neaton.
"We haven't finished what we came here to start, we still have another series ahead of us, so there's not too much reason to celebrate. Goalies understand what goalies go through and those are tough situations to be in and I've been on the other side of them so it was just one of those things where the goalie union sticks together.
"He was phenomenal all series long and he put pressure on me to makes saves at the other end. It was kind of just respect for what he's done throughout the year and in his junior career and what he did in the series."
The Spruce Kings await the winner of the Interior Conference championship, ether the Vernon Vipers or Wenatchee Wild. The Vipers lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can wrap it up with a win tonight in Game 5 in Wenatchee.
If the series is extended, Game 6 would be played Sunday in Vernon, with Game 7 to follow Tuesday in Wenatchee.
Neaton has been spectacular in the playoffs, continuing on the success he had in the regular season, his first since joining the Spruce Kings from Fairbanks of the NAHL. His 1.92 goals-against average in 47 regular-season games ranks as the seventh-best in BCHL history, and he's cut his average to 1.47 in 13 playoff games. He's also improved his save percentage, from .914 (fourth best in the BCHL) during the season to a league-leading .936 in the playoffs. His 32 regular-season wins is an all-time high for any Spruce King goalie and he had five shutouts.
Neaton, a native of Brighton, Mich., who turns 20 on Sunday, will move on to NCAA college hockey next season at UMass-Lowell.
Riding the hot goaltending of Neaton, the Spruce Kings have lost just one of 13 playoff games and they hot streak dates back to the last month of the regular season. Since Jan. 20, they've won 20 of their last 22 games. They opened the playoffs with a 4-1 series win over Coquitlam, then swept the regular season-champion Chilliwack Chiefs in a four-game series.
"I think the biggest thing for us is rest and that helped us through the first two rounds is getting the series done quick and being able to focus on our next opponent and that's something we keyed in in this (Victoria) series as well to try to get it done as early as could going into the final," said Neaton. "Now we can take our time and work on our pre-scouting and worry about what's going to happen and not get caught up late in the series. We've been in situations before where we've been down in goals and you have to come back in games and it was good to face a bit of adversity going into the next round."
The Spruce Kings, as has been the case throughout the playoffs, showed better skating legs than the Grizzlies when the teams got to overtime in Game 4.
Neaton came up with a showstopping blocker save on Kyle McGrath less than two minutes into overtime and from that point on they took control of the game, tapping into their energy reserves to dominate the puck in the leadup to Poisson's series-winner, 18:09 into OT.
"It wasn't an easy series and it feels good to get it done and have a bit of rest and get healthy for finals here," said Kings head coach Adam Maglio.
The Kings limited the most potent offence in the league to just eight goals in the series, outscoring Victoria 15-8.
"Five-on-five we did a great job," said Maglio. "They found a bit on the power play but they're elite shooters and they're going to find stuff if you give them time and space and that's what happens on a power play is you get a little more time."
The Kings have an older team with four 20-year-olds and nine 19-year-olds. More than half the roster remains from the team that went 24 games deep into the playoffs last year. The fact they've had extended rest periods heading into each playoff series is showing in their play on the ice. They've been faster and more efficient in all facets of the game, smothering their opponents in all three series while outscoring them a combined 51-21.
"The rest and the way our guys train in-season are things that matter," said Maglio.
"We really do stress physical fitness, it's a big piece for us. We have a good strength coach (former Spruce Kings defenceman Jonathan Gibson) and our guys do a good job putting in the hours off the ice, which probably pays off later in the playoffs of if series get extended.
"The guys from last year understand that, even more so coming into this year, how important is to take care of yourself off the ice. We're physically a very fit team and that definitely is showing in the playoffs."
The BCHL final starts next Friday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The Kings will also host Game 2 on April 13. Tickets for the championship series go on sale Monday at 11 a.m. at the Kings' office
