Chris Allbee knows what's at stake.
Not that he needed any additional motivation to get himself prepared for tonight's B.C. Hockey League game at Quesnel Twin Arenas.
He's always ready for a game against his hometown team, a Prince George Spruce Kings squad that cut him loose after a tryout last spring.
"Any time we play P.G. it's pretty easy to get up for that, they didn't want me so I take it personally and I just use it to fuel my energy on the ice," said the 18-year-old Allbee. "It's a huge game and we're three points up but we want to be five (ahead of the Kings).
"We just have to outwork them. When we play our game we're tough to beat. We know P.G will work hard, they made a lot of changes, but if we stick to our systems we'll be alright."
Allbee has found a home in Quesnel centring a line with Shawn Mueller and Thomas Hardy.
"I'm happy here and I'm having a good year and it worked out well," said Allbee. "It's nice to be close to home.
"I kill a lot of penalties but for our line it's just chip pucks and try to help out offensively. Thomas Hardy has been on a bit of a run with three goals in three games and Mueller has a good shot from the slot."
Hardy was the author of the first Quesnel goal in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Nanaimo Clippers on Saturday.
The Kings have lost five of seven games so far in the season series with Quesnel, which means the Mills have locked up the CNC Cup for the second straight season.
Kings forward Faiz Khan is still out with a shoulder injury. Defenceman Bennett Hambrook, like forward Connor Tiechko, is playing despite a sore ankle.
The Kings wrap up their home schedule this weekend. They play host to the Penticton Vees on Friday, take on the Westside Warriors on Saturday, then have a Sunday afternoon tilt against Penticton. They'll end the season on the road in Merritt, Penticton and Westside.
Quesnel plays Westside (twice) and Penticton at home this weekend, ending the season with a trip to Westside, Penticton and Vernon.
