Too little, too late.
For the Prince George Spruce Kings, their 2-1 fall from grace Wednesday night at the Coliseum at the hands of the Langley Rivermen came with a stiff price. With that defeat, the Kings also lost their grip on first place
Heading into the game, just one point separated the Spruce Kings from the Rivermen in the battle for BCHL Mainland Division supremacy. Jakob Reichert and Will Cook took care of the scoring for the Rivermen and goalie Brock Crossthwaite did the rest, making 32 saves to earn his 10th win of the season.
The Kings were in catchup mode, trailing 1-0 to start the third period when Cook and linemate James Robinson combined on an offensive foray to double the Langley lead just 43 seconds into the period. Robinson's backhanded spinner hit goalie Jesse Jenks and the rebound was left in the slolt for Cook, who skated in for an easy tap-in.
Reichert cashed in a breakaway chances to open the scoring 16:30 into the second period. Reichert stripped the puck from Skylar Pacheco at the Kings blueline and Jenks made the first save but the 19-year-old Langley winger got to his own rebound and banged in the loose puck left uncovered in the crease.
Cook came close to adding to the lead with a ringer off the post midway through the final frame. That seemed to be a wakeup call for the Kings, who kicked up the intensity a notch or two the rest of the way. Braiden Epp finally solved Crossthwaite with a spinning shot from just outside the post with 2:11 left to play. The Kings had their chances with six skaters out in the final minute but they ran out of time.
The Kings' power play had four full minutes to work with in the third period and kept the puck pinned in the Langley end most of that time but the Rivermen weren't buying what they were selling. The Langley penalty-killers -- especially Cook, Charlie Pelnik and Matt Ustaski -- did a great job keeping the shots away from their goalie.
The Kings showed signs of taking control of the play in the second period and had the Rivermen under fire in their own end but had nothing to show on the scoreboard for their efforts. As good as they were at dominating the puck the Kings still had trouble mustering quality shots on net. Their radar was not working and they missed shot after shot.
The chances were few and far between for both teams in a tight-checking first period. Langley's best came with about five minutes left in the period when Jackson Waniek picked off a Kings' pass made from behind their own net. Waniek's shot missed the net. The Kings came close a minute before the buzzer. Chad Staley, the hottest Kings shooter lately, left a drop pass for his linemate Jeremiah Luedtke, whose shot from close range was absorbed by the pads of Crossthwaite.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Spruce Kings have traded 19-year-old winger Michael Iovanna to the Bonneville Pontiacs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in a deal made Wednesday for future considerations. Iovanna was acquired by the Kings Oct. 31 in a futures trade with the Vernon Vipers. He had two goals in nine games for Prince George. Iovanna has committed to an NCAA scholarship with UMass-Amherst for 2015. Kings GM Mike Hawes said the move to Bonneville should result in an opportunity for more icetime for the Massachusetts native... The league-leading Powell River Kings provide the opposition in the Kings next game Sunday at 3 at the Coliseum. Through 25 games, Powell River sports a 19-4-1-1 record.
