The start of three-game weekend series with the Trail Smoke Eaters brought some early rewards to the Prince George Spruce Kings Friday night at Cominco Arena.
First-period goals from Luc Laylin, Nick Rheaume and Rowan Miller put the visitors ahead 3-0.
But it’s not so much how you start, but how you finish that really matters, and the Smoke Eaters made that apparent in a come-from-behind 5-4 B.C. Hockey League shootout victory.
Brady Hunter got Trail started late in the first period with his first of three goals and Teddy Lagerback reduced the lead to a minimum when he scored on Kings goalie Jordan Fairlie in the second period. Rheaume’s second of the game and 18th goal this season put the Kings in front 4-2 heading into the second intermission but Brady scored two power-play goals in the third period to force overtime.
Nothing was settled in the five-minute OT and Trail elected to go first in the shootout. Quinn Disher scored on Fairlie and at the other end of the rink, Trail goalie Cole Tisdale denied Spruce Kings shooter Simon Labelle. After Hunter missed, Rheame also failed to score and Lagerback cinched it with a goal on Fairlie.
The 19-year-old Kings goalie had a busy night prior to the shootout, making 37 saves, while the Kings fired 35 shots at Tisdale through 65 minutes.
The Spruce Kings remained third in the Interior Division and with the overtime point improved to 18-9-2-2-0. The Smoke Eaters are sixth in the standings with a 14-13-1-1-0 record.
The teams meet again Saturday (7 p.m.) and Sunday (6 p.m.) in Trail.
