Get ready for the second round, here come the Prince George Spruce Kings.
They made that possibility a reality Thursday night when they beat the Coquitlam Express 4-2 in Game 5 of their BCHL Mainland Division semifinal series at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
Kings captain Ben Poisson scored two goals, while Corey Cunningham and Ben Brar collected singles for Prince George. Chong Min Lee picked up two assists.
Logan Neaton made 24 saves to lock up his first BCHL series win in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 1,220 spectators.
The Kings will await the winner of the other Mainland Division semifinal series between the Chilliwack Chiefs and Langley Rivermen.
Down 4-0 early in the third period the Express made a valiant effort to come back and force a Game 6 in the best-of-seven series. Goals from Dallas Farrell and Jack Cameron put the crowd and the Kings on edge the rest of the game and that tension went all the way up to the press box where Kings general manager Mike Hawes was watching from his usual vantage point.
"It was a tough Game 5, no doubt, and it was fortunate for us we were able to build that 4-0 lead and we hung on a bit in the third," said Hawes. "Give Coquitlam credit, they sure came hard in the third period, they were desperate and they were playing that way and they managed to get a couple behind Logan. But our guys buckled down when it was time to do so and hung on to that two-goal lead."
The Kings dodged a couple bullets early in the game when forced to try to kill off a high-sticking penalty issued to Lucas Vanroboys. Express defenceman Pito Walton, who made the BCHL's all-rookie team, put a hard shot on goal and the puck got behind Neaton and dropped into the crease but Liam Watson-Brawn was able to clear it away before Farrell could dump it into the open net. Seconds later, Walton nailed the crossbar with a blast from the point.
The Kings got their offence in gear nine minutes into the first period, a result of some hard work behind the net from winger Lee. He pressured Walton and forced him to cough up the puck, then spotted linemate Poisson standing just off the post and he quickly chipped in a shot over the shoulder of goalie Clay Stevenson for a 1-0 lead.
Cunningham, a 17-year-old Prince George minor hockey product, scored his first of the playoffs late in the period. Vanroboys circled behind the net and carried the puck out from the goal line to the left face-off circle. The puck ended up on the stick of Nolan Welsh and his shot was tipped in by Cunningham.
Lee, with his fast-moving feet, was the primary instigator on the Kings' third goal. He poked the puck off the stick of Express defenceman Drew Cooper at the ringette line and while carrying it behind the net he put a pass right on the stick of Poisson, who snapped it home for his third of the playoffs.
"It's safe to say that was our key line in the first round," said Hawes. "It's nice to have that depth up front. The (Dustin) Manz line with Brar and (Patrick) Cozzi played well and they attracted a lot of attention from the Express and maybe that freed up a little room for Ben Poisson's line."
His second goal of the night delivered a shot of adrenaline in the Spruce Kings and they threatened to add to their 3-0 lead in a dominant second period. They smelled blood, sensing they had the Express on their heels and continued to buzz the Coquitlam net with intense pressure their opponents were unable to match. They outshot the Express 16-7 in the second period and 38-26 in the game.
Neaton was good when he had to be guarding the Prince George nets. The Express had three quality shots in a rapid-fire exchange seven minutes into the second that involved Alex DiPaolo and Regan Kimens. He also made a kick save to deny Aaron White's point-blank shot with a couple minutes left in the period and stood up to a couple more dangerous attempts from Coquitlam sniper Joshua Wildauer.
Brar added to the total five minutes into the third period, deflecting in Jay Keranen's point shot. But the Express weren't quite finished and answered with two goals to cut the lead to 4-2.
DiPaolo won a face-off in the Kings' end after an icing call and Farrell drew the puck back and picked the corner on Neaton at the 8:44 mark. Then with 5:44 left, right after the Kings had killed off a penalty, Cameron's long shot tipped high into the air and found its way into the net.
The Kings will host the first two games of the second round, which begins a week from today.
LOOSE PUCKS: After losing the first three games of the series, the regular-season champion Chiefs beat the Rivermen 2-1 Thursday in Chilliwack for their second straight win. Game 6 goes tonight in Langley. If a seventh game is needed that would be played on Sunday in Chilliwack...The Powell River Kings also advanced after a 5-1 Game 5 win Thursday over the Nanaimo Clippers in Powell River. Powell River will meet the Victoria Grizzlies, who swept Alberni Valley, in the Island Division final next weekend....Kings winger Welsh had to go to the hospital when he sustained a deep cut on his lip seven minutes into the second period.
Thursday's summary
Express 2 at Spruce Kings 4
First Period
1. Prince George, B.Poisson 2 (Lee) 9:19
2. Prince George, Cunningham, 1 (Welsh, Vanroboys) 18:55
Penalties - Vanroboys PG (high-sticking) 2:03, DiPaolo Coq roughing), Watson-Brawn PG (roughing) 10:15, Keranen PG (tripping) 12:26.
Second Period
3. Prince George, B.Poisson 3 (Lee) 1:23
Penalties - DiPaolo PG (roughing), Kimens PG (roughing), Watson-Brawn PG (roughing) 7:31.
Third Period
4. Prince George, Brar 2 (Keranen, Anhorn) 5:07
5. Coquitlam, Farrell 2 (DiPaulo) 8:44
6. Coquitlam, Cameron 1 (Westgard) 14:19
Penalties - Watson-Brawn PG (roughing) 12:11.
Shots on goal by
Coquitlam 9 7 10 -26
Prince George 10 16 12 -38
Goal - Coquitlam, Stevenson (L,1-2); Prince George, Neaton (W,4-1).
Power plays - Coq: 0-3; PG: 0-1.
Referees - Nick Panter, Matt Hicketts; Linesmen - Anthony Malletta, Riley Balson.
Attendance - 1,220.
Scratches - Coquitlam: F Danny Pearson (healthy), F Connor Gregga (upper-body injury); Prince George: F Craig MacDonald (healthy), F Nick Wilson (healthy), D Jason Chu (healthy).
