The celebration was delayed and it came in a rather subdued Prince George Spruce Kings dressing room Friday night in Surrey.
Needing just one more point to clinch first place in the B.C. Hockey League’s Mainland Division, the Spruce Kings did not get the job done on the ice, falling 5-3 to the Surrey Eagles.
But the fact the Merritt Centennials beat the Chilliwack Chiefs 5-2 in Chilliwack means the Spruce Kings do indeed have a lock on first place.
With just four games left to play, the Eagles are 10 points behind Prince George. The Chiefs have five games left but remain 12 points back of the Spruce Kings, as are the Langley Rivermen, who also have five games left.
It’s the first BCHL regular-season title in 22 seasons for the Spruce Kings, who joined the BCHL in 1996. They will have home-ice advantage for at least the first round of playoffs against the fourth-place Mainland finishers in a best-of-seven series which starts Friday, March 2 at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
The Kings fought back from a 3-0 deficit to tie Friday’s game 3-3 with six minutes gone in the third period, when defenceman Liam Watson-Brawn scored his fifth of the season. But the Eagles answered with goals 3:45 apart to put it away. Ryan Bruschett scored the game-winner at 8:45 and Ty Westgard also put the puck in behind goalie Evan DeBrouwer.
Surrey scored first, the only goal of the first period, connecting on a three-way passing play that left Jeffrey Stewart enough time to tuck the puck into the net. The Spruce Kings had a full two minutes on a two-man power play and came close to tying it when Jarod Hovde let go a shot from the side of the net but was foiled by a paddle save from a diving Daniel Davidson.
Bruno Campese made it a 2-0 game 22 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wraparound before DeBrouwer could get back across the crease to block the shot. The Eagles went up 3-0 seven minutes into the period when Desi Burgart one-timed a cross-ice feed from Westgard.
The Spruce Kings connected for their first goal of the game on their third power-play chance – a wrister from the point from Blake Hayward which sailed in over the shoulder of Davidson. It was the sixth goal in the past five games for Hayward, who turned 20 on Sunday.
The Kings pulled to within a goal late in the second period. Chong Min Lee took the puck behind the net and fed it in front for Sam Anzai, who fired a wrist shot in for his second goal since joining the Kings in a trade from Vernon in December.
The Spruce Kings move on to Coquitlam to play the Express tonight. Next weekend they’ll play two games in Chilliwack and wrap up the season in Langley.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Spruce Kings will have their annual awards banquet at the Ramada Plaza ballroom. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the dinner starts at 7.
