Three games into the B.C. Hockey League season, the Prince George Spruce Kings are still looking for their first victory.
Two points were up for grabs Wednesday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena but that train left early on the Spruce Kings and it was the Wenatchee Wild waving from the window in the conductor's seat.
The Wild opened its second BCHL season with a convincing 5-1 win over the Kings, who had far too many passengers to keep pace with one of league's premier teams.
AJ Vanderbeck and Charlie Combs set the pace for the visitors, each with two goals. Brendan Harris also scored for the Wild. Ben Poisson was the only Kings shooter to beat goalie Garrett Nieto.
The Kings had a golden opportunity to get the jump on Wenatchee but squandered it away. Three straight penalties early in the game left the Wild shorthanded, including a 78-second two-man disadvantage. But the Kings' power play looked disorganized and predictable and Wenatchee emerged unscathed. The Wild penalty-killers in front of Nieto earned plenty of brownie points from their goalie, blocking four point shots from the Spruce Kings power-play specialists.
Leading 2-0, Combs added to the total four minutes into the second period with his second of the game on an odd-man rush while Kings centre Travis Schneider was serving a hooking penalty. Before the period was eight minutes old, the Wild made it a 4-0 count. Harris, a 20-year-old Bemidji State recruit, used Jimmy O'Brien as a decoy and beat the short side clean on Liam McCloskey with a wrist shot.
Seeing his sophomore goalie give up four goals on 15 shots, two of which probably should have been stopped, Kings coach Chad van Diemen gave McCloskey the hook and in came Stefan Wornig, who got tested right away when Wild defenceman Alex Bates joined the rush and fired two quick shots from close range. Wornig was solid the rest of the game, allowing only one, a hard shot from Vanderbeck, to beat him.
Vanderbeck opened the scoring three minutes into the game, snapping in a behind-the-net feed from Brian Williams. Combs notched his first of the season late in the first period, following up in front after Harris got pushed off the puck.
The Wild outshot the Kings (0-2-1) by only a 35-29 margin but the discrepancy in quality shots wasn't even close. Wenatchee had at least a 10-2 edge in that department. A couple of those quality chances came on breakdowns while the Wild were shorthanded, which should give the Kings' coaching staff plenty to discuss while watching the game film today with the players.
"No doubt, Wenatchee's got a good team but that's no excuse, some of our guys didn't show up tonight and it starts with our veteran guys, especially the guys who played for us last year," said Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"A lot of those guys need to have a long look in the mirror to figure out what's going on with them. We definitely need a better effort from those veteran guys. I'm happy with the play of the rookies, the young guys were good tonight but they need some guys to lead by example out there."
Wenatchee has 11 returning players from the team that finished second in the Mainland Division with a 34-16-4-4 record. The Wild joined the league as an expansion team in 2015-16. Eight Wild players have signed college commitments with NCAA Division 1 schools. They are expected to once again push Chilliwack for top spot in the division.
The good news for the Spruce Kings is they'll get another crack at the Wild. They play Wenatchee Friday and Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. both nights.
Wednesday BCHL summary
Wild 5 at Spruce Kings 1
First Period
1. Wenatchee, Vanderbeck 1 (Williams, Conzo) 3:00
2. Wenatchee, Combs 1 (Harris) 18:25
Penalties - Harris Wen (hooking) 5:22, Jones Wen (7:05), Combs Wen (unsportsmanlike conduct) 13:26, Milliken Wen (roughing), Epp PG (boarding, roughing) 18:55.
Second Period
3. Wenatchee, Combs 2 (Harris) 4:00 (pp)
4. Wenatchee, Harris 1 (Combs) 7:39
Penalties - Schneider PG (hooking) 3:18, Chavez Wen (roughing), Campbell PG (roughing) 8:20, Burton Wen (unsportsmanlike conduct), Epp PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 9:15.
Third Period
5. Wenatchee, Vanderbeck 2 (Conzo) 11:06
6. Prince George, Poisson 2 (de Jong) 16:33
Penalties - O'Brien Wen (roughing) 1:52, Wen bench (too many men, served by Rockwell) 7:30, Bagwell Wen (misconduct), Russell PG (roughing, served by Lee, misconduct) 13:51.
Shots on goal by
Wenatrchee 9 16 10 -35
Prince George 9 11 9 -29
Goal - Wenatchee, Nieto (W,1-0-0, 29 shots-28 saves); Prince George, McCloskey (L,0-1-0, 11-15) and, at 7:39 of the second, Wornig (20-19).
Power plays - Wen: 1-3; PG: 0-5.
Referees - Josh Albinati, Tom Henetiuk; Linesmen - Nick Albinati, Ian Waker.
Attendance - 621.
