The Wenatchee Wild were in Prince George to take on the Spruce Kings Wednesday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena and there was no love lost between the teams when they hit the ice.
They've had a rivalry brewing which dates back two years to a playoff series that decided the BCHL championship and the 849 fans in attendance were treated to a physical game that has become the hallmark when the Wild and Spruce Kings meet.
This one came down to a shootout and the Wild left with a 3-2 victory.
Nobody scored in the first period but bodies were being thrown around and both teams landing several big hits.
After Tyler Young scored to give the Wild the lead with the only goal of the second period, Luke Ormsby potted his 10th of the season 4:44 into the third to put Wenatchee up 2-0. The Spruce Kings rallied back with goals from Nicholas Poisson, his 20th of the season at the 10:28 mark, and Corey Cunningham, who tied it with his 23rd of the season at 15:59.
Five minutes of overtime solved nothing and the two teams headed to a shootout. In the first round, Kings' Nick Bochen and Wild shooter Brett Choske each found the back of the net. In the second round, PG's Thomas Richer was denied while Wenatchee's Sam Morton tickled the twine. Cunningham took his turn in the third round but he could not find the net, which gave the Wild the win.
Carter Woodside got the start for the Spruce Kings and turned aside 37 of the 39 shots he faced. Daniel Chenard was in between the pipes for the Wild and made 14 stops on 16 shots.
With the loss, the Spruce Kings' record now sits at 17-28-2-3-0 while Wenatchee improved to 24-22-3-10.
Next up for Prince George is a match-up against the Merritt Centennials on Friday. Game time is 7 p.m.
