The Prince George Spruce Kings are back at Kopar Memorial Arena for weekend games Friday against the Cranbrook Bucks and Saturday against the high-flying Surrey Eagles.
For a Spruce Kings team struggling near the bottom of the B.C. Hockey League standings, this would be a perfect time to climb out of their funk.
They’ve won just three of their last 10 games, but seven of those were played on the road.
As bad as their 1-8-0-0 road record appears, the Spruce Kings can boast a 4-2-2-0 record at Kopar this season.
“We haven't been finding a way as a team to collect points on the road – there are a lot of mental and physical keys that go into winning on the road but overall we haven't been tough enough to play against,” said Kings head coach Alex Evin. “Hopefully we will get better as the year goes on. We've been fine at home so hopefully we can play well in the next homestand again and find things to build on.
The Bucks (7-12-1-0) rank seventh in the Interior Conference, just two points ahead of Prince George, having played two more games than the eight-place Spruce Kings (5-10-3-0).
A flu bug sapped the strength of the Spruce Kings over the past week and was a factor in their weekend losses in Penticton (8-1) and Merritt (4-3).
“I thought we played well enough to win in Merritt,” said Evin. “Obviously it’s hard to come back when you’re down 4-1 halfway through the game but the guys pushed hard and I thought we had some chances to tie it late.”
On Saturday the Spruce Kings host Coastal Conference-leading Surrey (16-2-0-0). The Eagles play in Salmon Arm on Friday.
