As strange as it might seem, with only three weekends left in the B.C. Hockey League season the Prince George Spruce Kings have a chance to put a stranglehold on first place in their division.
With eight games left, the Spruce Kings (27-15-4-4) have a seven-point Mainland Division lead over the second-place Surrey Eagles and they're eight points up on the third-place Langley Rivermen. Surrey and Langley also have eight games to play.
No Prince George team dating back 22 seasons to when the Spruce Kings joined the league in 1996 has ever come this close to locking up a regular-season banner and a couple of wins at home this weekend against the last-place Coquitlam Express would go a long way to making that flag-raising ceremony possible.
The Express (14-33-1-3) are on a three-game losing streak and will try to play spoilers tonight and Saturday against a Kings team that has the third-best home record in the BCHL. In 26 games at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena the Kings have compiled a 19-5-1-1 record. They've allowed just 57 goals against in those 26 games. Only Penticton, with 45 goals in 24 games, has allowed fewer goals on home ice than Prince George.
Game time tonight and Saturday is 7 p.m.
The Kings will play one more home game next Wednesday against the Trail Smoke Eaters, then will take to the road for their five remaining games, all against divisional opponents.
