Torrin White took off on a breakaway and scored on a backhand deke through the legs of Prince George Spruce Kings goalie Joseph McLeod to lift the Langley Rivermen to a 5-4 double-overtime victory Thursday night at the Coliseum.
The goal came 2:41 into the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime session.
With the victory, the Rivermen (24-17-1-1) improved their grip on third place in the Mainland Division, 25 points ahead of the fifth-place Spruce Kings (11-30-2-1).
The Kings' coaches had to be happy with their team's work ethic and tight-checking habits, which limited the damage the Rivermen were able to inflict. They came into the game as the sixth-highest scoring team in the B.C. Hockey League, looking to exploit the league's second-most porous defence. In their four previous meetings this season, all in Langley, the Rivermen outscored the Kings a combined 21-3.
The Kings were aggressive on the forecheck, maintained their discipline, rarely got caught out of position and gave up only a few odd-man rushes and were rewarded with a hard-earned point for the overtime loss.
They outshot the Rivermen 14-3 in the third period and continued to dictate play in the 4-on-4 first overtime session, outshooting Langley 6-2. McLeod kept the game tied with a nimble kick save off William Campion just before they started playing 3-on-3 hockey.
The game did not start well for the Kings and their crowd of 724 watching from the bleachers. The Rivermen found their skating legs right away and were rewarded with an early 2-0 lead.
Kings defenceman Alex Stoley failed to get the puck deep into the Langley zone and the turnover at the blueline resulted in a 2-on-1 that Max Kaufman converted, after starting goalie Liam McCloskey made the first save off Zac Masson.
Not long after that, Angus Crookshank, called up from the Burnaby Winter Club's under-18 academy team, scored on his first BCHL shift. Trevor Ayre did most of the work, moving the puck with speed while buzzing the net. His jam-in attempt was stopped but the puck hopped high off McCloskey's equipment and landed right on Crookshank's stick standing just outside the crease.
The lively boards at the Coliseum are well-known to the Spruce Kings and twice in the opening period they utilized their home-ice advantage to fool Langley goalie Bo Didur. Cavin Tilsley shot low from the right face-off circle and banked the puck off the end boards in off Didur's leg to cut the Langley lead in half.
The Rivermen made it a 3-1 count with a power-play goal, a point-shot wrister from defenceman Alec Capstick at the midway point of the period, his first goal of the season. Kings coach Chad van Diemen yanked McCloskey out of the game after he'd allowed three goals on six shots. In came McLeod, who made his first Coliseum appearance in net since joining the Kings at the Christmas break from the junior B Castlegar Rebels.
Less than two minutes later, Nik Ponak got out his pool cue and connected on another bank-shot ricochet off Didur's leg from almost the same spot where Tilsley scored.
The Kings drew even 1:34 into the second period. Connor Logan tapped in a behind-the-net feed from Braiden Epp and found a gap behind Didur just inside the post. That deadlock didn't last long. Langley defenceman Jason O'Neill jumped into the rush and let go a high wrist shot that sailed in over McLeod's glove to put the Riverman back in front 4-3.
But on this night of lucky bounces for the home side, they got one more late in the second period to tie it up. Kings captain Stephen Penner let go a shot from the point that ticked off the shaft of Jarod Hovde's stick and found the corner of the net - the fourth goal of the season for the former Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy captain. Hovde, 18, joined the Kings at the start of the season in a trade from the Spruce Grove Saints.
The same teams meet in the rematch tonight at the Coliseum. Game time is 7 p.m.
LOOSE PUCKS: Kings top-line left winger Tanner Campbell limped off the ice 10 minutes into the game favouring his right leg. Campbell, who scored six goals in his first three games with the Kings since coming over in a trade from West Kelowna, is unlikely to play in tonight... Kings rookie winger Parker Colley finished the game with three assists.
Thursday BCHL summary
Rivermen 5 at Spruce Kings 4 (2 OT)
First Period
1. Langley, Kaufman 15 (Masson) 1:20
2. Langley, Crookshank 1 (Ayre) 3:01
3. Prince George, Tilsley 6 (Colley) 7:12
4. Langley, Capstick 1 (Bleuler, Szeto) 9:34
5. Prince George, Ponak 4 (Colley) 11:29
Penalties - Sinclair LA (hooking) 4:40, Ponak PG (high-sticking) 8:37, Tilsely PG (hooking) 15:25, Schuldt LA (hooking) 17:24.
Second Period
6. Prince George, Logan 4 (Epp, Colley) 1:34
7. Langley, O'Neill 5 (Campion, Capstick) 4:09
8. Prince George, Hovde 4 (Penner) 18:18
Penalties - Burnett PG (tripping) 6:53, Epp PG (tripping) 16:08.
Third Period
No scoring.
Penalties - Fritz PG (roughing) 9:22.
First Overtime
No scoring.
Penalties - None.
Second Overtime
9. Langley, White 15 (Fregona) 2:41
Penalties - None.
Shots on goal by
Langley 9 12 3 2 2 --28
Prince George 10 12 14 6 0 --42
Goal - Langley, Didur (W,12-11-0); Prince George, McCloskey (6 shots-3 saves), and at 10:21 of first, McLeod (L,1-2-0, 22 shots-20saves)
Power plays - LA: 1-5; PG: 0-2.
Referees - Trevor Nolan, Josh Albinati; Linesmen - Nick Albinati, Brett Burton.
Attendance - 724.
