The Prince George Spruce Kings' quest for the Doyle Cup is one win away from reality.
They backed the Brooks Bandits into a corner Thursday after a 4-1 win in Game 5 for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and will have a chance to wrap up their second championship of the 2018-19 season when the teams meet again Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
Patrick Cozzi continued to hold a hot hand and scored two goals for the BCHL champions. Ben Poisson and Corey Cunningham each collected singles. Brandon Scanlin was the Bandits goalscorer.
Logan Neaton turned in a stellar first-star performance in goal for the Kings, making 25 saves to lock up his 19th win of the playoffs and his teammates outshot the Bandits 30-26.
The Kings were the hungrier team and seemed to have better skating legs off the hop. They won most of the puck battles which set the tone as the Kings improved to 11-0 on home ice in the playoffs.
Prince George outshot the Bandits 10-3 in the opening 20 minutes and had a 1-0 lead it show for it. The goal came 14:27 into the period. Kings defenceman Nick Bochen put a point shot wide off the end boards and the carom came right to Cozzi, who chipped the puck in to a sliver of net showing behind Pierce Charleson. It was the second goal in as many nights for Cozzi, a Colorado College recruit for next season. He scored the winner in the Kings' 3-1 victory in Game 4 Wednesday night.
The Kings had plenty of chances to add to their lead but couldn't put the finishing touches on Charleson. The Bandits came up with a second-period surge with about seven minutes left in the period that led to the tying goal. Brooks captain Nathan Plessis started it when he jumped on a rebound in front and took a shot that got through Neaton but defenceman Layton Ahac got the shaft of his stick in the way of the puck. Neaton made another stellar save to deny Luke Bast just before Scanlin lunched a wrister from the point that got through a screen and hit the top corner of the net.
That came at 16:34 and the Kings answered 58 seconds later. The Kings won a draw in their own end and Nick Poisson chipped the puck deep in the Brooks end and Chong Min Lee got to it first, using his backhand to centre the puck into the slot to Dylan Anhorn. The Kings defenceman immediately fed it to Ben Poisson and he scored his team-leading 15th of the playoffs with a high wristshot to take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room.
Cunningham provided the Kings a cushion midway through the third period. He chased down a loose puck and with Anhorn alone in front fed him the puck. Anhorn's shot went wide but Cunningham collected it behind the goal line and scored his sixth of the playoffs on a wraparound.
If the outcome was in doubt, Cozzi put those thoughts to rest when he got the puck in the slot and dangled with it to avoid getting checked, then spun off a low shot to cap the scoring 13:15 into the third.
Game 7, if needed, would be played Sunday night.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Spruce Kings will draw the winner of their Show Home Lottery today at 3 p.m., preceded by the 50-50 draw at 2:45 p.m.... Both teams are among the five which will converge at the national tournament in Brooks, May 11-19. The Doyle Cup will determine the Pacific region champions and the runner-up will claim the host spot the Bandits were guaranteed when the won the right to host.... The Spruce Kings will leave for Alberta next Wednesday and will spend two days training at the WinSport, Hockey Canada's headquarters in Calgary, before making the two-hour trek southeast to Brooks. The Kings won't play on the opening day of the tournament. They play their first game on Sunday, May 12, an afternoon encounter with Central, the Dudley Hewitt Cup champions from Ontario. The Oakville Blades are through to Saturday's Dudley Hewitt final and will play the winner of tonight's semifinal between the host Cochrane Crunch and Hearst Lumberjacks.... The Portage Terriers of Manitoba wrapped up the Anavet Cup championship in five games Thursday with a 7-3 win over the Saskatchewan champion Battlefords North Stars.
Doyle Cup
Prince George Spruce Kings vs. Brooks Bandits
(Kings lead best-of-seven series 3-2)
Game 5
Thursday summary
Bandits 1 at Spruce Kings 4
First Period
1. Prince George, Cozzi 4 (Bochen, Manz) 14:27
Penalties – Lemay BKS (tripping) 10:02, Christy BKS (kneeing) 16:25.
Second Period
2. Brooks, Scanlin 2 (Christy, Hernandez) 16:34
3. Prince George, B.Poisson 15 (Anhorn, Lee) 17:32
Penalties – Lucas BKS (tripping) 0:51, B.Poisson PG (tripping) 8:05, Gravel BKS (slashing), Coyle PG (roughing) 16:55.
Third Period
4. Prince George, Cunningham 6 (Anhorn) 10:22
5. Prince George, Cozzi 5 (Welsh, Coyle) 13:15 (pp)
Penalties – Bochen PG (high-sticking) 4:02, Vachon BKS (roughing), Vanroboys PG (roughing) 10:22, Ceulemans BKS (double high-sticking) 10:56, Chu PG (high-sticking) 13:16, Lemay BKS (slashing) Donaldson PG (unsportsmanlike conduct) 17:06, Hancock BKS (misconduct), Vanroboys PG (misconduct) 17:08, Vachon BKS (misconduct), Plessis BKS (misconduct), Theis BKS (misconduct), Cunningham PG (misconduct), Coyle PG (misconduct), N.Poisson PG (misconduct) 19:05.
Shots of goal by
Brooks 3 11 12 -26
Prince George 10 12 8 -30
Goal – Brooks, Charleson (L,14-6); Prince George, Neaton (W,19-3);.
Power plays – BKS: 0-3: PG: 1-5.
Referees – Troy Paterson, Trevor Nolan; Linesmen – Cody Wanner, Dustin Minty.
Attendance – 1,935.
Three stars – 1. Logan Neaton, PG; 2. Patrick Cozzi, PG; 3. Dylan Anhorn, PG.
Scratches – Brooks: D Ethan Lund (healthy), D Wyatt Villatlta (healthy), F Bobby Harrison (healthy), F Andranik Armstrong (healthy); F Taylor Makar (healthy), D Tyler Bates (healthy), G Ethan Barwick (healthy); Prince George: D Jay Keranen (upper-body injury), D Liam Watson-Brawn (upper-body injury), F Nick Wilson (healthy), F Spencer DenBeste (healthy).
