Chad Staley took one for the team, then returned to strike the decisive blow in Sunday's battle of the BCHL Kings.
Minutes after the 19-year-old Prince George Spruce Kings forward was leveled by an illegal check to the head, he returned to haunt the Powell River Kings in double overtime.
Staley got his stick on Danny Kiraly's point shot and deflected it into the net past goalie Jeff Smith for the 3-2 winner, much to the delight of a December afternoon crowd of 954 at the Coliseum. The fact Staley was able to stay in the game was a surprise to most in the building after he took a hard shot to the jaw when Powell River forward Kurt Keats got his stick up high in the collision, 11:15 into the third period. The hit dropped Staley to his knees but he returned after missing just two shifts.
A fast, entertaining game featuring two teams that rely on tight defence and great goaltending lived up to its advance billing. Prince George winger Sean LeBrun came close to ending it in the 4-on-4 OT session after the Brogan O'Brien dug the puck out of the corner, but Smith made the save. The Powell River goalie had no chance on Staley's tip-in, 56 seconds into the second five-minute overtime period.
"There was a little scramble down in the corner and the puck came back to the blueline to my billet brother, Danny, and they left me alone in front and he put a perfect shot on net and I happened to get a stick on it," said Staley. "I got a bit on my jaw [in the hit], but with 10 minutes left against the best team in the league, I'm not going to miss that. We knew this was a big test and it's a bit special to prove we're the best Kings in the league."
Powell River came into town as the top team in the league, having played the previous two nights (a 1-1 tie Saturday in Meritt and an 8-5 win Friday in Chilliwack). They took on a well-rested Spruce Kings team which hadn't played since Wednesday. If the visitors were a tired bunch they did a great job of disguising it. That was especially true late in the game when they kept their feet moving in the Prince George end to retain puck possession, which led to the tying goal, a face-off circle shot from Jarid Lukosevicius that deflected off the glove of a Spruce King with just 1:11 left in regulation time.
To that point, Powell River shooters had been pretty much stifled by 20-year-old Prince George goalie Alex Murray. Murray's only blemish before was a shorthanded goal from Ryan Scarfo. 8:46 into the game. That came right after Jeremiah Luedtke had opening the scoring for Prince George on a pass from Staley. The two have been linemates since they were 10-year-olds growing up in Washington state.
"Chad is so relentless, he'll do anything for the boys and he works his butt off all the time," said Luedtke. "He's my best friend and he'll do what it takes to score and he's a real tough character."
Christian Weidauer gave the Kings a 2-1 lead, cashing in a power play, 11:27 into the first period. Both teams had one goal disallowed. Shots were 28-24 in favour of Powell River (20-4-2-2), who remain two points ahead of Victoria for first overall in the BCHL.
"We were on our heels a bit in the first period but after that, including overtime we only allowed 16 shots, and that bodes well for us in the future," said Spruce Kings head coach Dave Dupas. "Beating this team is a huge boost for the guys and it's great to get it on home ice."
With the win, Prince George kept pace with the Langley Rivermen, 4-2 winners Sunday over Chilliwack. The second-place Spruce Kings (17-9-2-2-) are three points behind the Mainland Division-leading Rivermen (19-10-1-2) but hold two games in hand. The Spruce Kings will be in Coquitlam for games Wednesday and Friday.
