For the first time in their 22-year B.C. Hockey League existence, the Prince George Spruce are going to be playing for the championship.
Kyle Johnson guaranteed that will happen when he scored 8:06 into overtime to defeat the Powell River Kings 2-1 Thursday night in Game 5 of the Coastal Conference final series.
Johnson, the Spruce Kings captain, was in the right spot to become the hero of the night when he backhanded in the rebound of a shot from Ethan de Jong that kicked off the end boards.
Johnson lost the face-off and Powell River defenceman Jack Long tried to clear the zone by rimming the puck off the boards behind the net. But teammate Hunter Findlater had trouble controlling the puck and de Jong scooped it up and cut into the slot, missing the net, But the bounce off the boards landed on Johnson’s stick, who scored before Carmine Buono could get to it.
The goal touched off an explosive reaction from a near-sellout crowd of 2,032 in attendance at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. The fans reacted with chants of “We want the Cup” as the Kings players mobbed Johnson.
“It’s almost hard to believe, it feels incredible, I can’t believe this is actually happening,” said Spruce Kings goalie Evan DeBrower, who made 29 saves for his 12th win of the playoffs. “I can’t even describe how excited I am right now, I wish we could start playing right now and get Game I (of the final) over with right away.”
The Spruce Kings will get a chance to play for the Fred Page Cup against either the Trail Smoke Eaters or Wenatchee Wild, a best-of-seven series which will start next weekend in either Wenatchee or Prince George.
Each team scored late in the third period to make overtime necessary.
Kyle Kawamura broke a scoreless draw 12:16 into the third period with a seeing-eye wrist shot that got through a screen in front of DeBrouwer. The unassisted goal bounced off Spruce Kings defencemen Chays Ruddy and Dylan Anhorn, then hit DeBrouwer before the puck trickled across the line.
But the lead would not stand up. With DeBrouwer on the bench and Dustin Manz taking his place on the ice, the Spruce Kings had the play in the offensive zone and Manz got the puck to de Jong, who fed Anhorn for a one-timed slapshot that found its way into the net with 1:32 left on the clock.
“That was obviously a roller-coaster game, we were up and don on the bench and we had to do a good job keeping our emotions in check and credit to (coach) Adam Maglio for helping with they guys and really managing that,” said Johnson.
“Once we got it to 1-1 we were a confident calm group and we really just played our game. It would have been a struggle to go back on the bus and give them any momentum at all. It’s a long difficult trip. There no hiding that so we had extra motivation to get the series-clincher and stay here to get some long-needed rest.”
Maglio thought his team played well enough to have a comfortable lead but it didn’t turn out that way. The first-year head coach dreaded the thought of another trip to Powell River for Game 6 Saturday and the relief of having eight days to prepare for the next series was obvious.
“That was a lucky bounce on their goal and that happens and you kind of wonder if you’re going to end up getting one, but we’re a resilient group and we stuck with it and it was a real good 6-on-5 goal,” said Maglio.
“You know when you get that one, I felt the momentum was in our hands going into OT and I was pretty confident we were going to get it done. Our guys are real good shape and you could tell in OT, they outpaced them.”
The Spruce Kings appeared the hungrier team coming out for overtime, outshooting Powell River 10-1 in just over eight minutes of OT. That total didn’t include the shot Prince George defenceman Jay Keranen put off the goalpost three minutes into the extra session. The Spruce Kings outshot Powell River 48-30.
Ruddy admitted his heart sank when Powell River scored with less than eight minutes left in regulation time but DeBrouwer did his part to make him forget about it.
“That was a fluke bounce and obviously you get down for a few seconds and I know I got caught with my head hanging beside the net until DeBrouwer yelled at me and said, ‘Let’s go,’” said Ruddy. “That kind of gets you going. Knowing that your teammates aren’t giving up. Obviously, once they get that goal, all you’re thinking about is that 16-hour bus trip but I should have known better.
“We’ve come back from things like that all year. This team is resilient and I can’t say enough for the guys who were on the ice when we scored that 6-on-5 goal.”
After a scoreless first period in which they were outshot 8-3 Powell River was under siege in the second period, forced to kill off three minor penalties, including a 1:31 stretch in which they were two players down. The Spruce Kings had the puck in the Powell River end most of that time and Brar had the best chance, set up for a onetimer at the side of the net which was stopped by a diving Matteo Paler-Chow.
The shots were 17-5 in the Spruce Kings favour when Powell River gained the puck on a 3-on-2 break, Carter Turnbull had the initial shot that was blocked by DeBrouwer and Josh Coblenz followed up with the rebound and just put it wide - probably the best chance of the game for the visitors at that point, midway through the second period.
The Spruce Kings continued to dominate the play and Paler-Chow continued to be the difference-maker, keeping the game scoreless with a series of spectacular saves. He had to stretch out the full length of his five-foot-11 frame to get his glove in the way of hot shot from the slot from Johnson, 15 seconds before the second intermission.
In the third period, Manz put one off the goalpost early period and Brar shot high when sent in alone on a clearcut breakaway pass from Blake Hayward. Powell River showed a lot more life in the offensive zone and DeBrouwer had to be sharp to get his shoulder in the way of a backhander from Findlater to keep the game deadlocked. Powell River outshot the Kings 18-12 in the third period but they weren’t getting to the rebounds thanks to the aggressive play of the Spruce Kings defence.
“It was a tight-checking game both ways and in an elimination guys are obviously gripping their sticks a little bit more on both sides, waiting for a team to make the first mistake and give them credit, they battle hard and had opportunities and we end up throwing a puck on net and finding the back of the net,” said Powell River interim head coach Brock Sawyer.
“We needed one blocked shot and didn’t get it and they scored with the goalie pulled. In overtime it was tough. We tried to make a line change and couldn’t get it (as the result of an icing call) - I thought it was a quick hand by the ref - and it’s over with now.
“Give them credit, they found a way to get pucks on net and pepper us and bang in a winner.”
LOOSE PUCKS: The Smoke Eaters will try to keep their championship hopes alive when they resume the Interior Conference final tonight in Washington State against the Wenatchee Wild. The Wild lead that best-of-seven series 3-1… Spruce Kings right winger Spencer Chapman missed Thursday’s game with a concussion he sustained late in Game 4 in Powell River when he was checked from behind into the boards by Powell River forward Kevin Obssuth. Obssuth used his stick to pin Chapman against the boards and Chapman’s head hit into the glass. Obssuth was not penalized on the play but Chapman was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for embellishment. A doctor in Powell River diagnosed the concussion and estimated Chapman will be sidelined for at least 10 days.
B.C Hockey League playoffs
Coastal Conference semifinal
Prince George Spruce Kings vs. Powell River Kings
(Spruce Kings win best-of-seven series 4-1)
Game 5
Thursday’s result
Kings 1 at Spruce Kings 2
First Period
No scoring.
Penalty – Samanski PR (roughing) 18:14.
Second Period
No scoring.
Penalties – Obssuth PR (roughing) 0:44, Coblenz PR (tripping) 5:32, Turnbull PR (boarding) 6:01.
Third Period
1. Powell River, Kawamura 2, 12:16
2. Prince George, Anhorn 1 (de Jong, Manz) 18:28
Penalties – None.
Overtime
3. Prince George, Johnson 6 (de Jong, Anhorn) 8:06
Penalties – None.
Shots on goal by
Powell River 3 8 18 1 -30
Prince George8 18 12 10 -48
Goal – Powell River, Paler-Chow (L,8-6) Prince George, DeBrouwer (W,12-7).
Power plays – PR: 0-0; PG: 0-4.
Referees – Nick Panter, Troy Paterson; Linesmen: Anthony Maletta, Cody Wanner.
Attendance – 2,032.
Scratches – Powell River: F Jonny Evans (upper-body injury), F Ethan Schmunk (healthy), D (Sam Pouliot (healthy), G Derek Krall (healthy), F Ethan Jones (healthy); Prince George: F Spencer Chapman (concussion, week-to-week), F Ben Poisson (ruptured spleen), D Oliver Lester (ankle injury, out for season).
