Forced into overtime by the Vernon Vipers for the second consecutive night, Prince George Spruce Kings outshot their opponents 5-1 in the extra session, but the Vipers made that one shot on goal count.
Regan Milburn ended the game 4:08 into OT when he beat Kings goalie Aaron Trotter, providing a happy send-off for the visiting Vipers Saturday at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena.
Their 2-1 victory, the fifth in a row for the Vipers, came a day after they trumped the Spruce Kings 3-2 in a shootout.
Nick Rheaume, with his team-leading 20th goal, opened the scoring for the Spruce Kings with the only goal of the first period, 7:06 in. The Vipers tied it 16:31 into the second period on a goal from Nicholas Kent.
Shots favoured the Spruce Kings 30-20. Roan Clarke made 29 saves to improve his record to 8-10-0. Aaron Trotter took the loss, making 18 saves while his record dropped to 12-7-1.
The Kings did gain a point in the BCHL standings for their overtime loss. Prince George (19-9-3-4-0, .643 winning percentage, third in Interior Conference) has yet to lose in regulation time in 12 games since returning from the Christmas break. The Vipers (13-14-3-3-0, .485 winning percentage) moved into seventh place in the Interior.
The Spruce Kings hit the road for three games this week, starting Wednesday in Merritt against the Centennials. They’ll also visit the West Kelowna Warriors Friday night, before returning to Merritt to face the Cents again Saturday.
