The Prince George Spruce Kings have lost their grip on first place overall in the B.C. Hockey League.
Their 5-2 loss to the Cowichan Valley Capitals Saturday in Duncan, combined with a 5-3 victory for the Chilliwack Chiefs over Coquitlam vaulted the Chiefs ahead of Prince George in the standings.
The Chiefs (27-11-0-0) now lead the Mainland Division, tied with 54 points with the Spruce Kings (25-10-2-2), but have two more wins than the Kings, having played one fewer game.
Paul Sellick scored two goals for the Capitals, while Oliver Gauthier had a goal and two assists, scoring the fifth Cowichan goal into an empty net. Lucas Vanroboys and Niko Esposito-Selivanov also scored for the Caps (11-24-4-1) who led 2-1 after the opening period and 4-1 after 40 minutes. Ben Poisson scored both Prince George goals.
Jack Grant stopped 31 of 33 shots for his seventh win of the season. Logan Neaton started in net for the Kings and was yanked 12:41 into the second period after allowing four goals on 24 shots. Keenan Rancier came in to replace him and stopped all 14 shots he faced.
The Spruce Kings finish off their three-game roadtrip today in Victoria against the Island Division-leading Grizzlies (24-12-0-2). The Kings lost 3-2 in a shootout Friday to the Merritt Centennials.
