Somebody should remind Carter Berger of the Victoria Grizzlies he’s a defenceman.
As far as the Prince George Spruce Kings were concerned, Berger’s performance Sunday afternoon in Victoria was extremely offensive.
The 19-year-old University of Connecticut recruit scored two goals, his fifth and sixth in the past three games, to stake the Grizzlies to a 3-0 victory over the visiting Kings.
Berger opened the scoring 2:10 into the game when he took off on a rink-length rush and while spinning fired a shot that deflected off the post and in off the back of goalie Logan Neaton. Berger added to the total 6:20 into the second period on a setup from Alex Newhook.
Twelve minutes into the third period Newhook ended a lengthy stretch of offensive pressure applied by the Spruce Kings when he scored his 21st of the season when the puck he shot bounced off Neaton’s pad and deflected in off a Kings’ player.
Curtis Chapman made 37 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season. He was at his best early in the third period while the Grizzlies were killing a bench penalty for too many men and came up with two pad-stacking saves to keep the Kings off the scoreboard.
Neaton took the loss in goal for Prince George, making 26 stops.
The win kept the Griizzlies (25-12-0-2) first in the Island Division, two points behind Prince George in the overall standings. The Spruce Kings gained just one of a possible six points on a three-game weekend B.C. Hockey League road trip, losing three straight for the first time all season.
The Kings (25-12-2-2) started the weekend Friday in Merritt with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Cents, then made the long trek to Duncan where they dropped a 5-2 decision Saturday to the Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The Chilliwack Chiefs (27-11-0-0) now lead the Mainland Division and overall standings, tied with 54 points with the Spruce Kings. Chilliwack has two more wins than the Kings and has played one fewer game than Prince George.
The Spruce Kings will be back on home ice at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena on Friday to face Cowichan Valley. The Chiefs and Spruce Kings will meet Sunday afternoon in Chilliwack.
