The Prince George Spruce Kings scored three unanswered goals in the third period to begin a three-game B.C. Hockey League road trip Friday with a 3-1 win over the Trail Smoke Eaters.
Dustin Manz, Patrick Cozzi (with the gamewinner at 11:47) and Ethan de Jong scored for Prince George. Andre Ghantous had the Smoke Eaters’ goal.
Evan DeBrouwer, the game’s first star, made 29 saves in the Spruce Kings’ nets.
The win allowed the Kings to keep pace with the Chilliwack Chiefs, who beat the Mainland Division-leading Langley Rivermen 6-0 Friday. Prince George and Chilliwack each have 27 points, two points behind Langley.
It was only the fifth loss of the season for the Smokies (16-5-1-0), who dropped to second place in the Interior Division, one point behind the Vernon Vipers.
The Kings play tonight in Wenatchee against the Wild (12-7-0-1, fourth in Interior). The Wild defeated the visiting West Kelowna Warriors 9-2 Friday. Prince George will face the Warriors Sunday afternoon (2:30 p.m.) in West Kelowna.
