Aaron Trotter gave the Prince George Spruce Kings what they needed to withstand a stampede of Bucks Saturday afternoon in Cranbrook.
The 19-year-old goaltender made 38 saves to preserve a 2-1 victory for the visiting Kings in B.C. Hockey League preseason action.
Andrew Seaman scored 57 seconds into the game and Corey Cunningham’s tip-in midway through the second period provided all the offence the Kings needed for their fourth exhibition win.
Trotter, a native of Victoria, played last season for the Shawnigan Lake School 18U prep team. He was at his best in the third period Saturday, while the Kings were being outshot 9-1 in the final 20 minutes.
Noah Quinn cut the Prince George lead to 2-1 with an unassisted power-play goal with about a minute left in the second period.
Shots ended up 39-14 in the Bucks’ favour.
The Kings went 0-for-3 on the power play, while Cranbrook finished 1-for-6.
Nathan Airey took the loss in the Bucks’ nets.
On Friday, Cranbrook forward Dane Dowiak gave the Spruce Kings a rough ride.
The 18-year-old Penn State recruit from Wexford, Pa., scored three goals and added two assists in a 6-2 triumph. Dowiak completed his natural hat trick with two goals in the second period and one in the third as the Bucks scored four unanswered goals to give the expansion Bucks their third win of the preseason.
Briggs Gammill, Michael Hagen and Quinn also scored for Cranbrook (3-4-1-0). Quinn’s goal, 7:50 into the second period, broke a 2-2 deadlock and the goalie Jacob Zacharewicz was flawless the rest of the game, stopping 19 of 21 Prince George shots.
It was Spruce Kings’ first game in Cranbrook since the 1994-95 season, when they played in the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League. Christian Buono and newly-appointed captain Mason Waite were the Kings goalscorers.
Cranbrook outshot Prince George 27-21. Jordan Fairlie took the loss in net for Prince George, allowing three goals on 13 shots before he was replaced by Trotter, 8:31 into the second period.
Both teams went scoreless in three power-play chances.
The Spruce Kings (4-2-0-0) will visit the Trail Smoke Eaters Sunday at 3 p.m. PT.
The game will be webcast on BCHL TV (bchl.hockeytv.com) while the audio play-by-play provided by Spruce Kings broadcaster Cole Waldie will be available at mixlr.com.
LOOSE PUCKS: The Spruce Kings have named Cunningham and winger Kolton Cousins as alternate captains… D Aiden Reeves (shoulder), LW Carter Cochrane (lower body) and G Carter Woodside (upper body) were injured and not make the trip to the Kootenays… Five BCHL exhibition games have been canceled due to a provincial health office order which prohibits team sports of any kind in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser health regions. That order affects the four teams in the Lower Mainland – Surrey Eagles, Coquitlam Express, Langley Rivermen and Chilliwack Chiefs – and also forced cancelation of Saturday’s game in Powell River between the Kings and Cowichan Valley Capitals.
The game will be webcast on BCHL TV (bchl.hockeytv.com) while the audio play-by-play provided by Spruce Kings broadcaster Cole Waldie will be available at mixlr.com.
The Kings will visit the Trail Smoke Eaters Sunday at 3 p.m. PT.
