Any fan of firewagon hockey would have liked what the Prince George Spruce Kings and Victoria Grizzlies had to offer Friday night in downtown Prince George.
From start to finish, they treated 1,087 fans to 60 minutes of fast, in-your-face hockey - one of the most entertaining games in the old Coliseum all season.
On this night, the Grizzlies had a bit more finish on the blades of their sticks and went home with a 4-2 victory over the Spruce Kings.
Victoria pointman Cody Van Lierop fired a shot from the blueline which fluttered on its way in just enough to fool to Liam McCloskey in the Spruce Kings net for the gamewinner, 14:06 into the third period.
Mitch Barker added an empty-netter to cap the scoring with 10 seconds left.
The Grizzlies (18-20-4-0) extended their win streak to four games at the expense of the Spruce Kings (11-29-2-1), who are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
Goals 2:26 apart early in the second period put the Spruce Kings ahead.
Victoria native Connor Logan got the Spruce Kings' offence started, potting a rebound for his third of the season after Parker Colley laid a weak shot on goal. The 19-year-old Logan, who played last year for the junior B Campbell River Storm, was dangerous all night playing left wing on a line with Colley and Nik Ponak.
The Spruce Kings went up 2-1 on the power play and two of their newest additions factored in the play.
Tanner Campbell, picked up at the trade deadline from West Kelowna, fed a rink-wide pass across to Matthew Stief and he set up South Korean native Chong Lee for a one-timer from the slot.
It was the first career goal for Lee, who joined the Spruce Kings as an affiliated player from the Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior (B) Hockey League.
But the lead didn't last long.
The Grizzlies won a draw in the Spruce Kings end near the tail end of a 5-on-3 power play and Victoria defenceman Brett Stirling found the target behind McCloskey to tie it up.
The Grizzlies restored their lead with six minutes left in the second period. Van Lierop took a feed at the blueline from Tyler Welsh and let go a wrister that ticked off Logan's stick and the changeup floated in over McCloskey's shoulder.
Welsh opened the scoring in the first period and also assisted on Stirling's goal for a three-point night.
It took the Spruce Kings half the opening period to adjust to the frantic pace the Grizzlies, a significant upgrade from what the Trail Smoke Eaters offered in a 2-0 loss to the Kings Thursday night.
The second period ended with some frenzied back-and-forth action as both teams trading scoring chances.
McCloskey came up with one his best saves of the game, taking away a five-hole try from P.J. Conlon. Then the 17-year-old rookie goalie stuffed Brayden Geisinger on a breakaway, denying the Grizzlies' leading scorer trying for his 20th of the season.
McCloskey was sharp all game, picking up where he left off after stoning the Smokies Thursday with a 37-save performance.
Centre Braiden Epp returned to the Kings' lineup after missing a month with knee injury and came close on a wraparound late in the period and Jordan Funk had two hard shots on net stopped by Victoria goalie Mitchel Benson, who ended up making 30 saves for his third win of the season.
The shots were 32-29 in favour of the Grizzlies.
The Grlzzlies gave starting goalie Matthew Galajda the night off after he shut out the Langley Rivermen last Saturday in Victoria and let in just one goal Tuesday in a 7-1 win over the Cowichan Valley Capitals in Duncan.
The Grizzlies play tonight in Chiliwack and are in Surrey Sunday afternoon.
The Kings are off until next Thursday when they host Langley. Friday's game was the second of a nine-game homestand. They play 11 of their remaining 14 games at the Coliseum.
