After an 8-0 wipeout their previous game, the Prince George Spruce Kings thought they had the damage fixed in time to take on the Merritt Centennials.
Pumped up by a Prince George Citizen Night crowd of 1,385 watching from the stands at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, the building formerly known as the Prince George Coliseum, the Spruce Kings came out flying, and did everything but score on the Centennials.
Cents goalie Cole Kehler, a veteran of 33 Western Hockey League games, joined the Cents in early October after getting his release from the Kamloops Blazers, and showed he’s intent on trying to get Merritt back into a playoff position in the B.C. Hockey League.
The 18-year-old from Altona, Man., was the best player on the ice from start to finish, making 30 saves in a 5-2 win over the Spruce Kings.
“It was a lot of fun, the guys in front of me really kept it to the outside so a lot of credit goes to them for my game tonight, they made it easy on me,” said Kehler. “We stuck with the puck and we did things well, everybody was giving 100 per cent effort and that’s what we needed to get the win.”
Kehler said there are plenty of skilled shooters in the BCHL who keep him busy in net and the best of them compare favourably with the big guns he used to face in the WHL.
“I would say the structure (is the biggest difference), I think I see more scoring chances than you’re used to, but other than that, this is still a very good hockey league,” said Kehler. “Anybody can beat anybody in this league.”
Nick Fidanza, Mark O’Shaughnessy and Colin Grannary staked the Cents to a 3-1 lead after two periods. With Kehler reading the play well to make the saves and minimize rebounds, a comeback seemed unlikely until the Cents got into penalty trouble just past the midway point of the final period. The Kings went to work on a two-man advantage and Chong Lee pounded in a behind-the-net feed from Matthew Stief. All of a sudden, with 5 1/2 minutes left, there was hope for a Kings team left reeling from a one-sided beating Thursday at the hands of the Chilliwack Chiefs.
That is until another former Blazer, 19-year-old Mitch Lipon finished off a 3-on-1 with a tap-in to beat Kings goalie Liam McCloskey and put the game out of reach with less than two minutes to play. Zach Court added an empty-netter. Jarod Hovde netted the other Prince George goal, in the second period.
“We had a good start to the game, we were hard and physical, but they got a couple lucky bounces,” said Kings defenceman Stephen Penner, the 20-year-old team captain. “Their second goal went off McCloskey’s pad and ricocheted back off my skate and in. We battled back and got one late in the second and on that 5-on-3 in the third, and they got a lucky break and capitalized on the 3-on-1 to put it away.
“(Kehler) had good rebound control and their d-men boxed out our forwards from getting to the net pretty well, so it was hard to get to the crease and get to the rebounds that he did let out.”
Shots were 25-32 in the Cents’ favour.
The Kings showed unwavering work ethic but were guilty of bad giveaways which resulted in quality scoring chances and head coach Chad van Diemen knows his team can’t expect to win when that happens.
“We turned the puck over way too many times at key times, especially in the second when we had the long (line) change and it cost us,” said van Diemen. “Even with the bad luck on the first goal (Fidanza was set up in front after a bounce off the end boards), I thought our start was pretty good. We brought way more of an edge than what we played with on Thursday.
“After we pulled within one there in the third, Chong made a great pass across the crease that just went through. If that finds someone and we’re able to get one and tie it up, it’s a different story.”
The win left fifth-place Merritt (17-26-4-1) five points behind the Vernon Vipers for the fourth and final Interior Division playoff spot, while the Spruce Kings (11-33-3-1), are on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. With 10 games left, and only 20 points possible, the Spruce Kings are 19 points behind fourth-place Coquitlam Express, who blew a chance to clinch a playoff spot Sunday afternoon in Port Alberni when they lost 7-3 to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
The Vipers will be in town Wednesday to play the Spruce Kings.
Saturday BCHL summary
Centennials 5 at Spruce Kings 2
First Period
1. Merritt, Fidanza 5, 8:17
Penalties – Bowles ME (slashing) 0:45, Cleghorn ME (interference) 3:58, Fidanza ME (cross-checking), K.Johnson PG (cross-checking) 8:59, Court ME (slashing) 10:21.
Second Period
2. Merritt, O’Shaughnessy 2, 7:59
3. Prince George, Hovde 5 (Prechel) 9:15
4. Merritt, Grannary 25 (Court) 12:14
Penalties – Buckley ME (roughing) 2:56, Epp roughing) 2:56, Fritz PG (slashing) 4:33, Burnett PG (cross-checking) 13:13.
Third Period
5. Prince George, Lee 2 (Stief) 12:34 (pp)
6. Merritt, Lipon 15 (Jewell, Bowles) 18:10
7. Merritt, Court 10 (Grannary) 18:37 (en)
Penalties – Zorn ME (fighting, game misconduct), L.Johnson PG (fighting, game misconduct) 2:46, Lipon ME (unsportsmanlike conduct) 6:06, Roseboom ME (kneeing) 10:36, Kaila ME (slashing) 11:21.
Shots on goal by
Merritt 10 13 12 --35
Prince George 12 9 11 --32
Goal – Merritt, Kehler (W,13-20-0- 32-shots-30 saves); Prince George, McCloskey (L,6-16-0, 34 shots-30 saves).
Referees – Tom Henetiuk, Greg Taylor; Linesmen – Josh Albinati, Nick Albinati.
Attendance – 1,385.
