They may be the bottom-feeders of the B.C. Hockey League but the Prince George Spruce Kings and Surrey Eagles will be playing like there's no tomorrow when they meet at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena tonight and Sunday afternoon.
The season ends for both teams this weekend and they won't be moving on to the playoffs but there's still plenty to prove for players on both sides trying to secure their junior A jobs for next season.
"It's an important weekend for lots of reasons, the games don't mean anything in the standings but it means lot for guys hoping to earn roster spots for us next year," said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"How they finish is going to go a long way with how we think about them in the summer, building for next year."
Sunday's game (3 p.m. start) will mark the end of a three-year BCHL career for 20-year-old Spruce Kings' captain Stephen Penner.
"A lot of the focus will be on him, these are his last two games in junior hockey and hopefully the games go well for him and he goes out on a bright note," said Hawes. "He's a great kid who has done extremely well and he's a been a good leader."
Eagles forward Kurt Black and goalie Justin Laforest, both 20, will also end their junior careers this weekend.
The Eagles will bring a 7-46-1-0 record to the ice tonight (7 p.m. start), while the Spruce Kings will also try to improve on their 12-38-4-0 record.
Kings forward Tanner Campbell (infected elbow) will not play this weekend.
LOOSE PUCKS: Penticton Vees centre Tyson Jost was announced Friday as winner of the Vern Dye Memorial Trophy as the league's most valuable player. Jost, a 17-year-old from Kelowna, ranks fifth in league scoring with 40 goals and 60 assists for 100 points in just 46 games. He's projected as a potential first-rounder in the 2016 NHL draft, along with Vees teammate Dante Fabbro, who won the BCHL's top defenceman award.
Fabbro leads all BCHL defencemen with 63 points, including 14 goals in 43 games. The 17-year-old native of Coquitlam is averaging 1.47 points per game. Vees coach Fred Harbinson won the Joe Tennant Memorial Award as coach of the year.
Other award winners were Chilliwack Chiefs forward Vimal Sukumaran (31g-31a-62pts) who won the Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year; and forward Colton Kerfoot of the Coquitlam Express (23g-53a-76pts), who captured the Bob Fenton Trophy as the BCHL's most sportsmanlike player... The Kings now have 40 players registered for their Spring Prospects camp, April 8-10 at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, with 100 players expected. Over the past five years, 22 players who attended the camp were offered cards and went on to play for the Spruce Kings. Last year's camp led to the signing of forwards Kyle Johnson, Nik Ponak and Parker Colley and goaltender Liam McCloskey... Tonight's game will be broadcast on 99.3 FM The Drive.
