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Prince George Spruce Kings challenging Chilliwack in BCHL Mainland Division Final

Reigning National champions were down 0-3 to start opening series against Langley
Kyle Balzer
Kyle Balzer

The Chilliwack Chiefs pulled off a comeback so few hockey teams in the history of the sport itself have ever accomplished.

The 2018 National Junior ‘A’ champions fought back from a 0-3 deficit in the first round of the B.C. Hockey League (BCHL) playoffs against the Langley Rivermen to force a seventh game and win the series, 4-3.

So, what does this mean for the Prince George Spruce Kings?

Well, the ‘Kings won the 2018-19 season series against Chilliwack, posting a record of 5-1-0-2 and with seven days of rest ahead of the start of the new series, they may have a slight advantage going into the BCHL Mainland Division Finals.

The team is also coming off a convincing 4-1 series win over Coquitlam, scoring 15-10 over the course of those five games.

Unfortunately for the home fans, this means they’ll have to wait until Games Three and Four to watch the ‘Kings at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (RMCA) since the Chiefs took the top spot in the division (albeit by a single point on Prince George).

Prince George will play on home ice on Monday (March 18) and Tuesday (March 19) with 7 p.m. puck drops.

The Spruce Kings will travel down Highway 97 and into the Fraser Valley for the first two contests on Friday (March 15) and Saturday (March 16).

On the road, the red, white, and blue were 1-3 at the Prospera Centre this year; the lone win came on Nov. 24, 2018, doubling the Chiefs 6-3 in the second game of a weekend doubleheader.

The three others all ended in one-goal tilts for Chilliwack, including two in a shootout (3-2 [SO] on Nov. 23, 2018; 4-3 [SO] on Jan. 13, 2019; 2-1 on Feb. 17, 2019).

Meanwhile, Prince George was dominant on home ice against the Chiefs, winning all four RMCA matches and outscoring them by a combined 16-6.

Goaltender Logan Neaton was in the crease in all but one game against Chilliwack in his record-breaking season for Prince George, winning four of those seven starts.

Back-up netminder Keenan Rancier won between the pipes in the last game against the Chiefs, which also happened to be the regular season finale on Feb. 23.