The Prince George Spruce Kings split their weekend series with the Chilliwack Chiefs.
Unfortunately, it ended with a very close contest on Saturday (Oct. 19) at the Rolling Mix Concrete Arena (RMCA), losing 2-1 to their Mainland Division rivals to finish a four-game homestand with a record of 1-2-0-1.
The B.C. Hockey League (BCHL) champions outshot their opponents 36-23, which included a 19-7 in the first period, but in that same frame, they gave up two goals 61 seconds.
Prince George did, however, pot the first marker of the evening and it came on a power-play,
After Chilliwack’s Brody Gagno took a slashing penalty, Spruce Kings defenceman Nick Poisson ripped one into the net for his fourth of the season, his team-leading 18th point, taking helpers from Corey Cunningham and Nolan Welsh.
Cunningham’s assist was his 17th point of the year, while Welsh recorded his fourth point in two games after Friday’s hat-trick performance.
Prince George held onto that lead for most of the stanza until Chong Min Lee was called for tripping, allowing the Chiefs to tie it at 1-1 while on the man-advantage.
They’d break the tie 1:01 later for a 2-1 lead and that’s what the score stood until the final buzzer.
‘Kings goaltender Jett Alexander made 21 saves in his 13th start of the 2019-20 campaign, while Chiefs’ Mathieu Caron was named the first star of the game with 35 stops.
Through 15 games, Prince George’s record drops to 5-7-2-1.
They hit the road now for a three-game, four-day excursion through the BCHL’s Island Division.
Spruce Kings will play in Powell River on Thursday (Oct. 24), Victoria Saturday (Oct. 26) and Cowichan Valley on Sunday (Oct. 27).
