Simon Labelle was just what the Prince George Spruce Kings’ doctor ordered and that move he made to cure what was ailing them was sick.
With his dad Marty in the building watching Friday’s game, the 19-year-old winger from Ottawa was tapped as the first Prince George Spruce King shooter to try to break a 2-2 deadlock with the Vernon Vipers in the shootout. Rheaume was slow on his approach but had a lightning bolt hidden in his hands and used it on a forehand-backhand deke he rifled in over the shoulder of goalie Roan Clarke.
At the point the Vipers were down to their last two shooters and neither of them could beat goalie Aaron Trotter, who made 30 saves to lock up a 3-2 B.C. Hockey League win.
The shootout was needed when the Kings failed to generate a shot in overtime despite being given a full two-minute power play. John Herrington nailed the crossbar in OT, but his team was unable to put the pesky Vipers away.
The Spruce Kings had to consider themselves lucky to get out of the first period trailing by just a goal. They were outhustled and outplayed for the majority of period and on way too many occasions left it up to their goalie Trotter to bail them out, which he did quite effectively. Trotter had already made several sharp saves when he was left at the mercy of Logan Lorenz, who took a behind-the-net pass from linemate Jack Glen to open the scoring 12:24 in. The Lorenz line continued to buzz the net and let go several more heavy-duty volleys at Trotter but he stood up to the challenge with some key stops.
Whatever was said in the Kings’ dressing room they came out a different team for the second period and took the play to the Vipers. The Prince George line of Labelle-Rowan Miller-Nick Rheaume used speed to create turnovers and was rewarded with some great scoring chances. Denied on a 3-on-2 chance with a save from Clarke, on their next shift the Miller line got the job done. Labelle broke in on the left side and launched a rocket at Clarke and the rebound kicked out to Miller in the slot who wristed the puck into the open net to knot the score 1-1.
“Vernon’s a tough opponent, they play a similar style of game, they’re really tight between the dots so it’s hard to get shots and bodies into the net,” said Miller, the game’s first star. “We just stuck to our gameplan, which is holding on to pucks, wearing them down and getting them up to the D and trying to get shots and bodies in front.
“Our line brings a lot of different things to the table. Nick Rheaume is a big body and a skilled power forward and he can get in there and work them down low and he’s also got an excellent shot, so if we have an opportunity to get to him he has a hard shot and usually ends up scoring.
“And then Simon is just a really fast skilled player, really high IQ, he can make a pass around the zone anywhere, backhand or forehand. Simon is always dialed for us and it’s pretty easy for me to play with those two guys.”
Both teams had their chances in an even third period. Herrington won a draw in the Vernon end and collected his 10th goal of the season with a shot out of the corner from a sharp angle that found the top corner behind Clarke just before the three-minute mark.
The Vipers tied it 8:21 into the third on a spectacular left-wing rush from Luke Buss. He took the puck in his own zone after a shot from Killian McGregor-Bennett missed the net and skated the length of the rink, slipping past defenceman Josh Wright before finding the net behind Trotter.
Trotter was solid all night, making up for a sub-par performance Wednesday in Vernon which ended in a 4-3 Vipers’ victory. In the rematch, with less than five minutes to go in regulation time, Trotter kicked out his skate to make probably his best save when a puck shot by Vipers Ryan Shostak deflected off a Kings defenceman right in front of the net.
“We were coming off two-game losing streak, so it was a big game to get here on home ice and I’m happy we toughed it out and Simon came up with a big goal there,” said Trotter, who posted his sixth win in 10 games this season.
“The guys really helped me keep my confidence up and build off that game, they really beared down and helped me out. It was a good little bounce-back and I’m glad we got the win tonight.”
Vipers head coach and general manager Jason McKee thought his team played well enough to win but when it counted most they couldn’t get the puck into the net.
“We definitely had some chances to get a few more and that’s kind of been our Achilles heel this year is not finishing around the net when we have those chances and that probably came back to hurt us tonight,” said McKee. “But the process was good; we really worked hard and created a lot of opportunities.”
LOOSE PUCKS: It was an all- Prince George on-ice officiating crew with Grace Barlow splitting the refereeing duties with Caden Fanshaw and Rob Connelly and Tyler Garden working the game as linesmen… The attendance at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena was 716… The Coquitlam Express will visit Prince George Saturday night (7 p.m.) for their only trip north this season to meet the Spruce Kings.
Friday BCHL summary
Vipers 2 at Spruce Kings 3 (SO)
First Period
1. Vernon, Lorenz 3 (Glen, Culling) 12:24
Penalty – Ver bench (too many men) 7:21.
Second Period
2. Prince George, Labelle 9 (Miller, Wright) 17:17.
Penalties– Buss VER (Goaltender interference) 3:16, LeFranc PG (tripping) 14:01.
Third Period
3. Prince George, Herrington 10 (Cousins, McGregor-Bennett) 2:54
4. Vernon, Buss 5 (J. Tanaka-Campbell) 8:21
Penalties – Glen VER (roughing), Bhabra PG (roughing) 14:03.
Overtime
No scoring.
Penalty – J. Tanaka-Campbell) 2:14
Shootout – Vernon: Buss, miss; Shostak, missed; Lorenz, missed. Prince George: Labelle, scored; Rheaume, missed.
Shots on goal by
Vernon 14 8 8 0 -30
Prince George 6 10 9 0 -25
Goal – Vernon, Clarke (L,3-3-2-1); Prince George, Trotter (W,6-4-0).
Power plays – VER: 0-1; PG; 0-2.
Attendance – 716.
Referees – Grace Barlow, Caden Fanshaw; Linesmen - Rob Connelly, Tyler Garden.
