Get that playoff bus ready — the Prince George Spruce Kings are climbing aboard.
The team did what it had to Sunday afternoon, beating the Powell River Kings 5-0 in front of 1,689 fans at Kopar Memorial Arena.
After a two-month chase, the Spruce Kings finally leapfrogged the Langley Rivermen into eighth place in the Coastal Conference standings, eliminating any doubt about their playoff hopes.
The Spruce Kings (23-25-4-2) finished tied with Langley (21-23-9-1) at 52 points, but earned the higher seed by winning two more games than the Rivermen.
As improbable as it seemed in January, when the Spruce Kings were struggling to catch up to Nanaimo and Langley for the final playoff spot, the team achieved its primary goal and will head to Chilliwack later this week to begin a best-of-seven Coastal Conference quarterfinal series Friday against the first-place Chiefs.
“I’m super proud of this group. We could have easily packed it in at a certain point and just played out the season, but they made it their mission in the second half to make a statement,” said Spruce Kings head coach Brad Tesink. “The goals we set out in January have all been accomplished. Now we’ve got to set our standards just a little bit higher going into the playoffs.”
The turnaround in the Spruce Kings’ season began after a coaching change on Nov. 25, when Tesink stepped up from his associate role to replace the fired Alex Evin. But the real change came with the addition of 20-year-old goalie Charles-Edward Gravel, a seasoned veteran of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Gravel posted a 10-3 record, a 1.98 goals-against average, and a .930 save percentage. The Spruce Kings finished the last two months on a 10-5-2-1 tear, just enough to secure a playoff spot.
“When you bring in a goaltender like Charles, and a character kid like Charles, who fits well into the group, it just gave our guys a boost of confidence,” said Spruce Kings general manager Mike Hawes. “He’s a solid goalie, the guys know it, and they’ve just felt a lot more confident since he’s been here. Our record shows it.”
Five Spruce Kings — Nicolas Papineau, Aidan Carolan, Owen Goodbrand, Brock Cummings, and Will Moore — found the scoresheet Sunday. The team scored three times in the third period, all on the power play, to blow a close game wide open.
Gravel and Ryder Green combined for a 24-save shutout. For Gravel, it was his first BCHL shutout, and he picked the perfect game to do it, knowing that there was no margin for error and nothing less than two points would suffice.
“The first thing I wanted to do when I got here (Feb. 2) was make the playoffs,” said the 20-year-old Gravel, a Mercyhurst recruit for 2025-26. “I knew we were far away, but this group is amazing—it’s like a family. Everybody works hard, and at the end of the day, I think we deserve it. I’m just so happy we managed to make the playoffs.”
The Spruce Kings didn’t waste any time asserting their offensive power. Papineau got things started when he led a rush into the Powell River zone and rifled a low wrist shot from the slot into the net to give the Spruce Kings the lead at 7:14.
Papineau, who was playing in front of his parents, Julie and Marc, from Gatineau, Que., during the Spruce Kings’ parents’ weekend, also set up Moore’s power-play goal in the third period. He also scored in Friday’s 5-4 win over Powell River with his parents watching.
“It’s fun to score in front of them. They flew across the country just to see me play two games, so it’s a special moment,” said Papineau. “I’m 2-for-2 because I scored last night too.”
Papineau joined the Spruce Kings for his final junior season from the Nepean Raiders of the Central Canada Hockey League. On Friday, he’ll achieve something he’s never done before.
“I told the boys in the room I’ve never played a playoff game in juniors, and I’m 20, so this means a lot to me. I know I’m going to go all out, and I really believe in this team,” said Papineau. “I know Chilliwack’s a good opponent, but we’re the perfect match for them. We’ll see on Friday.”
Powell River came close a few times to robbing Gravel of his first career BCHL shutout. Late in the first period, a shot from left winger Niccolo Mansueto nearly got through after a Powell River power play. Gravel made the save, but the puck was left lying in the crease until a Spruce King cleared it.
Fists flew four seconds before the first period ended. Powell River defenceman Calvin Beard picked a fight with Spruce Kings defenceman Trent Ballentyne, likely in retribution for a clean hit Ballentyne laid on winger Rhett Hamilton in Friday’s game that left Hamilton with a separated shoulder. Powell River forward Jace Harder tried to take over for Beard, but when Spruce Kings defenceman Isaac Holt saw what was happening, he grabbed Harder and laid a beating on him. The six-foot-five, 220-pound Holt, a native of Pembroke, Ont., has earned his reputation as one of the toughest players in the BCHL.
Beard ended up with two minor penalties for instigating and roughing, giving the Spruce Kings a nearly four-minute power play to start the second period. However, they struggled to get quality shots past Powell River’s penalty killers, with Kazumo Sasaki’s post-clanger being the only good scoring chance.
Carolan picked the perfect time to score his first BCHL goal. Acquired in the off-season from the Brockville Braves, the 20-year-old Oshawa native buried a pass from Corson Maguire on a 2-on-1 chance to increase the lead to 2-0. Injuries limited Carolan to just 25 games this season.
On Friday, defenceman Zachary Hachey notched his first BCHL goal.
Special teams played a huge role in the win. The Spruce Kings went 3-for-8 on the power play, while Powell River went 0-for-4.
Goodbrand started the power-play attack three minutes into the third period, and Cummings and Moore converted on a 5-on-3 advantage with back-to-back goals to cap the scoring.
Green replaced Gravel late with the Spruce Kings ahead by five and made the final four saves.
For Ballentyne, a 20-year-old bound for Tennessee State next season, the chance for one last BCHL playoff run is beyond exciting, especially considering the turmoil of the coaching change four months ago and the loss of five top players to QMJHL teams in December and January.
“It’s been a crazy battle with all the rule changes, guys leaving, and guys coming in, but it feels amazing to do it with the boys,” said Ballentyne. “Charles has been unreal for us. He’s really kept us alive, and we owe him a playoff push for sure. He’s a great guy off the ice too, and everyone sees how good he is on the ice. We’re lucky to have him.”
The Spruce Kings begin their best-of-seven Interior Conference series Friday in Chilliwack against the first-place Chiefs. Games 3 and 4 will be played in Prince George on Tuesday, April 8 and Wednesday, April 9. The Chiefs (37-12-5-0) finished 27 points ahead of Prince George.
“Obviously, Chilliwack’s a great team; they were first in our division, so we can’t take them lightly,” said Gravel. “The only thing we can do is get ready, show up, and try to make an upset. Nobody really thinks we can beat them and get past the first round, but no one thought we’d make the playoffs this year. We’ll try to do the same thing. Everyone works so hard. I think we’re a team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs.”
