Fighting in hockey is becoming less of a thing and in the BC Hockey League it’ll get you a game misconduct and an early shower.
When he was growing up in Japan, Kazuko Sasaki never saw anybody drop the gloves on the ice, but he knew it was going to happen Saturday night.
Turns out the 18-year-old Prince George Spruce Kings left winger was the instigator.
He landed the first jab for his team when he flipped a backhander in over the shoulder of Langley Rivermen goalie Charlie Tritt to score the Kings’ first goal of the night.
That came 11:38 into the game and it was moment fans at Kopar Memorial Arena were waiting for. Sasaki’s goal was their cue to toss over the glass their wrapped donations of warm winter gear to support the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Drop The Gloves and Sock It To ‘Em promotion.
The goal came at time when the Spruce Kings needed a spark, trailing the Rivermen 2-0, and by the time the first period ended they were ahead 3-2.
They held that lead the rest of the way in the final game before the Christmas break, beating the Rivermen 6-3 in front of 1,404 witnesses at Kopar.
“It was awesome, last night (a 5-4 loss to Langley) was not the result that we wanted, everyone thought we deserved that one and we brought that momentum into today’s game,” said Sasaki, who turns 19 on Dec. 24.
Sasaki scored a pair, Brock Cummings had two goals and an assist, and Colin Reay was the Rock of Gibraltar in net, making 28 saves to give the Kings their first win in five tries this season against the Rivermen. They gave up two goals in the final four minutes Friday and lost 5-4 in the first half of the weekend doubleheader.
“We didn’t get too confident, didn’t get too low and we got the result,” said Cummings, the game’s first start. It was not the greatest start and we went down two goals but by the end of the first period we came back and we were up 4-2 (soon after).
“Since Colin got here (in a trade from the Vernon Vipers) he’s been great, 2-on-1, 3-on-1 saves, not much more you can ask for. We’re always confident in what he can do. We weren’t playing our best since the start of the year and it’s nice to bounce back a bit.”
Cummings tipped in Isaac Holt’s point shot and in the final minute won aa face-off in the Langley end that Lucas Veilleux buried onto the Rivermen net to give the Kings the lead with 34 seconds left in the opening period.
That spoiled all the hard work that Luke Phoh did for the Rivermen, starting with a power-play-goal and another at even strength, his 10th of the season. He also got plenty of work as a strong penalty killer and was part of the reason the Kings went 0-for-7 on the power play.
Sasaki’s second of the game came off a 2-on-2 rush he led into the Langley zone and as he cut across the slot he let go a shot that missed the net but bounced off the end boards in trickled in off Tritt’s leg. Less than minute later, Sasaki clanged the goalpost and late in the third period he was denied on a partial breakaway when Tritt kicked out his pad to make a great save.
“I was trying not to think about it,” said Sasaki, a Lake Superior State University recruit. “I wanted to win and was doing what it takes to have success.”
Sasaki recorded his first BCHL hat trick the game before he left for national duty in November and he’s come out red-hot ever since. He came oh-so-close to another three-goal game Saturday.
Sasaki helped the Japanese men’s national team to a third-place finish at the Asian championship a few weeks ago in Kazakhstan and he’ll be leaving the Spruce Kings again for the IIHF world junior 1B championship tournament that starts Jan. 12 in Estonia.
“That (Asian tournament) was an awesome experience for me, I was playing for the men’s team for the first time with guys I grew up watching and it was unbelievable,” said Sasaki. “It was live-streamed and my family and friends were able to see me play there.”
Reay was unbeatable down the stretch and prevented any damage during a two-man Rivermen power play in the late stages. Cummings then scored into an empty net to seal it.
The Spruce Kings were without injured forwards Skogan Schrott (back) and forward Linden Makow (shoullder) and head coach Brad Tesink was proud of the way his troops stepped up to give him his first home ice win since taking the coaching reins from Alex Evin.
“Tonight, guys were willing to expand their roles and do whatever it took, and we saw that,, we looked a lot more connected as a group” said Tesink.
“When you bring in a veteran goalie like (Reay) you look for him to solidify the back side and obviously with us transitioning a bit with our roster you need somebody back there you need somebody solid every night and he’s giving us a chance us a chance to win every time he steps into the crease.”
Tesink also had high praise for new associate coach Taylor Harnett, who joined the Kings Dec. 9.
“Taylor’s been unbelievable, he great with the group and has made the transition seamlessly, he’s going to be a great fit here,” said Tesink.
Ethan Merner gave the Rivermen some hope heading into the second intermission when he brought the visitors to within a goal of tying it, but just two minutes into the third period, hardworking Carter Hesselgrave crashed the net and used all his might to muscle the puck across the crease to a waiting Cooper Williams, who banged the puck in for a 5-3 lead.
LOOSE PUCKS: Schrott has been selected to represent the Spruce Kings at the BCHL all-star game in Salmon Arm, Jan. 20… The Kings return to action Dec. 28 when they host the Nanaimo Clippers in the first of a two-game set at Kopar.
