The Sherwood Park Crusaders pose a significant challenge to the Prince George Spruce Kings when they make their first-ever visit to Kopar Memorial Arena Sunday afternoon (3 p.m. start).
They’re downright offensive.
Not only do they have the two top point-producers in the BC Hockey League in 2007-born Jeremy Loranger (37-52-94) and Kale Dach (22-58-80) but four other Crusaders – Poul Anderson, Connor Gengle, Dalton MacGillivray and Malachi McKinnon are averaging a point per game or better.
For perspective, none of the Spruce Kings on the active roster have averaged a point in each game. Centre Brock Cummings is the closest at .84 points per game.
Sherwood Park is the highest-scoring team in the 21-team BCHL with 231 goals in 49 games, averaging 4.71 goals per game. The Spruce Kings are 14th with 152 goals in 48 games, an average of 3.17.
Defensively the teams are pretty close to each other. The Crusaders have allowed 178 goals in 49 games for a 3.63 goals-against average (12th best), while the Spruce Kings have given up 152 goals in 48 games, a 3.73 average (13th in BCHL).
Unlike the Spruce Kings, the Crusaders have already locked up a playoff berth, sitting fifth in the Interior Conference with a 30-18-1-0 record.
The Source Kings (19-24-4-1, ninth in Coastal Conference) are on the outside looking in.
With six games left on their schedule the Spruce Kings are four points behind the eighth-place Langley Rivermen in the chase for the last Coastal playoff spot. The Rivermen are down to their last four games after they doubled the Victoria Grizzlies 6-3 Saturday in Langley to increase their grip on eighth place. That came one night after the Chilliwack Chiefs did Prince George a favour with a 5-0 shutout victory over the Rivermen.
The Spruce Kings have a tough three-games-in-three-nights schedule ahead of them on the weekend when they visit Coquitlam, Chilliwack and Surrey. They’ll wrap up the regular season at home against Powell River March 29-30.
Langley travels to Alberta on the weekend to play Blackfalds and Spruce Grove before ending the regular season against Coquitlam and Chilliwack.
