The Prince George Spruce Kings know the task ahead is formidable.
They open their BC Hockey League Coastal Conference quarterfinal tonight in Chilliwack (7 p.m.) against the first-place Chiefs, a team that finished with the league’s second-best record (37-12-5-0) and ended the season on a seven-game winning streak.
That final win of the regular season, a 7-5 victory over the Langley Rivermen, allowed the Spruce Kings to secure a playoff spot with a 5-0 win over Powell River on Sunday.
It came as a surprise to many that the Chiefs didn’t just coast in that last game to allow the Rivermen in. All Langley needed was one more point to eliminate Prince George and lock up eighth place, which would have guaranteed a Chilliwack-Langley playoff series.
For anyone who needs a geography lesson, Langley is 62 kilometres from Chilliwack. But the stars aligned for the Spruce Kings, making them the Chiefs' improbable first-round opponent. When the Chiefs travel for Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven series next Tuesday and Wednesday, they’ll be packing the bus for an eight-hour, 683 km trip.
In Langley, Chiefs head coach and general manager Brian Maloney gave four of his top players the night off and started third-string goalie Kevin Jones, who played the best game of his BCHL career, stopping 40 of 45 shots.
“That was a tricky one because we’re not giving up games, and we don’t coach to lose. Our players don’t play to lose. I pulled some key players out of the lineup for that game just to rest them,” Maloney said. “It’s a credit to our depth, and we got to see some kids who are prospects for us that will play for us next year. They were motivated, and they showed it against Langley. All they needed was one point to get in, and credit to our goalie, who’s had a rough go for the five games he’s played, but he stood on his head.”
Now, instead of spending a couple thousand dollars on travel costs to Langley, that trip to Prince George will easily result in a five-figure bill, depending on how long the series goes. Maloney had some explaining to do.
“Financially, I had some questions from the ownership group, but it’s all good. There’s nothing wrong with a little bus trip,” said Maloney, 46, a former Chiefs captain now in his ninth season behind the Chilliwack bench.
Derailing this Chiefs team will take a monumental effort. Their 37 wins set a franchise record dating back to when the team moved south from Quesnel in 2011.
Chilliwack scored more goals (254) than any of the other 20 BCHL teams, averaging 4.70 per game. They were also the stingiest team in the Coastal Conference, allowing just 164 goals (3.03 average). That’s a goal differential of +90, second only to Brooks (+111).
The Chiefs have been getting balanced scoring, making them even harder to defend. LW Matteo Mrsic scored 33 goals and had 37 assists for 70 points in 53 games, finishing third in the scoring race, but he’s the only Chief in the BCHL’s top 25. RW Carter Anderson likely would have been there if he hadn’t been limited to 22 games due to injury, but he still managed 17 goals and 30 points. Maloney said he’s never seen anyone at the junior A level who can shoot the puck like Anderson. He plays on a line with Milburn and former Lethbridge Hurricane/Prince Albert Raider Dustin Renas, who had 10 goals and 18 points in 17 games since joining the Chiefs in February.
Forwards Milburn (20-32-52), Caleb Elfering (22-27-49), Nico Grabas (17-30-47), Nathan Morin (17-30-47) and Connor Dyck (15-27-42) all contributed offensively but are also extremely responsible defensively. On the blue line, the Chiefs have an experienced defence corps led by veterans Olivier Beaulieu, Tucker Shedd, Ty Campbell, Lucas Sorace, Adam Boatter, and six-foot-seven Jayden Veney.
Like Prince George, Chilliwack had to replace a significant number of their top players when the NCAA eligibility rule changed to allow CHL players to qualify for U.S. college hockey scholarships. The Chiefs lost six players to other leagues, and the Spruce Kings had to replace five.
“This has certainly been a good season for us, and it didn’t start off like that. It was a bit of a grind earlier on, obviously with some transitional players and just getting the right balance of players who have an identity for the way we want to play,” said Maloney. “Credit to our team, we’re not a one-trick pony or one line, and that’s why we’re sitting in the top seed. We hit you in waves. We have depth, and anyone can score.”
The Spruce Kings (23-25-4-2) scored 176 goals (3.26 per game) and allowed 193 (3.57). They’re entering the playoffs with a torrid 10-5-1-1 record over the last two months of the season.
“I’m not shocked to see Prince George in the playoffs. I know they’re a good team, and like most teams, they’ve gone through their struggles and some changes,” Maloney said. “I think Prince George is structurally always intact, and they play the game the right way. They’re getting some goaltending now, so I’m not surprised they were better down the stretch.”
None of the Spruce Kings produced at a point-per-game pace. Brock Cummings (20-25-45) led the team in scoring, Kazumo Sasaki (19-19-38) is ever-dangerous, and RIT-bound Will Moore (17-14-31) has been a terrific find. The two Trents, LeDrew and Ballantyne, have excelled on defence, backed by Brendan Gillmore, Zachary Hachey, tough guy Isaac Holt, and the two Euros – Maks Percic and Ludvig Basth.
Spruce Kings centre Nicolas Papineau knows his team has found a groove, which explains why they’ve won twice as many games as they lost over the last two months of the season.
“I think it’s the pushback,” said Papineau, a 20-year-old from Gatineau, Que. “If you watch our recent games, we were down 2-0 or maybe 3-0 sometimes, and by the second period, it’s a tie game. We never let up, whatever the score is, and I’ve never played on a team with that much pushback.”
Having Charles-Edward Gravel in goal certainly doesn’t hurt. His numbers have been off the charts since he joined the Spruce Kings in early February from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. He posted a stellar 10-3-1-0 record with a 1.98 goals-against average and .930 save percentage.
“We call Charles our hero. We say thanks to him every day. He’s the biggest piece of our puzzle here,” said Papineau. “As soon as he got here, we went on a four-game win streak, and from there on, our confidence has been through the roof. We know we’ve got each other’s backs, and there’s someone behind us who will make the save when he has to.”
That’s one of the most interesting dynamics of this series. The Chiefs also have a goalie with QMJHL pedigree. Montreal Canadiens fourth-round draft pick Quentin Miller has excelled since joining Chilliwack in January, coming off shoulder surgery. He enters the postseason with an 8-2 record, 2.29 goals-against average, and .923 save percentage.
Spruce Kings captain Linden Makow is looking forward to seeing some Vanderhoof folks in the crowd at Kopar Memorial Arena for Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-seven series on Tuesday and Wednesday. It’s been a long, hard season for Makow, who missed 13 games at midseason with a shoulder injury. Still, he managed eight goals and 22 points in 41 games, and he says the Spruce Kings are relishing their role as underdogs going into the series.
“We have a super-resilient group. You can never count us out. We’re always in the fight,” said Makow. “If anything goes wrong in our D-zone, you have the confidence that (Gravel) is going to make the big save. He’s done it lots before.
“Since the start of the season, we’ve always had pushback. Even if we’re down two or three goals in the third period, I’m so confident in our group that we’re going to come back in those games and steal points.”
Behind a 40-save outing from Ryder Green, the Spruce Kings beat the Chiefs 3-2 in their first meeting of the season on Sept. 21 in Chilliwack. They then lost the next four, but most were one- or two-goal games.
Spruce Kings head coach Brad Tesink says he’s not surprised his team was able to close what was an eight-point gap and reel in Langley for eighth place to make the playoffs. He saw signs they were a playoff team just watching them practice.
“There were some things we set in stone early in the season that finally came to fruition throughout the second half,” said Tesink, who took over from the fired Alex Evin on Nov. 25.
“The base was there for sure, and it was just about finding the guys to put in the right spots,” he said. “The guys who have come along throughout the season have stepped up in big ways, and the guys who were here all year have really defined what the culture is in that dressing room.
“I’ve heard from several GMs and coaches in our division after playing us, and they said, ‘Jeez, I wouldn’t want to meet you guys in the playoffs.’ So now we’re going to be there, and hopefully, we can make some noise. They’re healthy, battle-tested, and we’ll be ready for Game 1 on Friday. We’ve had a close series with them throughout the season, and we’re going in with the mindset that we’ve got nothing to lose.”
Prediction: Chiefs in six.
