Don’t look now but the Prince George Spruce Kings are surging closer to a BCHL playoff spot.
They won their third straight game Friday night in Duncan beating the Cowichan Valley Capitals 5-2, backed by another stelar goaltending performance from Charles-Edward Gravel.
The 20-year-old from Levis, Que, who joined the Kings two weeks ago from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, stopped 35 of 37 shots to improve his BCHL record to a perfect 3-0.
He was sharp from the get-go, making 15 saves in the opening period while his team was outshot 15-6.
Cooper Williams made it a 1-0 game for Prince George, scoring the only goal of the opening period. Goals from Kazumo Sasaki and Owen Goodbrand 59 seconds apart in the second period. That put the Kings up 3-0 before former Spruce King forward Luca Primerano replied 19 seconds after Goodbrand’s goal to get the Caps on the board.
Jake Gutwirth reduced the gap to 3-2 ,12 minutes into the third period but Spruce Kings captain Linden Makow answered three minutes later and Mason Loewen scored into an empty net to seal it.
The Kings were outshot 37-23.
The win moved the Spruce Kings (16-20-3-1, ninth in Coastal Conference) within five points of the idle Langley Rivermen for the eighth and final playoff spot. Langley (17-17-6-1) will host Alberni Valley on Saturday and Cowichan Valley Sunday afternoon.
The Spruce Kings resume their roadtrip Saturday in Nanaimo against the red-hot Clippers (20-18-2-0, seventh in Coastal), who beat Powell River 3-0 Friday for their seventh straight victory.
