Spruce Kings Crusader: Final Collapse

3 Final Score 4

Bechtel, Epp, Hoffman

Goal Scorers

Zorn, Bowles, Fidanza, Lipon

Total Shots

1^st Period Shots

2^nd Period Shots

3^rd Period Shots

1 for 5 (20%)

Power Play

0 for 3 (0%)

3^rd Star

Mitch Lipon

Corey Hoffman

2^nd Star

1^st Star

Zak Bowles

3-8-0-1

Current Record

6-7-0-0

Last week the Spruce Kings got away with allowing a late goal. This time around not no much. The Spruce Kings came back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at three, but a goal with 2:36 left by Mitch Lipon would be the back breaker and close the game out at 4-3 in favour of the Centennials.

The Spruce Kings came out firing on all cylinders, but couldn’t beat Lancaster the regular backup for Merritt. The held the door long enough, and finally while short handed, Zorn was able to jump up on a two-on-oh play shorthanded, and slid the puck home for the first goal of the game. Then with time winding down Prince George seemed to be playing as if nothing bad could happen, but a quick turnover by the Centennials led to a goal by Bowles with 2.2 seconds left in the period.

In the second, the Spruce Kings got back into the play, but not before the Centennials could add one more. Fidanza managed to find a goal, and managed to give his team a 3-0 lead. That gave the Spruce Kings life though, and they came roaring back. On a power play, Corey Hoffman spotted Rylan Bechtel cross ice, and fed the blueliner for his first goal with Prince George. Less than a minute later, Matt Stief spotted Braiden Epp barreling to the net, and managed to feather a puck cross ice to him. Epp tipped the puck home, and managed to crash into the net as well.

Then in the third, Hoffman collected his third point of the night, as he crossed the ice, and snapped one to tie the game at three. That’s as close as Prince Goerge would get to mounting the epic come back, as Nick Jermain fired a shot from the slot that went off the shin on Lipon and into the net. Prince George would push late, but couldn’t find another equalizer.

Turning Point:

With 2.2 seconds left in the first period, the Centennials scored to take a 2-0 lead into the second. As the final result showed, that one goal did prove costly, and had the team been able to hold on in the final seconds, there may have been a very different outcome.

Royal Hand:

Corey Hoffman was a force to be reckoned with. For most of the season he has been tied for the team lead in points, but in the game against Merritt he put the team on his back, and led them to at least tie the game at one point. He was the man setup man for Bechtel’s goal, tipped the puck over to Epp on the second goal, and completed the sweep of PG points with a goal mere seconds into the third frame. Now with 11 points on the season (13 according to BCHL.ca, but he didn’t get five points against Merrritt) Hoffman has sole lead of the Spruce Kings scoring lead.

Special Teams Roll:

After a rough start to the season, special teams were one thing that can be looked at as a positive in the game against the Centennials. The team went 1 for 5 on the power play, but a number of those were very brief as they got a few seconds after a four-on-four situation. The team only had two full 2 minute sets while on the power play, and managed to capitalize there, so in a bright light they were basically 1 for 2 J

On the PK, the team went 3 for 3 while down a man, and bumped up their percentage of killing on the season, even though they didn’t actually gain in the standings.

SCORING SUMMARY

PERIOD 1

1-0 Merritt Centennials at 17:45 (SH) - Zachary Zorn from Ryan Forbes and Nick Fiorentino

2-0 Merritt Centennials at 19:58 - Zak Bowles from Mitch Lipon and Nick Fiorentino

PERIOD 2

2-1 Prince George Spruce Kings at 0:37 - Corey Hoffman from Kyle Johnson and Braiden Epp

3-1 Merritt Centennials at 3:28 - Nick Fidanza from Zak Bowles and Ryan Coghlan

3-2 Prince George Spruce Kings at 14:02 (PP) - Rylan Bechtel from Corey Hoffman and Jake LeBrun

PERIOD 3

3-3 Prince George Spruce Kings at 0:13 - Braiden Epp from Corey Hoffman and Matthew Stief

4-3 Merritt Centennials at 17:24 - Mitch Lipon from Nick Jermain and Nick Fiorentino