Spruce Kings Take On The Chiefs

VS
5-15-0-2	Record	14-5-1-2
47 (17th)	Goals For	86 (3rd)
92 (15th)	Goals Against	53 (3rd)
18.60% (11th)	Power Play	20.51% (5th)
74.51% (16th)	Penalty Kill	82.56% (5th)

Venue: Prospera Centre

Game Time: 7pm

Last Year’s Matchup: PG went 2-4-0-2 against the Chiefs. Chilliwack would win the Mainland division, and advance to the League finals round robin vs the Nanaimo Clippers and the Penticton Vees.

Season Series: 0-0

 Game Overview:

The Chilliwack Chiefs are on fire right now. They are currently on an eight game winning streak, and flexed their offensive and defensive muscles in a 7-0 beating of the Surrey Eagles last night. That was without their leading scorer in the lineup. The Chilliwack Chiefs were a tough team last year, and are again in the same position this season as they’re in a battle for 1^st place with the Wenatchee Wild in the Mainland Division. They’re third in both goals for and goals against, which puts them in 2^nd for +/- in the league with a +33.

The Spruce Kings on the other hand are looking to turn things around. Currently on a four game losing streak, they are looking to catch Coquitlam in the standings who have wins in their past two games. That puts Prince George nine points out of a playoff spot, but there is still more than enough time to catch up. Prince George still has five games against the Express, so those games are going to be vital in the standings. The Spruce Kings will need to at least win that series of games, and the more wins they can get the better. The Spruce Kings lost on the road last night in a hard fought 2-1 decision against the Wenatchee Wild. The team had to kill six penalties in the first half of the game, and the Wild finally broke through with one goal there, and then scored late again in the second to take the victory.

Chilliwack Home Record: 8-1-0-1

Chiefs Leading Scorer: Vimal Sukumaran 17 goals/12 assists/ 29 points

Prince George Road Record: 2-9-0-2

Spruce Kings Leading Scorer: Corey Hoffman 6 goals/11 assists/ 17 points

Player to watch:

Spruce Kings:

He was off to a stead, but Matt Stief has picked up offensively as of late. On the past three LeBrun goals he has been the primary assist holder. As the season has moved along, Stief has been trusted more and more, picking up more ice time, and has taken the QB role on the 1^st power play unit from Adam Brubacher. Stief is one of the players the coaches expect to be a leader, and will look to push his team tonight against the Chiefs who are on a role. Another player who has been gaining more ice time is forward Nic Ponak. The rookie forward has bounced around in the forward lineup, and has been everywhere from the 1^st to 4^th line. Ponak is a power forward, and had a glorious chance last night to tie the game on a backdoor pass, but he couldn’t get his shot over the sliding pad of Chase Perry. He was in the right position though to get the opportunity, and that’s half the battle right there. As Ponak gains more experience and gets more ice time in, look for him to improve and add to the one goal he this year which was against the West Kelowna Warriors.

Chiefs:

As of late the Chilliwack Chiefs top line has been smoking hot. Vimal Sukumaran (29), Darien Craighead (21), and Jordan Kawaguchi (25) lead the team in points. Sukumaran was out for last nights game against the Surrey Eagles, but Craighead had two points while Kawaguchi picked up a trio to lead the team in their 7-0 win over Surrey. Craighead started the season with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, and picked up four points in four games. That’s a tough pace to beat, but he’s done just that in Chilliwack picking up 17 points in 13 games since being acquired for Carter Cochrane. Kawaguchi is in his third tenure with the Chiefs, and was a point per game performer last year.

In the Standings:

Prince George is currently 5^th in the Mainland Division. That is 4 points above Surrey who sits last in the league, and nine points behind Coquitlam who currently hold the 4^th spot in the division.

Chilliwack is tied with Wenatchee for 1^st in the Mainland Division. The Wild are also in action tonight at home against the Vernon Vipers.

Broadcast Info: For all games, you can listen to the action on Mixlr

 or watch live at BCHL FASTHockey