For the remainder of the season, a near-perfect record is required if Powell River Kings have aspirations to catch Nanaimo Clippers and finish first in BC Hockey League (BCHL) Island Division standings. With a nine-game home stand continuing last weekend, Kings were aiming to maintain one of the league’s best home records.
Kings entertained Coquitlam Express Friday, January 29. The clubs had played twice previously this season with Kings winning on both occasions, 7-2 at the BCHL Showcase in September and 4-3 in overtime at Coquitlam one month later.
On the first shift of the game, Kings forechecked a dump in and, after a quick battle behind the goal, the puck bounced out off a leg and into the back of the net. Tristan Mullin received credit for the goal.
The lead doubled to 2-0 late in the first period. Nick Halagian lifted a Jonny Evans shot over the Coquitlam goaltender for his 11th goal of the season.
In the second period, Powell River added another late goal after Nick Nonis rushed through middle and passed over to Evans, who skated in and scored for a 3-0 advantage. On the next shift, Coquitlam scored their first goal to cut the lead to 3-1.
Express penalty trouble in the third period resulted in Kings converting on the power play for the second time in the game as Carter Turnbull finished a give-and-go passing play with Mullin for a 4-1 lead. Mullin added another for a three-point night with Kings cruising to a 5-2 win. Goaltender Jeff Smith stopped 29 shots for his 20th victory of the season.
“It came off my skate and the goalies’ skate and in,” said Mullin on the opening goal. “It was 55 seconds in the game, it sets a tone, gets you rolling and is a dagger for the other team.”
With a third straight win, Kings head coach Kent Lewis was satisfied with how his club handled Coquitlam’s dynamic offence.
“Coquitlam’s got a good club, they pose a lot of issues with their speed and skill and we did well managing that,” said Lewis. “Our guys were pretty close to making some nice plays, but the passes just missed their mark, and then other guys get the puck and go down to get a shot on net. We need to be really smart on how we’re placing pucks.”
Saturday’s contest posed a much tougher test, with West Kelowna Warriors also battling to secure a playoff spot and home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
The game started perfectly for the home team with the Kings opening up a 3-0 first period lead. Mullin scored 4:03 in, then Kyle Betts converted on a power play at 8:25. Carter Turnbull rounded out the scoring with 1:33 remaining after completing a two-on-one rush with Evans.
Powell River was a perfect 17-0 on the season when leading by three goals and, dating back to the 2013/2014, sported a perfect 51-0 record. However, the game was turned on its head when West Kelowna scored five times unanswered in the second period to leave Powell River players and fans wondering what happened.
“We were too casual and thought it was going to be easy,” said Kings assistant coach Brock Sawyer after the game. “We’ve seen how effective we can be when playing a full 60 minutes, but for some reason, tonight we took the second period off.”
A rollercoaster game continued in the third period with Adam Brubacher and Mullin scoring 34 seconds apart to tie the game 5-5, but neither side could find a go-ahead goal in regulation.
Warriors ended the game early in double overtime with a rush down the left wing and a well-placed shot for a 6-5 victory, clinching a playoff spot in the process. Smith took the loss, stopping 38 shots.
“You knew [West Kelowna] probably got a spray in the first intermission from their coach, but we’ve just got to up our intensity,” said Sawyer. “We had a four-minute power play to start the second period and we just didn’t manage the puck, we sat back and let them dictate the play. You can’t give them that much time and space to make plays.”
Three of a possible four points from the weekend keeps Powell River in second place in Island Division standings, 11 points behind Nanaimo and five points up on Cowichan.
A crucial set of three games highlights next weekend at Hap Parker Arena. Kings entertain Cowichan Valley for a doubleheader on Friday, February 5, and Saturday, February 6, and host Victoria on Monday, February 8.
Kings notes:
Defenceman Adam Brubacher has committed to attending Rochester Institute of Technology for the 2016/2017 season. Brubacher leads all BC Hockey League defenceman in goals and ranks third in points.
