British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) Showcase has always been a bit of a tough start for Powell River Kings, largely due to their limited exhibition schedule and time together as a team.
This year, two exhibition and five league games into their season, Kings were ready to take on all comers and did, when they won 7-2 over Coquitlam Express and 4-2 against Surrey Eagles.
It was all business for Kings who travelled down to Chilliwack for the fourth annual showcase on Thursday, September 24 and Friday, September 25. The two games that counted as one home and one away on their schedule.
They joined the rest of the teams in the league to play 17 games over four days in front of scouts representing 29 National Hockey League teams and 37 National Collegiate Athletic Association teams.
What those scouts saw on Thursday morning in the showcase opener was a Kings team that was firing on all cylinders.
Coming off a successful three-game road trip and short three days rest, they scored two goals in each of the first two periods to lead 4-0 in a dominant effort over Coquitlam.
Forward Jonny Evans and defenceman Jeremy Leclerc, who also shined at the event last year, each scored while forward Carter Turnbull chipped in with a pair of goals on the power play.
Coquitlam spoiled Jeff Smith’s shutout bid on the power play 4:19 into the final period, but Kings forwards Austin Kamer and Nick Halagian got their first goals of the year to dash any hopes of an Express comeback.
Each team got another goal to make the final score 7-2, but Kings looked superior in every facet of the game against the Express, who are a .500 team in the young season, including one the power play where they went two for three.
Powell River’s next game against Surrey on Friday was almost a carbon copy of the first, but for a hiccup after they opened with a three-goal lead.
Forward Mitchell Hawes started off a pretty good game when he crashed the net and converted on a rebound at 4:20 of the first period.
He promptly got his second of the game when he tipped in a point shot from defenceman Rylan Ball at 16:24 and, like Thursday, Kings led comfortably 2-0 after one period.
Forward Curtis McCarrick got an assist from a goal post when he kicked the puck off of it and then, when it came right back to him, put it in with his stick at 5:16 of the second period.
Up 3-0, Kings were very much in control of this game, but perhaps suffered their only weak moment of the showcase.
They pulled back just a little and Surrey took advantage when they closed to within a goal in the second, with one at 12:45 and another on the power play at 19:28.
Obviously a pep talk between periods got the Kings refocused and they controlled the play in the third period, outshooting Surrey 12-7 with Hawes getting his hat-trick goal into an empty net at 19:28.
“After we got out to that lead I think our guys thought that it was going to be easy,” said coach Kent Lewis after the game. “Surrey kind of wiggled their way back, but we shut the door in the third period.”
Being just one of three teams to win both games pleased Lewis immensely, he said, and the weekend ended with a bonus.
“The goal scoring was spread out and we came back healthy,” he said. “Now we get to enjoy a rare weekend off.”
With the showcase over, Kings can settle down to the grind of the schedule and prepare to host Vernon Vipers this Friday, October 2 at 7:15 pm, followed by Alberni Valley Bulldogs Saturday, October 3 at 5 pm.
