Kings were in Chilliwack for the inaugural BCHL (BC Hockey League) Showcase on the weekend. Just like the Trans Canada highway they travelled to get there, they are a team still under construction.
They found themselves slightly behind most of the other teams with a late start. However, the improvement with every game is evidence of the potential on the roster and it showed after recording a win and a tie.
Friday night they played Surrey Eagles in the smaller of the two rinks at Prospera Arena but that didn’t keep almost 200 division one NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Assocation) and NHL (National Hockey League) scouts from crowding around the rink.
Kings’ J.P. Villeneuve opened the scoring at 7:16 of the first period, but Surrey tied 1-1 on the powerplay at 15:47.
Eagles got the only goal in the second but Kings evened the score 2-2 on a powerplay goal from Jarryd Leung at 9:36.
A phantom holding call on Kings’ Luke Ripley away from the play resulted in the winning goal by Surrey just 0:23 seconds into the first five minute overtime.
Scouts saw a high energy game from both teams, but for the Kings there was a feeling that the more ice they got the more improvement they saw.
Captain Teagan Waugh, who was sidelined with an injury from the Nanaimo exhibition game last week, confessed, “I’ve been out far too many games in my junior career and missing the opener is never fun. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Of the team’s performance, he said, “Our exhibition games were a bit shaky because we haven’t learned all our systems, but a good week of practice helped us and the guys seem to be buying in right now.”
He, unfortunately, missed an opportunity to play in front of NHL scouts like Mark Holick from the Anaheim Ducks who was in for the weekend.
“We watch all the amateur players in the Western and BC hockey league and worldwide,” Holick said. “This a chance to see every team twice on the weekend so it helps us with a lot of logistics down the road. Kids that have a good weekend will get a second and third look but for the most part this showcase just makes a lot of sense logistically.”
With 16 teams and over 300 players participating, Holick added, “You’re probably just watching the draft-eligible guys and anything else that catches your eye. You try to project them into the NHL so everything like size, hands and speed matters.”
Kings had the day off on Saturday, but returned to Prospera Arena early Sunday for a game with the Vernon Vipers.
Despite the fact that these two teams were the cream of the Canadian crop for three years and the Kings won their fourth Coastal Championship last year, the game was played in the smaller of the two venues.
Nonetheless both teams delivered an exciting performance and the Kings picked up their first win of the season 4-3, once again in a jammed arena.
Goals by rookies Luke Nogard at 1:43 and Matthew Dupont at 8:10 of the first period gave the Kings an early lead, but a lapse towards the end of the period resulted in three Vernon goals in a span of two minutes and 55 seconds, giving Vernon a 3-2 lead.
Neither team could generate any offence in the second period, but in the third the Kings struck for two goals, one each from Matt Scarth and Leung to give the Kings their first win of the season.
Goalie Jonah Imoo was strong in the net with two game savers with a couple of minutes remaining and he chalked his first win to go with his tie in game one.
Coach Kent Lewis was satisfied with his club’s performance. “We knew we were a week behind everybody getting out of the gate and we didn’t have the number of games a lot of teams had, so the first game I expected what I saw,” he said.
The team was better against Vernon, Lewis added, “especially in the third when we got after them pretty good and forechecked well.”
Kings returned to Powell River for practices this week, but find themselves on the road to Vancouver Island for three games against their divisional rivals.
On Friday, September 14 they play the Victoria Grizzlies, then stop in Nanaimo on Saturday, September 15 and end the trip in Port Alberni on Sunday, September 16 at 2 pm.
