by Glen Gibbs Peak Sports Last week it was Powell River Kings’ bus that needed repairs but this week it’s the offence that needs a tuneup.
An abbreviated weekend roadtrip took them to Langley, where they were shutout 1-0 by the Rivermen and then over to Alberni Valley losing 4-1 to the Bulldogs.
Neither loss was a blowout by any stretch of the imagination but the Kings are used to winning and in the last few years have been particularly proud of their road record.
In Langley on Saturday night the Rivermen exacted some revenge on the Kings who shut them out in back-to-back games at Hap Parker Arena a few weeks ago.
For all intents and purposes the Kings dominated the game, outshooting the Rivermen by a wide 37-14 margin and literally suffocating them with a fierce forecheck.
It was all for naught however, because the Kings couldn’t solve Rivermen’s goaltender Jim Kruger, didn’t get into the greasy areas and ultimately made an early mistake that cost them the game.
The defensive lapse and turnover at their blueline turned into a breakaway for Scott Moyer at 11:48 of the first period and he slid the puck through the legs of goaltender Jamie Phillips for the only goal of the game.
The 1-0 deficit at the end of the first period was a shocker to the Kings who had outshot the Rivermen 15-2 but fell behind on the scoreboard.
Aside from that goal, Kings’ play was adequate but needed an extra something.
“We did carry most of the play,” said manager and coach Kent Lewis later, “but we weren’t gritty enough to get on the inside. We need a group that is hungrier and edgier, and obviously we’re not tickled with the last number of games we’ve played. There have been some good efforts in some of those games, but not enough.”
Kings didn’t have time to dwell on the game with an afternoon date on Sunday versus the Bulldogs.
The puck dropped at 2:30 pm in Weyerhaeuser Arena but the first goal wasn’t recorded until about an hour later.
After a scoreless first period the Bulldogs scored with the man advantage at 8:59 of the second and added some insurance with their second powerplay goal five minutes later.
Kings thought they had closed the gap to a goal when they banged in a high rebound off the end boards but referee Carl Pool waived it off, calling it a high stick.
To add insult to injury, Cohen Adair and Taylor Carmola collided soon after and the puck was left to the Dogs who swept in on Sean Maguire and scored their third goal with a shot over his glove and under the bar.
Desperate to get at least one goal on the trip, Kings’ pulled Maguire for an extra attacker when the Bulldogs took a penalty at 16:51.
The strategy worked when Daniel Schuler scored to make it 3-1 with two minutes and five seconds left to play.
The comeback was short-lived however, when the Bulldogs jumped on a turnover at centre ice and put their fourth goal into an empty net.
Kings started October’s schedule like a house on fire with three straight wins at home but have won just one game in their last seven which have been on the road.
“We had a good effort in a few of the games and played well enough to win maybe one or two of the ones that we lost,” said assistant coach Chad van Diemen, “but the bottom line is we didn’t get those results and that’s unacceptable. Now we need to get some confidence back with some guys having a tough time getting pucks to go in.”
At 7:30 pm on Friday, October 28, Kings will host Westside Warriors (7-4-1). Then at 7:30 pm, Saturday, October 29, they will face Trail Smoke Eaters (2-8-1) at Hap Parker Arena.
