Following a successful four-game home stand, Powell River Kings headed to Vancouver Island for their first road trip of 2016 and looked to continue a march toward the top of Island Division standings in the BC Hockey League (BCHL).
On Friday, January 8, Kings took on Victoria Grizzlies for the sixth time this season, going into the game sporting a 1-4 record against the team they eliminated from playoffs last season. Grizzlies were playing their first game since before Christmas, a 20-day break.
Victoria took a 1-0 lead, which ballooned to 3-0 before Kyle Betts and Liam Lawson scored 13 seconds apart in the second period to get Powell River back into the contest. Victoria added to the lead in the third period. Then, on a short-handed opportunity, Betts scored his second of the game when Victoria’s goalie mishandled the puck into his own net.
Despite a Kings late push, Grizzlies added an empty-net goal late in the third period for a 5-3 win. Jeff Smith stopped 41 shots in a losing cause.
“It was the start, the first period that cost us,” said Kings head coach Kent Lewis. “After that we had one line that was really flying, got all three goals, but not enough guys with a good night.”
Saturday’s battle against Nanaimo Clippers loomed as the marquee game of the weekend, following an intense battle over two games in Powell River January 2 and 3.
Another poor start put Powell River in a deep hole after Nanaimo scored 22 seconds apart in the first period to take a 2-0 lead. The biggest point of concern was the loss of Smith. With 2:24 remaining in the opening period, he skated to the bench and limped down the tunnel, only to later return and spend the rest of the game on the bench.
Kings rebounded in the second period, backstopped by some quality saves from Stefan Wornig. Carter Turnbull notched the opening goal of the second, then Chris Protopoulos scored late to tie the game at two.
A tense third period developed with the teams battling hard. Off a set play, Nanaimo’s Sheldon Rempal, the BC Hockey League’s leading scorer, broke the deadlock and scored the eventual winner with five minutes remaining.
Wornig took the loss after coming in relief of Smith, stopping 21 of 22 Nanaimo shots, allowing only the game winner in the third.
“Definitely frustrating, especially when it’s a game that’s winnable,” said Kings captain Jake Kohlhauser. “We gave ourselves the opportunity to win but we got in a hole and down by two. That adds so much difficulty to get back into the game.”
Sunday’s final leg of a three-game road trip was in Port Alberni against a Bulldogs team Kings had beaten four times this season and outscored 20 to 2.
Despite a better opening 10 minutes, for the fourth straight game Kings surrendered multiple goals before scoring their first. Bulldogs led 2-0 after 20 minutes, and 4-0 after 40, before Jonny Evans scored for the Kings after Alberni had scored their fifth.
The final score was 6-1, a third consecutive loss for the Kings. Wornig stopped 25 shots.
“Starts are so important, we had four shots in the first period and that’s not good enough,” said Kings assistant coach Brock Sawyer. “After that, we went off our own page and we were sloppy in the neutral zone. Defensively, we weren’t picking up sticks. It was a terrible effort and we need better.”
Kings fell to third in Island Division standings with a record of 22-17-0-2 (46 points), one point behind Cowichan and nine behind Nanaimo.
Kings are on the road this weekend for their final inter-divisional trip of the season, visiting Surrey on Friday, January 15, Penticton on Saturday, January 16, and Trail on Sunday, January 17.
Kings notes
Kings made a pair of deals ahead of the January 10 roster deadline. The club acquired defenceman Adam Brubacher from Prince George Spruce Kings in exchange for Colton Sandberg and future considerations. The team also moved forward Jeremey Leipsic to Portage of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League for future considerations.
Kings also signed Brandon Kennedy, a 1997-born defenceman from the Western Hockey League’s Moose Jaw Warriors, bringing the roster to the maximum of 22 players.
